Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-26

and that they were never in earnest about
the matter. anyhow Voters are not look
irg at the matter in this light, however
and Che effort Of Council TO take from the
people election privileges which they have
enjoyed for sixty years has not been for
gotten and will not be. The right Of the
voter TO choose the officers who are 10
discharge public duties is one which the
people OF Wheeling have chung to tena-
cious.y and which they will rot give up
without O. struggle and the movement in
this direction by the Overwhelmingly Re-
publican Council. at very considerable
cost to the people will lie on the record
as an Indictment trial upon which has
been set for the 2Sth instant before jury
of the whole people of the city. And the
verdict Will be returned tina same day
~.
Yet another instance OF Official worth
lcssness on the part Of Council and its
committees and officers was the effort 10
check and stamp out the deplorable small
pox epidemic No more conspicuous in
stance of dallying with q grave situation
could well be imagined than the course of
Council and it's Health Committee during
the first months Of this very undesirable
visitation. The disease first made its APP
pearance as an isolated case. brought 10
the city by boat, and presented no par
ticuiar difficulties. But instead of COM
batting the disease and using the most
energetic means to rio the city of the pest,
the Health Committee and the then
Health Officer feu foul of each other;
the Committee failed and refused 10 give
the Health officer proper support. and
sessions which should have been devoted
TO harmonious consideration of the
smallpox were very largely devoted to
wrangiing. charges and counter-charges,
and a general procedure at cross-pur-
poses. Council which knew of what was
going on. and Of the steady progress Of
the disease might. had il risod TO the sit
uaton promptly, have commanded peace
and energetic work on the part of the
Committee, but little or no attention was
excited in that Go-easy body, while the
smallpox spread from one locality TO an
other. people were alarmed, the most sem
sational reports were circulated outside
the city. and business suffered TO the eX-
tent Of many thousands of dollars, IN
many branches. Month followed month,
with no change for the better. until
crisis was reached. and in response to an
universal and emphatic demand, Council
finally set to work, a change in the
Health Officer followed, and finally the
disease was stamped out by the use of
those methods which should have been
called into play at the outset. This piece
Of business cost the city treasury some
thing like twenty thousand dollars in one
way and another. while the loss in bust
ness was probably five times as much.
And the most of IL was the fault Of city
government which appears to be abso-
mteIy unable to get IFS working clothes
on in time Of emergency. or to complete
anything OF any importance which it takes
in hand.
The instances here given are not isolated
or unusual cases. They are simply of
more Importance than many others, but
the list Of things Council set out 10 do
and did not do is q long one. while the
roster of things it did which had better
been left undone is almost equally eX-
tended. As a reform administration. the
present one viii so into history uuhonored
and unsung