The herald., 1896-01-31
II CANNOT Be AVOIDED
There Must Now Be a Public
Park Investigation
THE FIRST STEP TODAY
The Park Commissioners Will Meet
Today
Messrve Insists That He
Will Not Resign--it is Broadly hinted
That He win Be Dismissed

The board of park commissioners meet
this morning and the musical program due
during the session will probably linRer IN
the minds of those who are to participate'
for many months to come. The mayor is
upon the cards, to move for an open and
public investigation of certain charges
which are alleged to very seriously affect
Superintendent Elmo II. Meserve, which
charges we're investigated behind closed
doors by the board at a late hour on Satur-
day evening. These charges are man'fold
and embrace among other things.
the statement that the super
intendent does now and for sometime
has been operating private nursery, con-
trary to the public service; and that he has
been pottlng and maintaining at the public
expense and for private parties upon pub
lie property, divers and sundry expensive
plants
Whel her or not these charges are part
of the organized relgious-poltical attempt
to remove Meserve some two mon MS ago
can not at this time be stated. The mayor
denies this to be the fact. and points to his
long personal friendship for The superln-
tendent's brother to prove his statement.
He insists that only the good name of his
own administration has m Ade him act in the
matter in the manner he has. One thing
is certain, tn 1t only a few weeks ago, CO.
terie of councilmen, led by Councilmen
Munson and Stockwell, which had voles
enough to carry it's threa, into execution.
was about to change the personnel of the
park commission because certain park
employees had not 'hen been dismissed be-
cause of their nativity: other councilmen,
wiser and more polite, threw themselves
into the breach. and the issue was. for the
time being, overlooked. Later, Meserve
fell down the bank. He surrendered COM
pletely, and the "objectionable" employees
were all summarlly dismis ed. In justice
to the mayor it must be stated that he was
at this time in the east.
Meserve's surrender resulted in the fire
against him being completely shifted. Inc
fight has been upon he new lines--been
growing constantly fiercer-until now it
threatens to create the biggest kind OF
Republican party split. with the result OF
the impending investigation of the charges
against the superintendent, which. AS al
ready stated, are of more or less serious
ness.
Last Friday afternoon, the mayor called
Meserve into his private office and in
formed him of the rumors affecting his de-
partment, and in answer TO a query fIom
the park superinte ldent, the mayor in
formed the former buntly that he ought to
resign and thus relieve the administration
from its embs rrassment. Meserve wanted
to take The ma ter under confederation
over night, aud the next day advised the
mayor lha if given leeWay for period of
sixty days he would step down and out at
the end of that time To this condition
the mayor declined O accede, and after the
superintendent had promised to come TO
some further determination the c1nversa-
tioA ended. Meserve never saw the mayor,
and the secret investigation on Saturday
evening was the result.
Meserve says that under no circum-
stances will he re j N. He has document
AIRY evidence to prove that at least some of
the most serious OF the charges made are
not true. When seen yesterday he said:
~ know that parties interested in having
, me removed have for the last week been
using every effort to force me out of my
present position, aud, as | am informed,
have gone SO far as to prefer some kind of
charges against me-"
''Do you know what these charges are?''
"Drecily, no. In a general way, ye,.
Since the meeting of the board of park
commissioners, held last Saturday, have
been told in a general way what they are y
What can you tell me about them ?''
"Nothing. That is, INV informa ion of
what they are is not sufficient to warrant
me in publicly discussing them. All lhave
to say is this: / have tried to do my uu,y,
and honestly believe | have. In regulating
my force l have sntagonized of course
many people. This naturally | could not
help aud. at the same time, do my duty. If
any charges have been sde against me
rejecting on my honor and integrity, all
can say is they are false. Further than
this | can say nothing at this time, only
that | am anxious to have every act of
mine as superintendent of parks of thi !
city openly and publicly investigated"
The mayor insists that he is only acting
in the present instance for the best inter-
ests of the public service. While admit.
ting hat the cret investigation of last
Saturday may not have been polite, he
was guided in the matter, he says, only by
an anxiety to protect an employe for
whom he felt most friendly personal in
terest.