Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-04-24
Hrom Mednesday's Daily.l

ming presented the following COM
munlcation:
To the Honorable Council:
Gentlemen: The voters OF this
city have placed the welfare of the
public into your trust. You are
clothed by reason of your election
and qualification with an Uffice which
has it's given sphere Of rights and it's
RESPONSIBILITIES. You have been given
a definite tenure which can only be
abridged in the event Of proven abuse.
Unlike servant, you can not be dis
missed without notice and without
reason.
Thus, elevated, you stand forth as
city officer tor gnod or bad, respected
for your office, you are not Inundated
by reason of servltude. You are
responsible only unto the people. To
prosper in office is your prime wish.
Unto your public calling and care,
there is to an extent, entrusted the
welfare uf the people but you are more
collective wants and comforts. Your
office places you into somewhat sub
ordinate standing in It's relation to
national, state and county rule.
In fact, much of your and especially
the mayors traditional rights have
been commissioned by law unto other
city boards or officers, who may or
NAV not owe their tenure to you or
the office of mayor and again the law
invests these with certain freedom
and dignity placing them also above
mere servItude.
The city government has been so
delegated and 80 distributed that no
particular master officer holds the
whip over fellow officers and 1T is a
feeling of trusteeship that brings forth
the best within you, causes you to
work in harmony, asks you to lay
aside human bias, allows you to forget
the personal and through impersonal
work produce the pest results. Such
line of conduct will counsel you to
take an average of extreme ideas of
classes and bring to fruitage the best
there is in such average.
Your course of public acts must be
piluted amid many chartered limlta
tions imposed by law. 70 bring
about good work your patience will
often be tested, for in your body's
IL Of
often not be shortened. Herein lies
the difference between public rule and
private business, the former is
hampered by legal restraints; it needs
reckon ahead for at least generation
while the latter is quick, decisive,
often more economical and it balances
it. books at least yearly. In the other
there is no yearly money profit or
dividents to be distributed but fore
sight is it's asset. 1t must enact
wisely, it must build with greater
permanency tor it's endurance must
span generations. The principles OF
one would often cause failure if used
in another.
Tradition has ascribed unto the
office of mayor and your Office more
power than is actually warranted by
terms of the charter. The charter
provides for large measure of
government by commission 1t has
framed a police and fire departments,
with great power and a measure of
independence, a health commission, an
educational commission, a board of
water commissioners, board of library
directors, board of public works, an
acting board of park commissioners.
The health commissioner for instance
is given the exclusive power in the
matter OF public health and although
the commissioner is in the first
instance named for his office by the
mayor, the latter, himself. becomes
subject to his order in the matters of
public health to the same extent as
any other citizen.
Your honorable body holds the key
to the public treasury. Thus the law
has wisely placed a check upon other
branches of local government.
HEALTH COMMISSION.
This is in some respects CO.
ordinate branch uf our city's govern
ment and Is of supreme importance
because unto its care is delegated
exclusive power over public health
every inhabitant or sojnurner whose
condition of i'll health is menace tt
the public is subject to the commits
sion's supervision. 1t must remove
filth and sources of disease. 1t mus
fight against epidemics of contaglor
and Infections. Likewise the chartei
gives unto this commission free arm
in order TO reasonably stay contagior
and Infection II it's every beginnings
The people exact more care of thu
public health and the quick remova
of the source of sickness and distress
To this end for fourteen years the cit!
has been busy building storm waite
and sanitary sewers and state and cit,
forbid the pollution of public waters
In this line of work your body a
already stated to extend the sanitar,
district. Another source of filth an,
contaglon Is noticeable in the man,
haans of stluking and pestiferou