The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-02-12
AsTORIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY.
HAVE SOME SENSE, GENTLEMEN.

HAVE SOME SENSE. GENILEMEN.
Mayor Suprenant has returned without his ap
proval the ordinance passed at the last session of tn
council authorizing the committee on public propert.
t. advertise for bids for the present city hall and th
site upon which it stands. The mayor says in hi
veto message that he believes the price fixed upon the
property $15000 is too low and that there is gen
eral demand for more costly building than has here
tofore been contemplated by the council. He sug
gests that action be deferred until such time as the
city is financially able to erect suitable building
The common council is rapidly making no progress
During the past four or five months it has undertak
en- several proposals. and in almost every instance
has failed mserably to accomplish the ends sought
:. The greatest fiasco was the city hall mud
die. which has made the council ridiculous in th'
ewes of the community The mayors veto of the or
dinance will stand for the that three member
of the council will unquestionably vote to sustain it
The killing Of this measure will settle the city hal
proposal for some time So it has been with the gen
eral demand for dumping ground The committe
on public property selected tract belonging to tn
city, but upon the filing of a remonstranee the pro
posal was dropped. Of course, the dumping groun'
proposal is off in thousand places.
Even so inconsequental matter as purchase o
a typewriter. it will be recalled, proved entirely be
yond the administrative capacity Of our munlcpa
guardians, who were compelled to abandon the pro
ject Provision for heating the office of the chief
police was 50 stupendously bewildering that the
: eouncilmen deliberately sde-stepped it, preferrnl
to have the city pay $50 or $40 month for ga
heat rather than tackle the proposition.
The present council is making for itself recorc
proud when they retire again to the modest life 0
private citizens In years to come they will loo
back over the records Of the municipality and con
template the many things they have not accomplish
ed and the very few proposals which they have car
ried to successful issue. They have wasted week
in their persistent pursuit of phantoms and it
about time they ceased this kill-o thewisp legsla
ton
Members of the city council my attribute thei
failures to several factors In the first place. the
fail to get together New proposals are unexpected
sprung at council meetings and opposition develop
that engenders more or less hard feeling One Of tn
elements in the council is numerically strong enoug
to pass such measures as it deems necessary but
not nfrequently occurs that even the majority goe
to pieces. The minority, which supports the cours
of the mayor is strong enough to sustain vetOes an
thus thwart the will of the majority.
The contention in the council results from tn
abuse Of the power delegated one member to defea
prompt action through suspension of the rules. Seve
of the eight members at present in the council FRI
quently favor proposal which does not meet wit
the approval of the remaining member, who BLOCK
action by refusing to agree to suspension In exceT
tonal eases this sort Of thing may be entirely prope
but as rule it indicates remarkably poor judgmer
on the part of the solitary member casting the neg
tive vote. Naturally some feeling follows and men
bers Of the council drift hopelessly apart with IL
inevitable result that nothing is accomplished I
view Of the fact that councilmen are merely agen
of the city it would seem that they should get ont
themselves.
So far as the city hall proposition is concerne
the mayor is quite right To build another bar
such as we have now would be deliberate waste
the peoples money. Astoria needs new city ha
bat it cannot afford to erect structure such as th
recently proposed. The city is permanent inst