Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-07-18
NEW CASTLE
(By Ira G. G. TiIton.)

H6lL.
l recently delivered a series of lee
ures in New Castle which gave me
IN opportunity to observe the situa-
ion, and l have this to say: If anyone
inclined to make unfayorable criti-
cism Of the Socialists in that place
It is because he desires to injure the
Socialist movement or else he speaks
without knowledge Of the facts.
A harder proposition than New
Castle for Socialist administration
would be hard to find. The city hall
lis the best index to the condition Of
affairs in any city, and while Mayor
Tyler has succeeded in making his
own office presentable, the building it.
self bears all the evidence oflyears of
indifference and neglect. The stencil
from years of sewage leakage in the
basement and poor janitor service
throughout makes it an unsanitary
place a nd through the efforts of Tyler
since his election it has been officially
so declared.
A weaker and less determined per
son than Tyler would give up in de-
spair, but fortunately for the move
ment and for the people of New Castle
he is a strong character, has plenty
of good red corpuscles in his arteries
and is an earnest, wide-awake Social
list. The same may be said of other
Socialists in New Castle who are de-
serving of great credit for their tire
less endeavor, but it is especially try
ing on the mayor, because the Social
lists are in the minority in both the
common and select councils.
The mayor fully appreciates the i'm
portance of his position and is not dis
couraged by difficulties or enemies
and he has plenty of both. He goes
straight about his business and has dis
work SO system5tized and simplified
that he can readily account for the
minutest detail.
Very little can be determined from
the brief and unintelligible records of
! his predecessors. Collections of Ii
censes, fees, etc., may have gone into
the off1cials' pockets. There is no
lack OF circumstantial evidence Of
neglect of duty and petty graft. In
fact the greater part of their records.
are stored away in the hay loft of the
fire department, and Tyler is less con-
cerned about the mthan he is about
the immediate things to be done:
One of his first important moves o
benefit the people was to compel the
| water company to repair their filters
and take steps to give the people pure
water. He found by chemical analysis
that the water. was not only impure
btu dangerous, and that it was re
sponsible for most of the disease and
death in the city.
This has been followed by many
other commendable deeds and his
kindly demeanor and constant effort
to elevate the moral and economic
standard of the city and serve the
working class is so manifest that he
has won the confidence of all observ.
ing honest people.
It was evident, however, that he
had struck the vital spot of the enemy
when he refused to approve street
car franchise ordinance which had
passed the council. That it called for
a forty year contract with every ad-
vantage in favor of the company over
the city and that the city was to re-
ceive nothing for it; also, that it
smelled fearfully of the same com
pany that already has a franchise
and has numerically robbed the city,
and which, for all he knew, was the
real seeker OF the new franchise-were
his reasons for refusing to approve
the franchise.
The financiers discovered, then, that
the people of New Castle had mayor,
and they began at once to discredit
him In every way possible in order
to get the ordinance passed over his
head. They have resorted to all the
methods of cunning, knavery and de-
ception common to their class. They
even succeeded in getting a few So
cialists to make fools of themselves
by denouncing the mayor. One Of
these was a member of the select
council, too, but the mayor stood pat.
The organization promptly expelled
the traitor from the party, and while
he still holds his Office he is in dis
grace and is not even respected now
by those who used him.
There are three tried and true So
cialists on the select council, which
makes it impossible for them to get
the necessary two thirds vote to carry
it over the mayors head in that body.