Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-08-25
"Why Is It?"


head of "Why Is It," it seems nat
ural conclusion that the public is en-
titled to an explanation of some O
these Why's which most vitally con
Germ it 1.-THE public) and the council
and that the council is entitled to
fair hearing from the public; that it
the council may not be looked upor
as assuming too much authority O
appropriating too much of the publ,
money to its individual members use
The P. D. of fully 2Sth asks "Why
is 1t that people protesting against
the establishment of sewers are tolc
that II the sewers projected are de
feated, all cess pools and privy vaults
will be condemned, and these same
officials fail to see and remove stink.
Ing heaps of manure ten feet high
which lay in the business part OF
town the year round?"
1t is a we'll recognized fact that few
great public improvements are ever
made in any city without inflicting a
certain amount of hardship upon Ger.
tain people, and it is also a fact that
these needed Improvements are toe
often put off until the community has
a sad experience with typhoid fever
or some other disease caused by con-
tamination from such sources as Cres-
iC fruinn fo olaoo ,,o
Considering the great number of
cess pools in Cresco, some of them
drained by crevices in the rock which
lead to, no one knows where, possibly
to the city we'll and possibly to some
poor mans we'll, who cannot afford to
have the city water with cess pools
and other luxuries and conveniences
which go with city water, but can
better afford to pay his portion of the
sewer than run the chances of having
hisswater supply contaminated with
disease germs from his neighbor's
cess pool.
Many of these cess pools are built
contrary to city ordinance and it is
not all all improbable that the best
authorities in Cresco will frankly ad-
nit that they are a source of great
danger to the community at large.
1t would seem very foolish asser-
tion for the council to say that If the
sewers projected are defeated all cess
pools and privy vaults will be con-
demned, as the council has absolute
power to establish sewers, and ii a
projected sewer were defeated by the
council, it would seem unreasonable,
indeed, to have this same body who
defeated the proposition try to deny
the people along the proposed route
both of the above named conyen-
fences, however proper it might be
to strictly enforce the ordinance as to
the care of same.
Sinking heaps of manure ten feet
high certainly ought not to be toler-
ated in the business nor residence
portion of the town and any citizen
should consider it his duty to person
ally report to the proper authorities
any such menace to the public health.
Did the author of this article ever
report his findings to any of "these
same officials"
In the matter of water works ex-
tension it might be we'll for the
public to know that large part of
the material used in the last extension
was on hand and Fl. @. Moen was
authorized as stated in the z. D. to
purchase the rest Of the material.
Mr.. Moen was not middleman
with a middleman's profit, but as a
servant of the city bought material
for and in the name Of the city at as
low wholesale price as anybody
could have bought the same quality
and quantity OF material.
While through mistake the records
do not show 1T thus, Mr.. Moen was
authorized by the council to super.
intend the laying the mains. He to
receive reasonable pay for time Sc
spent and it is very doubtful that
anybody who IS acquainted with this
class of work would say that any part
of this job could be done for one cent
less than it was done.
Among the bills allowed and paid
at the last regular meeting of the
board of supervisors were those of the
members of the Cresco city council
for pay as board of equalization. the
amounts ranging from Sl6 to 1892 each.
The records OF the city clerk sDow
that the city had previously paid
these officers for the same work for
years 1903 and 1904, sum averaging
about $40 for eacn member of the
council, or nearly $3.50.
Ii Is a principle of law and q com.
m VI sense plan that man shall re.
C, i've compensation but once for ser.
vices he may perform or work he may
do.
Why is 1T that the city council OF
CreSco is exempt from such law OF
business common sense?
The blame for this payment does
not attach to the board of superyis.
ors for it was done by authority Of a
section of the code which provides
that the services of the city council
as board of equalization shall be
paid by the county. The code also
provides that the members of the
council shall receive pay from the
city for services performed for the
city, but no stretch of the law can bs
made to cover the double payment OF
salary to the mem bers-payment by
the city and payment by the county,
PLAIN Dealer, Aug Is.
| The above being a pretty serious