The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-03-02
MAYOR in SAD PREDICAMENT.

Mayor Hartwig finds himself in I
truly lamentable situation. He wa.
supported and his election was due t.
the influence Of a certain crowd of Gti
zens whose chief effort has been t,
block the installation of a municipa
water system bringing pure drinking
water into this city. He is under obi
cations to those men and one of tn,
heaviest obligations is to remove JudgD
A. j. Derby, who has so ably looket
after the legal affairs Of the city dur
ing the past two years, from his posi-
ton as corporation counsel. judge
Derby has done the city's legal worl
under contract from the council anC
has been in charge of the law bushes!
preparatory to the bringing in Of pure
water from the City Spring.
The citizens of the city have numer.
GUS times by their ballot declared
themselves in favor Of the municipa
water system and many of them voted
for Mr. Hartwig for Mayor because
they believed that he intended to carry
out their wishes in the matter. The
members Of the city council realize
that Judge Derby, on account Of his
satisfactory services and his familiar
ity with the city's largest present un-
dertaking, the installation Of the water
system, is best fitted to continue as
the legal advisor Of the city and they
insist on his retention. Judge Derby
was not city attorney last year by
appointment from ex-Mayor Mcdonald
but he was working for the city under
a contract. The council may employ
any legal counsel it sees fit and it is
not under obligation to accept any
lawyer the Mayor appoints if that law
yer is not the man best fitted to do the
city's legal work.
The appointment by Mayor Hartwig
of a second attorney as City Attorney
bears out the belief of many citizens
that his principal object is to displace
Judge Derby with any other lawyer
regardless of the city's best interests.
The Mayors lateft appointee has said
that Judge Derby is the logical man to
look after the legal affairs Of the city.
An open letter to the citizens Of the
city has been published by the Mayor
in which he speaks Of "ilIegal assess
ments" made by the city. The courts
have yet to decide whether the assess
ments were legal or illegal. The
Mayor had presumed to take up the
defense of the city in this particular
case until the council wisely employed
Judge Derby to look after the inter
ests of the taxpayers at large. Mayor
Hartwig is the head of the city admin
lstration and wanted to defend the city
in case in which he makes bold to
state before the court has heard the
case that the city's position is untena
BILE.
The provision of the city charter re-
quiring the approval of a majority of
the council for the Mayors appoint
ments safeguards the city against just
such a situation as now exists. The
of Judge Derby as the
city's legal advisor would greatly delay
and hamper the council in the improve
ments which are being made greatly to
the benefit of the city. Before the
advent of Mayor Hartwig the city was
getting along very well without an
attorney appointed by the Mayor and
the council is wholly within its rights
in employing legal counsel.
Again, we say, as at the opening,
that the Mayor is in pitiablc plight
He is deserving of sympathy. How
ever, he is in the same unfortunate
position Of not being able to "delivcr
the goods" as the man in the wheat
pit who agrees to "come across" with
something he has not as yet "cor-
nered. . Selling short" in politics is
just as dangerous proceeding as
selling short" in the stock market