The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-11
MUST
 BE TAKEN CARE IF
City Simply Can't Afford
 Lose His Services
GREAT PROBLEM SOLVED
Enastfeld's contemplated Resignation Makes an Opening for Mayors Sec retary-Who'll Be City Treasurer?
 Drennen Praises Murray.

The report printed in The Age-Herald of yesterday mat G. C. Engstteld would resign the office Of city treasurer and be succeeded therein propaby by either ]. C. Murray, the city clerk, or Il. C. Wood, the assistant city engineer, stirred up d rucus in city hall circles.
 Mr Engstfeld couldn't understand how any such report could have gotten into circulation. He hadn't he said, talked with anyone about il. and he didn't know of anyone wno had talked with him about it. Besides it was nobody's bus- ness but his anyhow. For the lite of him he couldn't see by what process of req soning or invention such rumor had found its way into the public prints.
 Others Knew It.
 In spite of MT. Engstfeld's avowed ignorance of his contemplated resignation, and in spite of his protest that the mat ter had not so far as he knew become the subject of discussion in the city hall, almost every other city official knew the whole story by heart. Everyone of these was ready and willing to give in detall all the incidents leading up to, and fol- lowing Mr. Engstfeld's intention of re- tiring from office Pipes had been laying, wires had been pulling and logs had been AOilAtiSE tiCY SdlNl ONtI lue SuDJetl LOT more than a fortnight. City Clerk Mur- rays friends and Assistant City Engineer Woods supporters had been up and doing all that time. B. A. Pepperman's sup portefs and adherents and friends and acauaintances and fellow citizens general ly had been sitting up and taking notice, too.
 Chance for .'epperman.
 Here was chance, they reasoned, to provide for Pep" and to avert from the city the danger of possibly losing the Indispensable services of the Mayors private secretary. It was agreed that Pepperman had, at length, become a part not only of the municipal government, but even of the municipality itself If the city did not altogether belong to Pep" Pep surely did belong to the city. He was one of its institutions" To remove him, or to let him go, would be like knocking the corner stone out of the city hall building. It would be little less than sacrilege.
 Republics might be ungrateful; Bir- mingham would not be. Every one want ed Pep taken care of. Drennen men, Ward men, Simmons men, O'Neill men, Forney men, Crittenden men-all of them, from North Highlands to Red Mountain, and from East End to West End-rose
 
 the king! but God save Pepperman!
 Awakens Lively Interest.
 Hence it was that Mir Engstfeld's re- ported intention to resign awakened the liveliest interest. Everyone in the city hall deplored the fact that the city might lose Mir. Engstfelds efficient serv- ices. He had made a most excellent city treasurer, they agreed He was one of the swiftest and most accurate ealculators that ever looked up or down a column of figures. To speak of him and his work was to see them in superlatives of com mendation. His resignation would be an almost irreparable loss to the city.
 This life however. is ruled by the law of compensation, said everyone What is one mans loss is another's gain Engst- field might go, but Pepperman would stay The city would lose a good treasurer, but it would retain the best ali round generalissimo factotum Major Domo that ever bowed a visitor into or out of a mayors office.
 Leaders Confer.
 All the Headers" were prompt to see the point. They held consultations over the telephone. A definite conclusion was reached, and this was that Pepperman should be given a permanent berth In the city hall
 Plans were formed to carry out the idea. Influential leaders consulted Murray and Wood. It was explained to each of them, however, that one or the other might be required to make "a great per sonal sacrifice" in case MT Engstfeld should resign. Would he be willing-Mr. Murray or MT Wood-to leap into the breech and accept the office of city treasurer?
 Making a Sacrifice.
 MT. Murray took the subject under advisement." MT. Wood gave 1t prayer full consideration" At length each of them was persuaded, much against his will, to accept the office of city treas urer in case it should be offered him. Duty was duty-Pepperman must be taken care of," at whatever cost.
 City hall circles are queter nowadays than they were two weeks ago. A period of intense suspense is past. A complicated problem is now solved. The key to the Pepperman equation is, at length, found When Engstfeld goes out of the city treasurer's office, J. c. Murray or H. C. Wood will go in-and B. A. Pepperman will slide smiling into the berth made vacant by the promotion.
 Murray's Stock Scars.
 Indications were plentiful yesterday that MT. Murray would get the city treas urership. It is likely that he will be re- qured to make "the tremendous per- sonal sacrifice" of resgning his present job and succeed MT. Engstfeld
 When Mayor Drennens attention was drawn to the subject yesterday, he had this to say:
 When two officers of the city govern ment. like MT. Murray and Mir Wood are candidates for promotion it does not become the mayor to state his prefer ences. I have a high regard for both these gentlemen Each of them has done the city faithful and efficient service.
 T am willing to say, however, that in case MT. Engstfeld resigns and Mir. Mur- ray gets the office of city treasurer, the promotion will be interesting to the com munity. and especially to it's young men. It will illustrate once more that a young man can come to Birmingham and by hard work and faithful performance of any duty entrusted to him, rise on his own merits to positions of great responsi- bility.
 Praises Murray.
 'Six years ago I met MT. Murray. He was then a country boy who had faith in himself was self-reliant and not afraid of hard work He was willing to begin at the bottom on small salary. He was satisfied he could prove he had good stuff in him and he only wanted a chance to demonstrate 1t.
 He was given the chance His first po- sition paid him $5 week. His next posi- ton paid him s30 month. his salary was f<.ol fn hen ff.4 4Ix