The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-01-08
Denied the Right Of Speoch by Gag
Molten, He Uses the Bulle-
tia Celasps.
POLITICS IN SEWER REPAIa
Aldermanic Pet Wanted Job as
Foreman-Was Aifronted
BY Mayer

To the Editor Of The Bulletin:
Having been denied the privilege at
the council maeting OF giving my
|reasons fer resi- gning The position OF
city engineer. feel tlrat it is only
fair that | should give them to the
public through your columns.
1t Will be re II uaeyei that about
the first of3December. after the work
of repairing the main sewer had been
advertised, and 10 contractors APP
reared TO bid dp Tho work, the work
was turned over to the street eom-
mittee and the city cngineer.~-F From
that iime up te tho present | have
been pushing the work with all pos
sible speed, Sundays. holidays, and
many nights the work was kept up
because | realized that every day was
precious.
At all times | Kept in close touch
with the street committee, not only
because the ordinance had directed
that the work be done under it's
direction, but also because ! wanted
TO profit by such knowledge as they
had Of local conditions.
And as have endeayored 10 do in
all my work here, | insisted that the
only Qualification for holding a posi-
.tion should Be, The ability to do 4
da4.s wprlS
a irsr all went we'll, but soHn flifs
politicians were unable ID keep their
hands OH. even in work as important
to the citys welfare as this sewer
work aud various pets were sug-
gestei for positions
One case in particular caused a
great deal Of trouble, A harne ess-
maker, who had failed in business,
has in the past been employed as u
so-called inspector on paving work.
He was out OF a Job and one of the
aldermen approached me with the
request that he be placed on the
work as assistant foreman.
/ explained that | did not need an
assistant foreman, particularly this
man, for ! knew that his presence on
tho job would mean the complete
decentralization of my force
The matt r, however, was not
dropped The man, whether backed
further by the alderman or not. am
unable TO say. kept reporting for
work at various times, always claim
ing tn have been sent by the alder
man in question, who at least has not
at any time denied that he was still
backing the man.
This kept up for some time and
such pressure was brought on the
foreman in charge of the sewer work
that on Sunday afternoon. December
29th he left the work suddenly and
all the lahorers left with him.
70 lose this foreman and the lab
orars who now understood the work
would have meant loss Of from q
week to two weeks time,
9
BY a. m. Monday | persuaded him
to go back to work. assuring him that
as long as J stayed on the work no
pets would be on the payroll.
Althoueh they went back to work,
the situation was somewhat strained,
and il was several days. onaccount Of
rest tlessness among the men before
the work was going again with q
proper swing
During thus time the mayor came
on the work lie. Of course. was
anNions to have the work pushed
explained that | had been having
some labor trouble, but that in day
or two we would be moving along
nicely.
This explanation, however was
evidently not satisfactory, and he
then committed what, from an en-
gineerinc standpoint. was an un-
pardonable violation OF the engineer
ing code Of ethics.
When an engineer is placed in
charge OF work 1t is considered pro-
fessicnal courtesy not to interfere
with his conduct Of tho work, and
that any engineering assistance that
may be brought IN should be at his
request, or at least with his knowl-
edge and consent.
TIE mayor. entirely disregarding
engineering ethics, sent Mr.. Thistle
weed, the former city engineer. onto
the work, with directions 10 sugge st
methods of expediting it's prosecu-
ti0n. He did this without consult
ing me, and even without informing
ne that he had taken lhe step. the
first knowledge on my part of his
action being when Mr.. Thistlewood
appeared on the work and told me
that he had been sent there by the