The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-02-26
Communication.

crOnlc llar or some one who Il continually
stirring up some strife, or causing enmity
between neighbors and many other evils
too numerous TO mention. Now il seems
Ebensburg is not an exception TO this af-
! Fiction. | notice by communication
| published in the FREEMAN signed 'Citi
| zen.' on February 18th, that we have
person in our midst who can fill this bill of
atiiicJion on the citizens of Ebensburg to
| perfection in every particular.
He first starts out and cleanseS himself
| in an imaginary sewer which he opposes
the construction of at the taxpayers ex-
penSe because he happens to live in part
of the town where he would not be the
only one to receive ali the benefit of its
use. yet this citizen evidently favors the
| borough council eXpending 81, 400 per year
| of the taxpayers money for electric light
that lights our streets only small portion
| of the time except on moonlight nights
| and after midnight when every body is or
should be in bed. After writing on the
subject enough aS he thinks, to elect his.
| candidate for town council, (and who for
| other causes was elected) he concludes TO
| concoct something to elect his school di
| rector, 30 he scoops down on the scOool
directors and the public school building
| Wnlcn was tftCIeu lDEee years dBU-
| calls 1t a monument although not a last
ing one to the directors who had it built.
He has the audacity to assert that the
north wall is giving away and the building
| is or soon will he unsafe for use. Now |
| pronounce this, and 80 will any one with
| half an eye, 20 be an absolute and ma
| licouS falSehOOd. Now | happened to be
| one of the six directors at the time our
| public school building was erected three
! years ago. and 1 spent more time ia watch
| ing its construction than all the other di
rectors put together. And | admit that
| there we're some things about the building
! that thought were not as substantial, or
/ done in as Il mechanical like manner
! they should be, and frequently called the
| attention of the contractor and some of the
| other directors To it, until finally | got
| very impudently snubbed by one of them.
With this and receiving no cooperation
! from the other directors, | got diSguSted
| and concluded | would not remain on the
board and have any hand in taking the job
| off the contractors hands. / therefore re-
! signed my Office as director before the
| building was fully completed, as ! was
| virtually only blank on the board. But
/ | never uttered one word of complaint un
| til this citizens falsehood appeared in the
| FREEMAN. | opposed at first the employ
ment of the architect on account of his be-
! ing quite young man and was not prac-
tical mechanic. Therefore, ! thought he
was not capable of making the proper
| specifications and experimenting the erec-
tiOn of building of this kind, of which
was further convinced as the work pro-
| gresSed But after all, where will you
find a large building or any other large
| structure that there will not be some little
details that are not "a substantial and me-
| chanical-like as it should be. Take for
| instance. our government buildings in Chi
cago and other places City Hall, in Phila-
delphia. State House Albany. y. Y, and
many other large buildings that cost many
millions of dollars, that have been pianed
and erected 10y the greatest architects and
men of most experience and best judgment
the country can produce aud yet in short
time they will show signs of giving away
and in some instances had To be abandon
ed The causes of which were untorSeeu
and consequently were not guarded
against. vet there are crankS who viii
stand up and say. Il told you so"
But This ''citizen's'' !alsehoods did not
accomplish his desire in eiecJiug his choice
| for director. although had he been a candi-
date on the Republican ticket, | would
surely have voted for him but as it Wa.
they could not and presume did not eX
| ppct me To do 50. They are both mel
whose honor. integrity and character arr
above reproach. They are an honor and .
light To Ebensburg and are men who would
not only refuse 20 sanction bnt would
scOrn an act like this citizens cOmmuni
. cation To secure votes for their election
Therefore il is evident he reSorted to thi
means for his own interest on one han'
and prejudice on the other. These are of
fees that no one need aspire to furthe
than . willingness to lend helping hant
and bear their share of the burdens in th
management of the affairs of our borough
and public schools. This citizens injuri
Gus communication has caused severa
= parents to keep their children from th-i
needed schooling through fear of his :
called death trap without first inveStiga
ting the truthfu;neSS or fLlsity of his as
sertiOn.
ItfS common in most large buildings 70
: the plastering - crack some in some of tn
t corners through shrinkage of plasterin
+ and heavy joice. especially when placed i
|
b in our bniIding. And our building wa
plastered with cement paSterIng whic
+ has not the elasticity and suppleness tina
f lime morter has, yet is extensively used.
q But our school huiding is standing a
e safe and solid as any building in the cOun
. ty as an honor to the taxpayers of Ebens
d burg school district. the foundation Or an
e of the walls not showing the least signs {
f any giving awav or falling down.
a This citizen evidently knew his asseI
r tionS. published on the eve of the eiectio
h were false. as he was ashamed to sign h
e signature to his communication but migf
+ more appropriately have signed it -
il Snake in the Grass" But our publ
a school building will stand as solid as tt
" Rock OF Gibraltar. as a monument to tt
faIsehood OF this citizen long after he is
e the grave
?. Mr.. Editor. have heightened this con
q muuication out much longer than intenC
= ed but | cannot find a stopping place, bl
allow me vet 10 say that our public SchO
= buiIding was erected at cost 10 the ta'
7 payers of from five TO ten thousand dolla
- less than some other similar buildings
u have visited. that were no larger and a.
10 parently no better constructed and no mo
> EXPENSE to the contractor tbut was to Il
;" taxpayers than ours.
Citizen saws we gave the building to
n favorite contractor when the fact is
gave the contract TO the one whose bid W
as the only one that come within the limit