The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-24
.P0OH-BAH OF AN OFFICE
Great Falls Mayor Attacks the
Dog Catcher.
WOES AND TRlBULATIONS
How it Was Rubbed Into an Editor-It
Is Surmised That Politics May
Have Something to Do
With 1t.

Great Falls, July 23.-It does no harm
to discuss municipal affairs OCCASION
ally If it can be done in a non-partisan
manner and with view solely to the
good of the community. 1t is matter
which appeals to everyone, for it strikes
him in his pocket. Every citizen, even
the one who pays but poll tax, con-
tributes toward the conduct of city af-
fairs, and is vitality concerned. There
fore when Mayor Collins opened his
administration with declaration that
matters would be reformed wherever
needed, the statement was welcomed
by everyone, not because the majority
of the citizens believed that there was
a great deal of room for Improvement,
but because in every city there are al
ways small details in it's conduct which
may be bettered, and it was possible
that the previous democratic admins
tration, having devoted itself through
necessity to the vital questions of OBJ
tanning control of the water works and
of exercising rigid economy in every
department, might have had no time to
correct some minor evils. The mayor,
through lack of data, attacked the
question of erecting city hall, and af-
ter the question had been reviewed in
these columns and the fact demon
strated that his plan would mean an
actual loss to the city, he very wisely
dropped his scheme.
Lately he has devoted his energy to
the office of the dogcatcher, even going
so far as to attempt to force the APP
pointment of a successor to the present
incumbent through an opposing council
vote. 1t is probably true that there is
an opportunity for Improvement here.
Mr.. Lambert admits this cheerfully;
everyone admits that there are more
unlicensed dogs running in the streets
than there should be-but will the APP
pointment of another man remedy the
matter? Those who have lived here for
the past 10 years can remember that
there never has been a dogcatcher
against whom complaint has not been
made. If not mistaken, the first in
cumbent of this office was appointed in
1889. He rode a horse and he was
securing the 10 or Is square miles which
are included within the city limits
from morning till night, and sometimes
half the night, and yet he did not give
satisfaction. One of the local papers
attacked him bitterly for not keeping
cattle and horses from running through
the streets. The following day the Off
cial had 30 head of cattle belonging to
the editor in the pound. and the latter
was obliged to write out good sized
check to recover them, and yet the ed
itor was not satisfied.
Almost the same thing may be told
If not the same story of every success
sor to that pioneer dogcatcher. There
are complaints If he fails to do his duty
and there are equally as many COM
plants If he does 1t strictly. To-day
that office combines the duties of sani-
tary policeman, city poundmaster, dog
catcher and the present incumbent has
been known to act as ordinary patrol
man. 1t is a veritable Pooh-b bah of an
Office. Possibly undiscovered
exists, but certainly in the past ten
years he has not been appointed to the
office.
The present incumbent considers the
sanitary side of it the most important.
although he is assured of drawing a
salary for that, and by neglecting it
and giving his sole attention to the dogs
he could add one dollar per head to his
salary for each one captured. 1t looks
as If he was doing the right thing by
the citizens and the wrong thing by
his self-interest. His books show that
he has been making on an average over
eight condemnations per day. thirty
days in, the month, of nuisances and
seeing that his condemnations We're en-
forced. A man cannot do that and be
idle. If there is anything wrong with
the office II must therefore be the null
tiplicity of duties heaped upon it,
Probably the mayor is again unfamiliar
with the facts as 1t hardly seems prob
able that he would be moved by the
politics of Mr.. Lambert, which are
known not to be republican.
There are openings for improvement
in city affairs, and the discovery of
them by the mayor and their reform by
him will be cordially welcomed by the
mass of the taxpayers. At the present
time he seems to be on a blind lead
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