Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1900-05-10
MAYORS AND AUDITORS MES
SAGES.

Mayor Simpson and Auditor Price to
the CITY Council on Tu' sdsy, May 8,
1900. in response 10 . resolution OF the
two boards on April "a:
Alexandria, Va, May 8, 1900.
To the Honorable, the City Counci! OF
Alexandris:
Gentlemen:-I acknowledge receipt
of resolution adopted by your honor
able body April Oath, 1900. requesting
information as to the authority under
which the present street work ID being
performed and under which pay rolls
are being signed. While the motive
for this request is involved in some
little obscurity, it may by implication,
at least, contain complimentary sug'
eestion that work Ia being go commend
ably we'll done, Notwithstanding the
absence of city engineer, that justly
stimulated surprise. at unlocked for
efficiency under most untoward cir
cumstances excites inquiry as to the
secret OF so gratifying a condition OF
sffairs. There is, however, q remote
possibility that the inquiry ID born OF
an unkind suspicion that AlexsndrIa's
executive has gone inadvertently, per-
chance, from the limits of his own well
defined duties to trepsss upon the
right, of others. snd it may be proper,
as we'll as prudent, to act upon this
latter hypothesis, even to the extent OF
DEPRESSING to consider the constitu-
tional and chartered powers of your
Mayor, and as the constitution is easy
of reference, the following is culled
from that instrument: "He shall see
that the duties OF the various city
officers are faithfully performed; he
shall have power TO investigate their
acts; have access to all BOOKS snd docu-
ments in their offices, and may exam
| inc them and their subordiuates on
oath; he shall have power to suspend
or remove &c. All laws or city ordi-
nances in conflict with these powers
shall be void from and after the sdop
ton of the constitution" and the city
charter says, "he shall see that tht
laws of the corporation be duly exc
cuted." An ordinarily careful perusal
of the foregoing quotations should ex-
plode any specifically formed ides
that the Mayor of city has no powers,
save those that enable him to try cases
In the police court, sign warrants and
collect licenses, and while this commu-
nifty is singulsrly fortunate in having
today officers whose efficiency is IN
questioned and whose dealings with the
CITY need no investigation, yet il the
| opposite were the case, neither cap;iou
| comments nor false aseei tons OF his
proneness t. NEEDLE with the affairs OF
others, nor puerile inuendoes as to car
| like methods would deter the Mayor OF
| this city from independently considering
| and fearlessly treating violations of tht
law, and if uDgenerOus critics fatter
themselves that his position should only
| be one of passive indifference to the in
| terests of this community, that impress
| sion can at least Ia q measure be re-
| moved by the assurance that be pro-
poses to actively and aggressively iD-
terest himself In all the affairs Of this
city. 1t is hardly necessary to add that
his acts are public property; they have
been unreservedly and freely published
hat the people of this community
who unstinted confidence he has en-
loved for these many years, have had
presented to them the official life OF o
iellow-townsman, whose views are as
thoroughly antsgonistic to malignant
ideas OF soheming though clumsy poll
tcians, as darkness is t. light, and
| whose utterances have gwen forth no
uncertain sound upon any question af-
fecting the welfare of Alexandria or o.
Alexandria's people. He shirks no re
sponsibility and he does not al
| tempt to transfer to others any re-
| sponsibility for deeds done by him
self. Among the laws of our State
| and city are fundamental ones
80 the protection o. the lives, the
~. "-nnerty OF the people,
health and the f.-. -'~anLly i'm
and these subjects are 80 eD,--
portsnt that no official iDterregnum
could Justify their neglect, therefore,
while the removal or the resignation OF
any officer necessarily creates a vacan-
cy, that vacancy should in no wise
initiate against the comfort and con
venience of our people, and the execu-
i've OF city wisely and properly puts
himself and his bond in the place OF an
absent subordinate until the City Coun-
Gil shall have taken action in the prem
ises. Mr.. E. G. Dunn's recent resigns-
ton discovered the only unfinished
sewer work authorized by COuDcii
clearly and definitely planned. He
had left data and had furnished writ
ten figures and directions to his sub
ordinates, the sewer afore mentioned
running into Pitt street from houses re-
Gently erected (houses deprived of all
conyeniences unless connected with
sewer) was constructed strictly in &C
cordance with Mr.. Dunn's plan, and,
gentlemen, it may be pertinent to add
at q cost considerable less than esti-
mate; and further, if comparisons are
admissible, it Ia suggestive OF economy
when we are told that seventy-fve
dollars were deposited in this compar-
atively inexpensive work where last
year only fifty dollars were deposited
for sewer tapping in the more expensive
improvement In the alley running into
Prince street back OF FIeischmanD's
Hotel. The foreman who was placed
in charge of street work by MIR. Dunn
still has control, and aside from trans-
hitting to him complaints from
citizens regarding the removal OF ashes,
injury to pumps and violation OF
sanitary regulations. the Mayor has
not attempted to interfere with his
work, except possibly in one or two To-
stances, where he has given ad-
vice for the correction of crying abuses,
and one OF these abuses particular
ly aggravating was sewer pipe whose
outlet was on Union street. Captain
Fair and several citizens living in the
vicinitv of this very offensive and I'M