The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-12-27
TO YOU, MR.. CITIZEN!

Conditions are intolerable when
such permit and demand that honest
councilmen boldly charge in council
meetings that members of that body
are in the employ of the Warren Con-
struction company and are under the
direct control and orders of Frank
Reese representative of the paving
concern. Those charges are at once
startling and alarming.
But more prophetic Of evil are the
Indifference and apathy of the proper
ty owners and taxpayers of the city,
to which is due in a large measure,
the license for graft extended to those
councilmen accused of being under
undue influence" In no other city in
the northwest would such state of
organized protest from the people
who are being robbed, directly and in
directly, by the paving company's
cabal in the council. In no other city
would no attempt be made to convict
some of those men responsible.
1t is a time to act. The first duty
of every property owner should be
to aid in cleaning out those men ac-
cused of paving CRAFTS, or forcing them
to prove their innocence. There can
be no politics in the charges made last
night.
belief in the stories that some of his
associates are in the employ Of the
Warren Construction company and
are unduly influenced by Frank Reese.
Councilman Tausick's assertion that
Frank Reese brazenly defied him and
made this threat: "YOU HAVE
SHOWN YOUR HAND IN THIS
MATTER AND I'LL BUMP YOUR
HEAD FOR IT." should result in the
angry protest of every citizen. Follow
ing up that threat Reese forced his
hirelings to change the paving speci-
fications and then had the temerity to
give Councilman Tausick the merry
ha-ha" in Growing over his victory.
Think of that, you men who pay
taxes, pay assessments on your prop
erty for jobbing paving contracts and
vote into office the men who sell you
out!
Think of what it means for a man
to come into your city, the city you
have built up and have grown proud
of, the city of your home, and with
impunity lay down the law that you
must take his brand Of paving mate
rial, or go without-that you must
pay a price which will permit his
company to pay those councilmen who
obey it's orders!
Think of the frightful insult to the
whole municipality when an outsider
boldly threatens to bump the head"
of a councilman who is too honor
able to be handled" by the invad-
ing corruptionists! No one, or two, men
in the city council are able to cope
successfully with such gang with
out the hearty support of the people,
They must be backed up in the battle
for righteous administration.
Go in and help them out. Don't de-
lay just because it is your neighbor on
the next street who is being mulcted
by the paving concerns at this time
When the grafters get through with
that street they will help themselves
! to your property next. United action
now will put a stop to the steals.
Call a mass meeting. Get in and
work to save yourself, your neighbor
and the city from the contemplated
robberies. Demand free and open COM
petition.
And demand, also, to know how it
is possible for the agent of a paving
company to threaten to bump the
head of a councilman-and at the
very next meeting of the council does
it-then gives him the laugh.