The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-22
DON'T WANT HIM.
City Councilmen Oppose En-
gineer appointment.
Declare That Fulton Is Not a
"Big Enough Man."
MAYOR DOES NOT CARE
Insists He Will Keep Engineer
in Office.
More Trouble Due From HOOdOO
City Department.
MAYOR DOES NOT CARE

! Opposition to the appointment VI W.
! S. Fulton to succeed John Z. Rogers DIS
: city engineer of Topeka has developed
! among the members of the city council
and when Mayor Wllllam Green oit sre.
meeting in January there are at least
j six councilmen who will object and VIII
! insist that Fulton be thrown from OIL
/ flee. oa
about three weeks ago just after Mr..
Rogers had been requested to resign Dy
Mayor Green There were NUMBER
of councilmen at that time VINO We're
! against the Rogers deal ana mace P 1ail
| their feelings at that time. They
! Thought that Mr. Rogers was a good
= engineer. thought that he had done
! much for Topeka and regretted that ne
was to be relieved of his office on ac-
count of mistakes made by otner OIL
ficials.
/ When w. S. Fulton, who had been
serving as assistant city engineer. was
! advanced to the position OF city en-
! gineer by the mayor the counclliien
/ protested and now they have ORGANIZED
| into a party for the direct ana open
opposition of the appointment
The councilmen Tho are planning 10
make the fight against the present city
, engineer are Miller, Lannan, howard,
Simpson, Frasier and FINK Iney nav
openly declared that they will never ap-
proye of the present engineer ana as
! thew are half of the council ana VIII
kill a majority vote, it looks as though
Engineer Fulton will never receive OIL
fetal confirmation.
! Rut the six rebelling councilmen are
going to have a hard time to throw the
: citv engineer out of ONCE. mayor
Green stated this afternoon, when
asked what he would do If the appoint
ment were opposed that he would see
+ that Mr. Fulton is city engineer as long
was maVOr.
Mayor Will Reappoint.
| IF the council fails to approve OF Mr:
Fulton I will simply reappoint MN,
said Mayor Green. Il can appoint MN
i month after month as fast as the ap-
: monuments are turned down by the
council and until the present form OF
. CITY government goes out and is turned
+ to the commission form in the spring,
will keep Mr.. Fulton in office
In speaking of the complaints asaiii''
| Mr.. Fulton Councilman Howard SAID:
an disapproving of this appolnl-
ment we do not mean to d1scredlt MI
Fulton We do not believe that ne mas
the age and the experience to handie
! this big job. In fact. we 90 not pe
lieve that there is a man in the coun
TRY who would take uo this work AZ
1.-THE present salary of $1,62O year IL
it is necessary to pay $4,000 TO get
good man. the city should get MN.
With all the improvements gong on
in Topeka at this time it is absolutely
! necessary that we have a good grad
nate experienced man in the ONCE.
! Mayor Green admits that he mas peeh
having more trouble with the engin-
eering office than any department in
the city and I think that we shoulo
have a man who will fill the position
Mayor Green admitted this after
noon that the city should pay more
money to city engineer He SAID
that he believed there were better en-
gineers than Fulton, but he did not
believe that better engineer for the
present salary could be secured.
81 think Fulton is better man
than John Rogers" said Mayer
Green. He has been connected with
the municipal work in Topeka for
some time and he was under compe-
tent engineers in ST. Louis beleVe
that he is the best man We could pos,
sibly get under the circumstances ana
I will see that we keep him as long as
the present salary is paid II the
councilmen wish to pay twice as mucn
money and get a better engineer II Is
their duty to see to 1t"
From the present outlook the
chances for the expulsion Of Mr.. Full
ton-ffofn office are slim The coun,
i eiTmen realize that Mayor Green will
reappoint Fulton as long as the coun-
Gil objects to the old appointments.
one of the councilmen suggested that
the salary be held up in the claims
and accounts committee and in this
way they would accomplish thelr pur-
| pose.
1--WE do not intend to take any radi-
cal steps in the matter" said Coun-
Gilman Miller. 1--WE think that Mayor
| Green will realize the sentiment
against Fulton and then withdraw the
appointment. We can hardly see why
he would be antagonistic to our
wishes I do not think that he will
appoint Fulton without our consent y
Mayor Green will bring up the ap-
pointment at the next meeting of the
council in January. He intended to
day night but after a conference with
some of the councilmen, who advised
that a bigger man be given the place,
the matter was not mentioned. There
are only four months between now
and the exit of the council, and
through reappointments the mayor
will be able to keep City Engineer