The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-09
Let Him Have TT

Mr.. OLIVER SUMNER TEALL wants to be
Street Cleaning Commissioner, mt he is
not ashamed to express his desire. He has
written to Col. STRONG applying for the
place, in case the new Mayor gets the power
to fill 1t, and he las caused his letter to be
published.
This Is fair, square, n manly in Mr..
TEALL. He does not pretend that, having
consecrated himself to the elevation of the
public service, he would reluctantly assume
the task Of cleaning the streets as q pious
obligation to the people, imposed on him by
q self-sacriacing sense Of public duty,
though really he Is secretly struggling
to get the job. He wants the place, and
he wants the pay, and he says 80 in
straightforward fashion, promising to earn
the money. Moreover, by making public
his letter of application at this early day
he gives Col. STRONG and everybody else a
chance to c~riticise his qualifications for the
post long before he is put into 1t. II my
body can show Just cause why OLIVER SUM-
EEB TEALL, Esq, should not DO appointed
Street Cleaning Commissioner, let him now
speak, or else hereafter forever hold his
peace. He challenges opposition, scrutiny,
ece sAo hAA "a iCIiIC IL ~ bo DOSSlDl6
hat a member of a community who contrib
utes SO much as he to its innocent gayety
has al enemy.
Undoubtedly, Mr.. TEAL has many indis-
putable qualifications for the place and
rightful claims upon it. He is young, he is
handsome, and he Is q hustler. He Is also
fertile In invention. Few men in New York
have got up so many schemes as he, all of
them ingenious, and all of them intended to
be useful MOI can we forbear to speak of
his title to u a ward because of his emf
nent political services, though we we'll know
any reference to a subject SO base will
tend to degrade us in Mugwump and Goo
Goo estimation. Mr.. TEAL first appeared
as a figure in our municipal polite.
in the campaign Of Great SCoTT. Nothing
is now remembered by the public of that
tremendous moral uprising to rescus the
government Of the town from the greed of
politicians by running a professional office
seeker and inveterate o~ficeholder for Mayor,
except that 1t resulted disastrously, and
that Mr.. TEAL was the one picturesque
figure in 1t. Without him its solemnity
would have been utterly depressing. He
Infused into 1t an element of gayety abso-
lutely essential to relieve the public mind
the weight Of its awful seriousness. |
Hence everybody feels grateful to Mr..
TEALL- May he live long and prospect Ia |
the universal wish.
In the last campaign he worked hard for |
Col. STRONG. He came down town, where
had been scarce, and when the |
votes were counted there were found to be-
many for the Republican ticket. II that |
Toes not constitute a claim to political re-
ward. whence comes such a title One
good turn deserves another. Mr.. TKALL
helped Col. STRONG, and now why should
lot Mayor STRONG help himi He
asked the people to vote for Col.
and now when he asks
STRONG to make him Street Clean
ng Commissions why should not his re-
luest be granted Even IL political services
10 not entitle a man to the reward of
flee, they are not considered as disqualify-
ng him for it, except among Mugwumps
nd Goo Coos, people 30 far above such
ordid aspirations that as a matter of course
hey expect that all right-minded people
will accord to them q monopoly of the
Dawes and fishes.
As Tor ourselves, we are down TO the level
{ the old maxim OF revelation that the
aborer Is worthy of his hire. Our candi-
ate for Street Cleaning Commissioner, II
tayor STRONG gets the authority to turn
ut Commissioner ANDREWS and is disposed
0 exercise 1t, is OLIVER SUMNER TEAL, Esq.
We like his square way OF going after the
lace. His letter starts out by saying, with
ut any shilly-shallying or humbug, that
e wants 1t, and then proceeds to promise
hat he will earn the salary IL the Mayor
ppoints him. But he makes a mistake
hen he adds that If appointed Commits
Ioner he will not only clean the streets,
ut clean them to the satisfaction of the
ubie." THAI Is too much. He can't
lean the streets to the satisfaction of the
hole public, even If he sweeps all day and
Il night He may satisfy n~inety-nine peo-
ls out OF . hundred, but the remaining
will still be Unhappy