Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1894-11-30
MAYORS MESSAGE.
Message of Mayor Neill to the Council
on Retiring from Office.
An Able Document Dealing with Our
City Affairs.


Gentlemen oi the Council :--As my
resignation as mayor OF Pullman takes
effect on December lst, this will be my
last meeting with you in an official ca
pacity, and | take this opportunity to
thank you in behalf OF the citizens OF
Pullman for the valuable time you have
given and uepatience and good judg-
ment you have manifested in the con-
dGct OF your Office as councilmen, and
also 10 return to you my personal thanks
for the courtesy and kindness which you
have at all time shown to me as your.
presiding officer. You have faithfully
abored tor the best interests OF the city,
and voluntarily given valuable time 10
its business without, | fear, due APP
probation by the people at large. o. the
adverse conditions and circumstances
surrounding you, which conditions, how
ever you have successfully met and over
come to the lasting honor and glory OF
the city, and its future credit. ii is too
often true that the official acts OF a city
council are adversely criticised by th Sc
who will not or do not take the trouble
to acQuaint themselves with the reasons
which prompt the act criticised; the
tendency being to condemn on general
principles instead of sustaining tine Off.
cial acts of an officer done in the interest
Of the people he serves. Willie so err
is human TO forgive divine in rcl ewing
the past covered by your term / MnnOt
now recall a single act that could be
called an error, when the surroundings
are considered and the conditions and
circumstances Of the case remembered
as they were at the time.
Some wise people have said that this
council has been very eXtraVagant, bat
when we consider the private conduct OF
these critics business during the same
time, their criticism fails to have any
force, for the fact is that the Affairs OF
the city have been managed at ieaab Ia
the past two years on more conserNa-
tive basis than has the husinc g.
great majority OF the people ol G1!s cicS
during the same time, and don't be-
, lIeye there Is today in the city OF Pull
man ten men who would undo the past
in consideration Of a cancellation OF the
city's Indebtedness. Who is willing 0
take out the water works system? Who
is willing to put the pumping station IN
Ia wooden shack, and not only thereby
endanger the efficacy OF the entire sye-
tenn, but cause insurance to be raised in
the whole town? Who is willing to have
the streets restored to their natural con-
ditiou, preventing ornament improve
ments 10y the individual ior want OF
knowledge Of the grade, or to have the
side walks TAX up2 Who is willing to
cucumber the city with the bath house
franchise, which eutaIled an expense to
the city OF about $1,000 per auuum, be-
sides preventing the full dement's helng
derived from a brick pumping station by
the increase in the insurance rates, and
city property tied up by a lease OF fifteen
years? Who is willing to have South
Grand street restored to its former con-
ditiOn? Yet these are the improvements
for which the indebtedness u the city
was contracted. While there are many
who are ever ready to crltlcise the acts
OF officers which do not coincide with
their ideas Of things land by the way, |
these are generally the persons who
could not be elected to otlice) yet there
are a few who are willing to give credit |
where credit is due, and there mas been
many things done by this council and |
its officers which are worthy OF great
credit, oil which | need only mention the |
most important. In November 1893, |
our supreme court, in the case known as
the "Denyer case, decided that towns |
organized in the same manner as Pull |
man were illegal corporations. Ihls was |
accepted by nearly all the towns as Le-
ing final, the effect OF which was TO IN
validate all our standing warrants and
Indebtedness and destroy the title TO
city property acquired by it for city pur-
poses. BY the city attorney, Mr. Bun
giving his services grattuousIy the ques-
ton was again taken to the supreme
court from Pullman, and by hls energies |
and a sound course OF reasoning he Sc
cured decision favorable to Pullman, /
thus establishing our validity and the |
validity OF all the indebtedness. Nhat |
was involved in the matter and the cour-
ace that was necessary to present the
case to the suprrme court in the lace OF
its recent decision only lawyer can ap-
preciate. The entire cost OF tins pro-
cpeling was merely nominal considering /
the value OF the services rendered.
The reduction of the number OF arc
lights at first, and finally the taking OF
them all out in the face OF an opposition |
from citizens while leaving the city IN
darkness was rendered necessary by the
changed conditions. The reduction OF
salaries in 1898 and again this year was
in line with the recognized necessity OF
economy in city affairs necessitated by
the financial depression that prevails
throughout the entire country. The
suspension of all improvements for the
past year, and many other acts which
might be referred to are all in keeping
with the fact that you have at all times
the welfare and interest OF the town at
heart, irrespective of the personal de-