The morning call., 1894-09-30
HANlFIN AND THE DEMOCRATS.


dee-Miller trouble, in which the Mayor
demanded the resignation OF the Commits
siOner, as promised, and which the Com
missioner peremptoIiIy refused to forward,
is brought TO light in the written reply of
the Commissioner to Mayor Pardee's open
letter. Mr. Miller SAYS:
OAKLAND Cal, Sept. %, 1894
Hon George {. PGTdee, Mayor OF tie CITY Of
e OdkIdnd-DEAR SIR: Your official cOmmunt-
cation as Mayor, under date of September 27,
1894. in which you demand my resignation as
a member of the Board of Public Works of this
city. was handed TO me late this afternoon.
The only reason you give in such cOmmunlca-
ton as why you demand my resignation Is that
you say therein that prior 10 my appointment
agreed that whenever you became dissatisfied
with my official acts | would Immediately re-
sign, and you further sayi Il now publicly in
form you that | am dissatisfied with your
course as a member of the Board of Public
Works, and l now IN conformity with your SAID
agreement publicly demand that you resign"
Without discussing the powers OF the Mayor
under the charter other provisions ~ that
instrument. which you and L have sworn TO
carry out. let me, IN reply to your communities
lion, say:
In ali conversations between us upon the
subject either before or after my appointment
The substance of what you said was That you
desired your appOln ee to be honest as al Oh
hcal faithful to The tTuStrepOSed, protecting
the interests Of the city. free from associations,
rings" or unlawful or dishonest connection, 4
man Of integrity ana rectitude, and that If such
aPpointee should fail IN such particulars you
would call upon him TO resign-trS5 privately,
Then publicly.
TO mis- l agreed. ! did not understand that I
was TO resign unless L was untalthful 10 my
trust or had not fulfilled the duties OF my office
as honestly and faithfully as l knew how. and
did not believe you thought differently. l
surely did not understand that simply upon
your personal request, with no charge OF dere-
llction of Office even made against me, l was to
obey such personal or even official request for
my resignation. a man would sacrifice his
manhood 10 make such promise and the same
may apply TO a man requesting such promise.
have always been ready TO leave any DOS l.
Ion, public or private, when | have failed 10
properly discharge my duty, but considering
my long residence in this city, deem ii duty
TO my friends and acQuaintanceS, as we'll as 10
myself, to require some specific and true charge
OF failure IN duty on my part before complying
with your demand Tor my resignation, other
wise my conduct might be cOnstrued.inLO vol
uDtary admission OF that which does not exist.
[ have conscieUtiously and 10 the best of my
ability discharged all the duties of the Office TO
which have been appointed. as will be shown
by the record of my official acts.
L cannot, therefore, with justice TO myself,
under the circumstances, comply with your re-
quest for my resignation, no matter at whose
instiGatOn The demand may have been made.
Conscious. OF the recttude OF my every Off
cial act. / submit my refusal 10 the people OF
this city for their judgment between us: Very
respectfully yours. W. n. MILLER,
But Mayor Pardee is not satisfied with
Mr. Miller's idea Of the affair, as evinced
In the interview had with him, and yester-
day used some pretty strong language in
. 81 eaking of Commissioner Miller.
Mayor Pardee says in his first interview
with Miller the latter agreed with him that
it was Outrageous for any member of the
Board of Public Works to neglect the af-
fairs of the city as the members of the
board were then land, by the way, still are)
doing"
The Mayor says: 81 told him that l
would appoint no man to the board who
would not give half his time aud, if neces-
sary, all of ii, to the service of the city.
81 told him that the city demanded and
/ wanted man on the board who could
and would carefully and thoroughly in-
spect schOolhouses that were about 10 be
erected In the city.
''Mr. Miller agreed with me perfectly as
TO the necessity for all this, and he assured
NE that be had as little confidence as |
had IN the Board of Works as then con-
stiiuted. He also promised me faithfully
that be would give half his time aud If
necessary all of 1t TO the services of the
city; that he would 90 daily TO all the
school houses and would inspect these
E. buildings thoroughly. He assured me if
there was anything abOuttbose buildings
not exactly right he would find it out and
howl There can be no question about
Mr.. Miller having made this promise to
me. Not only So but he made it to others"
The Mayor says from Mr.. Miller's past
reputation he believed be wonld keep his
word as be promised on March Is, 1893
and again July 49,. 1898. on September Z,
1893 and on February %, 1894.
On August II, 1894, the Mayor says he
again told Miller that he had not kept his
promise, and, says the Mayor. ''he asked
me to specify wherein he had not per-
formed his duties to my satisfaction. 7
instanced TO him the Sixth Ward school
scandal, the dangerous condition of The
Thirtieth Ward school and a dozen other
things in which believed aud still believe
be neglected the interests of the city.
He defended himself in regard TO not
giving his time by saying there was MOTH
for him TO do.
There is great deal more TO be said in
this matter At this time. however. suf-
fee it to say that Mr. Miller made certain
promises to me and others as TO the man
ner in which he would fill bis Office. He
did not keep his agreement. | asked him
TO resign. l do SO again.
Mr.. Miller says he has done nothing
dishonest while member of the Board Of
Public Works. People discharge men for
incOmretency almost as quickly as they do
for dish honesty"
The Miller-Pardee trouble is drawing
others in, and ex-MayOr Chapman, who
still refers to the Mayor as MAYOR ~
Pardee," has this TO say of the mat err:
''The only fault which the Mayor has
laid to Miller's door Is, to use the elegant
language OF Tire mayor, lie QO0' KICK and
howl enough Mr.. Miller has failed to
adapt himself to the peculiar circumsta nces
by which he is surrounded. AS reason
able man he seems to think that the duties
of Commissioner demand q conscientious
discharge of the city'S business, but it is
probable he has now come to realize that
be serves under a spectacular adminstra-
lion that strives only for theatrical effect
and is satisfied with nothing that is not
Mighty sensational.
''He has failed to minister to the vanity
Oh the man who would assume the position
ot ring master aud insists that his digni-
hed appointee shall be degraded to the
role OF clown in The greatest show on
earth. This is Miller's only fault."
For Government Ownership.
In reply 20 talk which Colonel John
lIish gave 10 the ladies of the Ebell
Soclety, IN which he held the private own
ershlp Oh railroads is preferable to Gov
ernment ownership, J. 81. BsSsett yester-
Gay addressed the society on the other side
OF TINS mnch discussed question. After
Statlng that II is now within the power of
the Federal Government TO settle all the
= discussion on the subject without any out
lay for either purchase or construction he
went deeply into the question of the Cen
trail and Union Pacific railroad 6ebts. He
said that the only alternative that fbe
people have is to take pOssesston of the
roads, and he claimed that even man the
Government will have paid for the roads
some S115, 000, 900, or twice as mnch as il
llsTn eft n o. Cfr,.n 4,