Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-10
COUNCIL BLUFFS DEPARTMENT
THEY WANT HIM REMOVED.
workinEmen Ask Council 20 Dis
chnrEe the street missioner.

workinrmen Ask CounciI 10 Dis
charge the street Commissioner.
As IL the troubles that have been heaped
upon the head and shoulders OF Street Com
missioner Morris by the recent floods were
not enough a number Of constituents have
been cooking a big Kettle OF grief for him.
At the last meeting Of the council the com
plants against the methods Of the commits
sioner took the form of petition asking the
council to dismiss him. The petition phe-
sented to the council reads as follows:
I'VE, the undersigned petitioners and la
boring men OF this city, ask your honorable
body TO remove the present incumbent from
the position Of street commissioner OF TINS
city and appoint in his place some compe-
tent person that does not show so much par
tality TO a chosen few to the exclusion OF
the many. and who will divide the work
under his charge equitably among laborersi
and we further ask that he be more cour-
teous and reasonable in his language 10
those under his charge.
I'VE also charge the present incumbent
with being discourteous, unreasonable and
unfit for the position he holds, and we
stand ready to furnish you with ample
proof that this request is founded upon
facts not malice. We further ask you to
appoint a commissioner that will not mis-
treat us as men. and will not ask more
than we can do for a days work.
The petition is signed by about forty
workingmen and is officially endorsed py
the workingmen's Friendly club. The mat
/ ter has been turned over TO the committee
| OF the whole for investigation.
The workngmen charge that Commis-
sioner Morris has been entirely too severe
/ and arbitrary in his treatment OF the men
whom he has employed, and that he mas
discharged good men who were in sad need
| of employment aclely for the purpose OF
| giving work to some of his favorites, and
| that he has kept some men at work every
| day who did not need the work, to the ex-
! clusion of others who had families on their
! hands suffering for the necessaries OF life.
Commissioner Morris talks very plainly
| about the matter, and declares that he has
| no defense to make for any official act oil
] his administration. He says he has no Ia
| vorites except the taxpayers, ana that IL is
his efforts to protect these that have Sc
! cured him the enmity Of number OF work
ing men. He says he has not discharged
a single man but for cause, and good cause
This has usually been chronic inability &c
work. He says a class OF alleged working
men found their way into the employment
| of the taxpayers through his department
early in the season. 1t was not long until he
discovered that they desired to do the
greatest amount of labor with their tongues
! They seemed to conceive the idea that tht
city's cashbox was at their dlsposal, ane
the positions they held were only for The
purpose of Disgusting the charitable inten
ton of the city to distribute lot OF aid
in a manner that would not offend the
sensibilities OF the men who were to re
ceive it. He positively denies that he ha:
i hired or discharged any man through ia
voritism. Naturally the 'men who could b'
trusted to work in his absence and wht
we're always faithful and honest were re
tanned, while the loafers, who wanted L
draw ten hours pay for work that woulC
make less than half a day of honest ef
fort, were replaced with men willing to give
the city fair equivalent for their wages
1t is probable that the council will ask al
of them who signed the petition, some O
whom, by the way, are not found yer!
often hard at work, to appear before the
committee and substantiate the charges.