The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-06-16
PLANK I|LTS /.
FOR RALSTON
TO WALK OFF
c o VI ClL CENSURES HIS
WORK ON MISSION AVENUE
BRIDGE BY VOTE OF n AND
THERE'S MORE TO FOLLOW.

| tluH tHOoc duOptSu dLu dutuOElLGll
by the city council. The censure
passed by vote of 7 to 1, Ostran.
der constituting the solitary minor.
ity and Funk, Cartwright, Shaefer
Dalke, Mohr, Nelson and Lambert
the majority.
! The next chapter in the engineer
controversy is action on an assess.
ment role for building the ap.
proaches to one side of the new
bridge. Ten lots have been assess
ed for $4,000 for this improvement,
and it is charged that the role
came up from the engineers Office
instead of originating in the coun.
eli either through resolution or
petition as prescribed by charter.
If this charge is sustained it Is
likely that the Ralston scrap will
come to focus, possibly in I'm
parchment proceedings against the
engineer. Seven votes in the coun.
ell will remove him.
1t is also likely that the Mission
bridge incident is not closed yet,
and that the council will have the
bridge exported for a diagnosis of
just what seems to all it.
In any event the prospect looks
stormy for Mayor Pratt. If Raj
ston remains it means constant
friction between him and the coun-
Gil, evidently; if he goes the mayor
will have to find an engineer able
to step into an unusually busy era
of bridge building and street inn,
provement. The mayor is saying
nothing and living in hopes. % &
Ralston was not present last
night, although he had been res
quested to submit a written ian,
swer- to the charges at that time.
Instead, he sent a long communfca-
ton detailing the vast amount of
work now burdening the engineers
Office, and obviously designed to
demonstrate the danger of disturb
ing or removing the present in
cumbent at this time. The engi-
neer enumerated SO miles of street
improvements, five miles of sewer
165 contracts, Monroe street
bridge and viaducts among the
matters he has on hand. There
seems to be some possibility for
activity in all this.
When the report was read Mohr
remarked that if Ralston had put
in half the time taking the Mission
avenue data off the books that the
council asked for, which he had
devoted to making the offhand
statement just read, the council
| would have had all the infOrma-
ton it asked for. Lambert was of
the same opinion. Ostrander had
the chair, but left it to retrace the
road he had previously travelled in
Ralston's behalf. He varied it this
time by intimating that the COM
mittee report and drawings had
been prepared by an engineer and
left handy for Mohr to find. He
said Ralston had admitted himself
guilty of saving the city money
without asking the councils per-
mission and took a whack at con-
tractors figuring in the plot, nam-
ing w. R. Roy in particular. Os-
trander lectured the council bit,
saying it could find better use for
it's time working for the interest
of the city by not interfering with
the engineer when he was trying
to do his work.
Then arose Mohr and he brought
out something in connection with
the inquiry that has not been en-
phasized before. He pointed out
that he had called for report on
the Mission avenue bridge plans
and expense when he first noticed
the departure from the councils
instructions, but they were not
forthcoming until six weeks later,
when Ralston had got as far as
filling the piers, at which time the
| engineer asked sanction for the
changes then already made. Da1ke
corroborated this and attenttOp
was called to a resolution long be-
fore introduced by Baldwin provid-
ing that all contemplated changes
in plans be first submitted TOXINS
city council. This instruction had
been entirely ignored by Ralston,
| it was held.
An unlimited speaker from the
audience here launched into q
| eulogy of John G. Ralston. Gle
took his text from a Review
editorial-a fact that caused a very
peculiar sort of appreciation He
questioned the councils right to
protest against Ralston's technical
knowledge even though he ex-
ceeded instructions, and stated
that 95 per cent of the people were
with Ralston. In response to In
quiry from a councilman as to his
identity the speaker explained that
| he was Alfred Lockwood, dean OF
/ All Saints cathedral.
Shaefer took Ralston to task for