The herald., 1897-09-18
NOT DECIDED YET
Certainty Of a Fight on the Street
Sweeping Charges in the Council

The report of the special council COM
mittee, which on Thursday heard the
evidence in the matter of the charges
preferred against Inspector of Street
Sweeping Mcclellan by Health Officer
Powers, will probably not be filed until
Monday. The members of the committee
were together nearly all day yesterday
considering a number of matters which
came befoie them, and the street sweep
ing matter was generally discussed, but
as yet nothing has been decided def
ntely, although the members are fairly
we'll satisfied in their own minds as to
what they will do. No formal vote on
the charges ras been taken and none will
be until sometime today, when one OF
the members of the committee will be
instructed just how to prepare the re-
port which is to be made to the council.
Hearing Of the evidence is not all that
the committee has done in the matter.
Some of that evid ence gave them the i'm
preston that there might be an under
current Of personal feeling actuating
to some extent the charges, as we'll as
the defense, and this has been made the
subject of quiet investigation. There
can be no doubt that DR.. Powers Sus-
tanned his charges, in part at least, with
good evidence, and there is also no doubt
that the sweeping of the streets has
caused great dissatisfaction In more
than one quarter. The explanations
made by the inspe ector as to the difficult
ties encountered in the work and his i'm
putation that DR.. Powers had an ak
to grind in the matter are subjects
Il, ;oI, t,,x, ic, f;r
giving due consideration.
AS the matter stands at present it ap-
pears probable that the report will be
adverse to the inspector, and among the
officials in the city hall who have
watched the matter such report is ex-
pected. That such report has not al
ready been ordered drawn up is due to
the desire of the committee to still
further look into certain phases Of the
matter.
Whatever the report may be it will
by no means settle the fight. If it be
against the inspector he will take the
fight up in the council, where he has
several friends, and endeavor to have it
tabled instead of approved. How sue
cessful such an effort on his part will
be remains to boseen, but 1t is known
that an effort in this direction has al
ready been begun. On the other hand II
the report be favorable to the inspector
and the charges are not sustained, it is
understood that DR.. Powers will then
prefer charges against w. I. Hollings-
worth who has the contract for street
sweeping.
The latter has repeatedly asserted that
DR.. Powers, in instituting the proceed
ings against Mcclellan, was simply do
ing so as a means to reach the con-
tractor. Holhngsworth has also stated
that the animus in the matter can be
found in recent action in law between
himself an Powers. This Dr. Powers
denies in the most emphatic terms. He
declares that the fact that the streets
are not properly swept is notorious and
that he is simply endeavoring to do his
duty in the matter as he sees it. He has
intimated that other and more serious
charges might be preferred. That some
thing is not as it should be is patent,
and it is also evident with regard to
the matter that the end is not yet,