The herald., 1897-03-09
THE SEVEN STOOD SOLID
The "COmbine" Has Car
ried Its Point
"PEAHUT POLITICS" IN THE COUNCIL
The Board of Health Ordinance
Passed Over the Veto
MESSAGE OF The MAYOR
His Itcuor Gives His Reasons al Length
MESSAGE OF The MAYOR
His Iicnor Gives His Reasons al Length
for the Action Taken
Legal Arguments Presented by Hon. {. c.
Wright AMI |. 3. Dockwsiier
TIE Boari OF Health win Contest the Matter
In til, coasts, but the Defini.e
Plan OF A.iiol Has Mt Yet
Been Agreed Upon

The combine" in the city council
stood solid yesterday. the solid seven
voted as one man and carried the ordi-
nance providing for the appointment OF
| employees of the board of health by the
council, over the mayors veto, thereby
consummating the little game of pea
nut politics" which has engrossed their
attention for some days past. Tho
whole thing came out just as has been
predicted by The Herald. only President
Silver and Mr.. Nickel voting to sustain
the executive.
THE MAYORS VETO.
Immediately after the reading of the
minutes the clerk of the council an
nounced the following message from
the mayor:
The enclosed ordinance entitled IAN
ordinance providing for the number OF
employees in the health office and fixirg
the amount of their compensation" ap-
proved by your honorable body Feb
ruary %, 1897, is hereby returned with
out my signature.
With this ordinance in effect. the
board of health would be little more
than a fgurehead. Previous boards
OF health have complained frequently
of being hampered in their work by
reason of the fact that they were not
given power enough; and now it is pro-
posed by this ordinance to rob the
board of health of even appointive and
removal power in the matter of depu-
tyships.
The board of health is body entirely
different from any other body In the
city government 1t is composed of men
who are devoting their lives to calling
that makes them eligible to ap-
pointment to the official posi-
tion they now hold. The board OF
police commissioners. the board of fire
commissioners and the board of park
commissioners are each composed of
men not engaged in particular line Of
business that peculiarly fits them for
service. Any good citizen may be ap-
pointed to one of these boards. With
the board of health 1t is entirely differ
ent. the charter expressly providing
that three of the members shall be
physicians in good standing and gradu-
ates of some reputable medical college"
l do not think 1t was the intention Of
your honorable body, when 1t adopted
this ordinance, to assume that 1t was
best qualified to determine as to those
who should assist the board Of health
in the very responsible work with which
it has been entrusted. Yet from all out
ward appearances this seems to be the
case. The impression Is given by the
ordinance that the members of the board
Of health. who have given years to the
study of sanitary matters, and who
have had valuable experience in times
OF epidemics, are not so well qualified to
select the men who shall aid them in
maintaining the health of the city and
its freedom from an epidemic of conta-
gious diseases as are the gentlemen who
constitute the council Of the city Of Los
Angeles.
Every business man knows that his
house would soon be in bankruptcy If
the men in The establishment were se-
lected by some outside person. these
employees feeling-as they unquestiona-
bly, would-that they were responsible
Tor their acts only to the person that
had employed them. Such being the
case in private business, how Is It to
be expected that board of health or
any other board for that matter is to
conduct its department as 1t should be
| conducted under similar circumstances?
independence and insubordination
are certain of development where men
are not held directly responsible to the
body having the power to remove them
at its pleasure. The very greatest har-
| mony possible should prevail at all times
in the health office. This condition Is
absolutely necessary; without 1t the
board with which the management of
the department has been intrusted be-
comes, as l have already said, little
| more than figurehead.
No one can question but the present
board of health has the best interests
of the city at heart, and that the board,
in appointing the deputies now in the
department, did so knowing that 1t
would be severely criticised If the men
selected were not men we'll fitted for
the work The board Is directly re-
| sponsible to the Taxpayers of the city
| for all the acts of the department.
| A city so large as ours must have the
| best of sanitary regulations, and the
| council, instead of crippling the effi-
| cheney of the department which Is in
| trusted with the ditlcult work of enforc-
| ing these regulations, should give even
| greater power that it does.
1 sincerely trust that your honorable
| body will give this subject your most
! earnest consideration before taking final
| action.
THE DEBATE. .
| The reading of the message was re-
| ceived, and when 1t was concluded, the
| vote by which the ordinance passed was
| reconsidered by unanimous vote, when
| Councilman Hutchison moved the adop-
| tion of the ordinance, Notwithstanding
| the mayors veto, which motion was
| duly seconded.
| Councilman Nickel stated that as this
| was a departure from the rule which
had prevailed ever since the adoption of
| the new charter, and as members of the
| board of health were in attendance, he
thought that they should be heard.
| An invitation being extended by the
president. DR.. Moore. one of the MEM