The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-19
THE CITY'S AFFAIRS.
Long List of Candidates for the
Impending Vacancies.
4 LETTER ON RETRENcHMENT.
Oenvention Of Cities OF the IHrst Glass -
Vacancies to BE Fnled in the New
Year-5treet Bonds.

Tomorrow the ntunicfpai delexaf - from 800
kane, Tacoma and Seattle Will NEE & at the city
hall in Tacoma TO consider measur Is TO be sub
United TO the state Legislature in TT interest oil
cities OF the fins: class Mayor Ron aid. Corpora
tiou Counsel Donworth, Presiden Klosher, OF
the house o. delegates, and Compt roller Carson
will be in attendance, but Aide rman Brewer
viii probably not return from WI lila walia in
tipe.
As the end Of che year approach es the list OF
candidates for the impending vacsi iciegi becomes
enlarged The most important Office b, be filed
- that OF comrniss Toner of public worl.s in sue
cession to Maj. Rinehart The gu estion IL
whether Mayor Ronald will res ard tn office az
important as the charter undoubtedly does he
has an admirable opportunity -bett II, indeed,
than that afforded by any other az pointrnent
he has to make--to show wheth or qualification
q to be the object sought in select Ing anominee
Alderman Wolfe has been freque utky spoken OF
in terms Of commentator, and he is said to be
4 practical man. It was believed at one time
that Lea nder Miller stood a good chance. but
his delca te health would probably be urged by
him an q r Jason for being excused Alderman
Carrie 10 ala o strongly urged as pr sctical en-
gineer.
In the orhel house the only man pressed for
the sppointms Mt is Delegate oailiga n, but he
does not seek the Office. Among at hers men
toned are J. f. NJ cDonald, George Ell lott, Z. s.
Potyin and Ro bert Bridges
For mark comm issioner, in place of W. +. Bur-
CESS, Attorney s. &. Carlisle &c talkesi of; so is
VI rem T. Crews, but then he is 4 liked OF for
every vacancy from e GEO year do WI to s25
month. Abram Barker's departure from the
city leaves another vacancy on this oard
There will be- two vacancies in ihe library
commission Junius Rochester will probably
succeed himself. He spends conside abba time
In the Occidental block, and 1t would be con-
venient for him to attend the meetings. r. G.
Washburn's successor will probably Do w. B.
Relic or Capt +. S. de Wolfe.
There will likely be another contest for the
Office OF port warden, and Capt. by ers friends
will make another effort to secure him the po-
sition, although no fault has been found with
Jefich
DIR. T. l. Smith, Dr. p b. Johnson and DR.. G.
B. Mccullough are among those m sntioned for
the board of health.
The long talked of reduction In expenses 10
still afar off, and the administration Is in
the position OF either confessing THAT 1t has
failed to keep its VOWS made on the hastings
before election, or that its charges of extrava-
gance against the Republican officials were
false Corporation Counsel Donworth has ad-
dressed the following letter to the city council
on the subject:
Having been requested by you to investigate
and give an opinion as to the powers of the city
council in relation TO the salaries of city Off
GERS, beg TO report that have considered the
matter and have come to the following conclu-
sions:
The state constitution provides that the
salary of any city or municipal officer
shall not be increased Or diminished
after his election or during his term
no salary of any officer fixed by the city council
shall be increased after his appointment or dur
ing the term for which he shall have been
elected or appointed leaving the council tree to
diminish salaries at its pleasure.
So far as the charter 10 concerned the city
council has the right to diminish at any timc
the salary of any officer unless his salary be
fixed by the charter This liberty is strained
In some respects by the state constitution in
In my opinion, in order for the constitutional
prohibition to apply, the officer must have
definite term OF Office Those officers who are
appointed for no definite time but hold during
the pleasure OF the appointing board have no
such ascertaned or definite term as brings them
! within the language of the constitution.
Applying these observations to the different
departments OF the city government, these con-
illusions follow:
First--The salaries of the mayor treasurer
members Of the city council and park commits
sioners are fixed by the charter and cannot be
changed.
second-The members OF the board OF public
words, comptroller and port warden have
definite and ascertained terms fixed by the
charter and are within the language of the con-
etitution in regard to change of salary. Conse-
Qneutly, II you now change the salary of those
officers such change can take effect only at the
expiration of existing terms Any change in
the salary of the members of the board of public
works prior to January will reach the new
member whose term begins at that time and
Will reach the other members subsequently ap-
pointed change in the salary of the comp
trolier will not take effect until the ex pration
OF the present Monuments term OF Office A
change in the salary of the port warden now
made Will take effect at the beginning OF the
next term, viz: on the first day of January next
Third-The following officers ars created Dy
the charter. but their salaries fixed by Or
dinance, and as they hold for nc term but
simply during the pleasure of the appointing
power, their salaries can be diminished at any
time, viz
All tie appointees in the police department
Secretary OF the board of public works, city
engineer, superintendent OF water works. street
commissioner. superintendent Of sewers, SUI
psrintendent of buildings, bridges and wharves
The EeGsth officer and inspector OF plumbing.
The stenogrspher In III office the corpora
tion counsel.
Fourth--Ih o'fices OF all other deputies, a.
and their salaries fixed by ordinance and thgy
bold for no definite term. As to these Offices,
the salaries can be diminished at any time by
the city council.
The Broadway improvement bonds were bid
tor by the National Bank of Commerce on Sal
urday for an Eastern investor at par but IL WAS
not accepted, and the decision WITH not b. made
known until today. The records were ex-
aminsd by S. N. shipley, and pronounced per-
feet
THE NEW BUILDINGS.
: rarkfuaousx Fire