Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-03-17

80 Ht Nf
tail liquor dealers to lower the license
this being made in exchange for sup
port in the election.
If the license has not been lowered
ii is not the fault Of the democrats
in the city council. At a meeting OF
the city council no later than last De-
cember, Aldermen Neustadt, Cocn ana
Auge. all democrats. voted 70 refer
The question To a committee Tor the
purpose of lowering tho retail liquor
| license from 81 500 to FL, 900. But for
the Intervention of Alderman Hanley,
republican, the question might, and
probably would have been referred to
the committee with a view of lOWcung
the license. II was n tie vote, .Nidef-
men IIanley, Learnard and BettNrn
! voting against the reference, ana AZ
dcrmen Neustadt, Coen and Auge Vot-
ing for il: Aldermen Wroth M Con
roy being absent. The mayor cast
the deciding vote. and, knowing Wei
the public sentiment behind the high
license and the effect of "A violation Of
such a public pledge made by the
democrats. he voted against reterr.ng
the matter to the committee. And
\ thus the efforts OF these democrats to
keep their secret promise was lrtis
trated because the republicans OF the
council were true, and because OF the
aroused public Interest on this uues-
ton.
Aldermen Interested in City Contracts
AS to the impartial enforcement of
all the laws and ordinances without
respect to PERSONS there is a 'dw IN
our statute books which expressl for
bids any city officer, or councilman
to engage in financial transactions
with the city. The law reads as fol-
lows:
Nor shall any such mayor,
trustee or alderman be interested, di-
Irectly or indirectly. in the profits Of
any contract or job for work, or SER
vices to be performed for a corpora
ton"
Yet, during the past two years Al
dsrman John Beaven. through his
personal business, the Clarkville Coal
Yards. appears on the warrant record
or check book of this city, just twcn-
ty-siX times in transactions varying
in amounts from SO to $40, and reach
Tag the pleasing total Of $536.6O. Thus
YOU see that AIr. Beaver is doing a
very nice line OF business with the city
even if it is against the law, and 1t
is not surprising that he wants to get
back on the council.
On the 9TH IF March, 1910, promi-
nent architects OF this city presented
a petition to the city council asking
that body 10 axe steps TO stop the
building Inspector. Mr.. Shea, from n
.gaEing in private building operations
in direct violation OF the city ordi-
nance. In this petition II was pointed
out thai among other work the build
ing Inspector had charge of construc-
tion work OF q private nature for the
Honorable @. n. Marion, Alderman
John Beaver, and others. This may
IarIr. ftl. {pl1,n pffn1 enforcement nC all
laws without respect to persons, TO Il
democratic o~fficcholder. but to the
average citizen 1t looks like plain law
leSSncss.
However, In order to have impartial
enforcement OF the law, the commit
tee to which this petition was re-
ferred. presented II report TO the city
council last Monday evening admitting
the building inspector was violating
the ordinances. and, continuing, this
report said, But IL 1t is construed
that the building inspector cannot per-
form the duties OF the superintendent
Of the construction of buildings, as he
is in the instance referred to. then
we are of the opinion tina the orti-
nancc should be amended : o as to per-
nit him 10 10 this" This report is
signed by Alderman Coen and Alder
man Auge.
In other words, the impartial en-
forCement of the law to all persons
makes 1t necessary once in awhile to
amend the law, but a little thing Ike
that doesn't seem to stand in the way
OF our democratic council. Be it said
IL the credit OF Alderman WrOth.
when this report was made, that he
cOntended that mo man h is con-
nected with the city government in an
official capacity, has a right to deal
with the city in private business rams
rAt4,t,u a, - a., .rfn = - w. 4rrnpIap u-TVst
Alderman Beaver and the other dem
ocratic councilmcn thought of that
statement, coming from n of their
number.
Matter of Street Grading.
The democratic platform says
further:
eve believe that the storm water
can be taken care of by systematic
grading of h streets and we pledge
ourselves, II elected. to adopt such u
system to that end"
Mr., Gray. the sewer expert, in his
estimate submitted to the city cour-
eli. provided for the building of ~
miles Of storm sewer to cost $55. 600.
But. apparently because the admins
tration was pledged to exercise rigid
economy it vas deemed best not to
spend so much money for a storm
sewer. That part of the experts re-
port was rejected. Why? Probably
because x55,0Oh Tor "A storm sewer, :
and 1906 900 for "A sanitary cost
more than $4,000, for which the
democrats promised to build it.
And yet, it may be that this report
was rejected because the democrats
wanted to keen their anti-election
pledges. one has only to read their
platform and TO kno the present
condition OF city affairs 10 be con-
WINGED that n democrats are stick
lers in keeping their promises and
pledges. or il may be that the adj
ministration had more confidence in
the opinion of tn" experts who pre-
pared the democratic platform OF
1908. than they had in Mr.. Gray. to
whom they paid $500 for the report.
We find in the democratic platform
this paragraph.
w believe that the storm water
can loo taken care of by systematic
of the streets and we pledge
ourselves. if elected. to adopt such a
system TO hat end"
A start was made toward carrying
out this platform pledge. for on May
1908. the street committee. or
Alderman Beaver is chairman.
presented an elaborate report. out
lining the nolicv Of the department
IL was "a good report. IL favored SYST
tematic gradiag and approved paving
the business district. The docu-
ment is now ON file in the cts rec