The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-12-10
A DIRTY RECORD.

Mr.. C. J. Curtis declaiming from pub
lie platform the other evening, with gal
that would shock the senslbilities Of any
decent man. made one remark that was
true when he said:
Everybody here knows who and what
l am"
Indeed everybody does The very name
of the man brings up visions OF forged
liquor license petitions, of kidnapping plots,
Of a record full of blots and stains, of in
competency official bupgling. deals more
or less dirty, and much else.
Mr.. Curtis has Indignantly declared that
there IS nothing against his political rec
ord. His political record has not one
clean act about It. He has killed the
credit Of the city. He, and he alone, is
responsible for the major part Of our
present burden Of indebtedness. His bum
Cling work, done at time when he made
people believe he was an attorney, cost
Astoria fifty thousand dollars and every
piece OF legislation passed during several
months when he was the legal advisor
Of the council, has been declared by the
highest courts In the land to be rotten
Illegal, and unable to stand any kind Of
test
Everybody remembers the Court Street
case. which the city took up to the su.
preme court in order to compel severa
taxpayers to pay their assessments. Mr.
Curtis says that he protested against this
case going TO the courts. He tells delib.
crate untruth. 1t was he that advised
the city council to prosecute the Court
street, Genevieve street. and West Eighth
street cases. His recommendations are
on file today in the city offices. He sent
IN, not one recommendation In favor Of
this matter, but dozen. And when the
test case went to the supreme court, II
was Instantly thrown out. Not one OF
the city's allegations was tenable for O
moment Not one of them would stand
writ Of review issued by the judges
Astoria were out of pocket $1,000 for legal
fees and court expenses; that was the
reason why in the tax levied by c. J.
Curtis for that year alone there was a
deficit OF twenty thousand dollars, a
deficit that never has been, and never can
be collected.
In the Genevieve and West Eighth
street cases the same thing happened Not
a cent Of those assessments was ever Sc
cured by the city. and in the two years
that Mr. Curtis was running" his de-
partment he cost the city, at conserva-
tive estimate. fifty thousand dollars, Not
a single ordinance that Curtis drew while
in the office of city attorney ever stood
the test of law, Outside of the 100000
bonded indebtedness the city now has is
sued warrants for an additional $17,OOO.0O.
OF this latter amount about $4,000 win
come back to the city on valid tax returns
from ordinances drawn up In an honest
and legal manner by later city attorneys.
Ahc bdluiicc-d uclClt Ol FfftVUVi represents
thesnmount lost to the city by the bun
Cling incompetency of C, j. Curtis. whose
careless, shlftless and abominable meth
DDS have been curse to Astoria ana
Clatsop county for many years.
Everybody knows my record says
Mr.. Curtis.
He tells the truth for once. That record
Is too nauseatlng and too vile for anybody
to overlook or forget It. Tomorrow night
when the votes are counted the truth OF
the words will come home to him. An
era OF prosperity is upon us. New streets
win be opened up right and left, new con.
tracts WIN be entered into and new ana
intricate questions win come up for set
tlement, Imagine this man with his glar-
Ing incompetency his shiftless and un-
manly character in the office OF city at
torney during these coming years In.
stead Of $4,000 he would lose 100000 for
the city. and by his methods ana acts
would swamp every taxpayer in a sea OF
lltigation that 1t would take years Of
hard work to overcome.
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