The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1908-01-24

vAN0AN1A, d. lUOlo
PLACE GLAND WHERE m 0d oNGS
Council aed Citizeas Refuse to Sbosa.
der Disgrace Of jiibb;aq fire.
meas Aocoset.
The Mesaba Ore which arrived
here on Monday created a storm
among the members of the city
council and citizen generally; con-
tanning as it did copies of letter
written by City Clerk Bickford act.
ing under Instructions from former
Fire Chief Stevens to the president
of the village of Hibbing asking
for 500 for the services of the. Vir
ginia fire department at the Miles
Hotel fire on November 18th last,
and the reply of President Weirick
of Hibbing together with the en-
closure of village order for the
amount asked.
The matter created considerable
discussion on the streets and at the
council meeting Tuesday evening
was threshed out to the satisfaction
of all but those directly interested,
at least, in addition to the members
of the council several citizens max.
ing plain statements of their sen-
timents in the matter, which were
concisely summed up in the state.
ment of J. H. Fleming that the mat
ter was disgrace to the city and
that the Ore had rendered a valu-
able service to the citizens of Vir-
ginia in exposing the method of the
"touch."
While the fire at which the work
was performed occurred six weeks
prior to the expiration of the terms
of the outgoing administration the
letter written by Mr.. Bickford at the
instigation of Mr.. Stevens was dated
January l4th, seven days after the
new council had taken charge, and
in his explanation of the affair Mr..
Stevens stated that the action was
taken upon the recommendation of
ex-Mayor Eaton, although to the
unsophisticated it would be puzzle
to known just what interest the
"victim of circumstances" had in
the matter after having received
the permission of the citizens of
Virginia to allow some one else to
run municipal affairs.
The facts as shown were that the
account for the pay for the firemen
tor the time claimed had never
been turned into the Virginia coun-
Gil, where it rightly belonged, and
that the action of the chief in send
ing the account was without au.
thority from any source of record;
that the action as taken vac at the
instigation or upon the recommen-
dation of man who was once
mayor; that no one connected with
the present city administration had
ever been consulted in the matter
and that even some or those who
we're among attendants at the Hib-
bing blaze in the capacity of fire.
men knew naught of the sending of
the account or that an account waa
to be rendered.
: Such being the case the new
council as body refused to have
anything: to do with the matter,
aside from ordering the warrant
tor 500 returned to Mr.. Stevens to
do with as he might see fit, but the
expression of both councilmen and
citizens would leave no doubt in
the minds of any that it was the
desire of all that the warrant be
returned without delay.
Had the circumstances been az
one might easily have inferred
from the receipt of the letter to the
Hibbing authorities, the article in
the Ore would have been a deserved
rebuke to the city as a whole, but
in consideration of the facts as they
crop out when 1un to earth the Ore
is entitled !toAand doubtless will
make an explanation of the affair
which will place the blame where
it rightly belongs aud relieve the
city and citizens as body from the
stigma attaching to the unofficial
acts of private parties.