The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-03-18
DR.. WINGERTER
MAKES Rspiy TO City cnsf-poss loot
SPECIFY cssss Of Dishoassty

MY attention has been called TO your
open letter addressed to me. with an
EDITORIAL mme on the same by you
neS shrsa.n " your ss1 psx ,s i tss RS eii . %s.
responsible Tor any worus that I may
mysslf write. or utter by living word OF
InYutn; but refuse 20 father language
falsely attributed 10 me by newspaper
reporters. politicians or editors. WHAT
! SAID at the Charter meeting ia the
Board of Trade rooms on last Friday
evening concerning the various depart
be pleased TO repeat at tie police court
room TINS tMonday) evening. Tor the
etnsnt OF All those who may choose 20
In readiness to defend my words against
pny VINO will take upon himself OF them
SHORTCOMINGS OF. any department OF the
Sity that may be criticised
I do not hin that any man will claim
that any part OF our City government ~
perfect. There are defects in every de
partment not even excepting the CITY
. Health department. which latter. how
ever. y, I'm lmy humble opinion. the oniy
Isasons Tor this opinion I am prepared
20 give. The Fire department. think.
being almost good. bu. not quite: Tor IL
Is bad too. The Police department.. 1
notice. Was not represented among the
eisners Of the Round Robin" published
by you. I ihink we all know why. The
"umb silence of the Police department
wit in recent years gave Us a new mode
OF comparison for the adjective bad
y. said the positive ,s bad" the som.
fierce Some OF the city departments
are only bad" but I think that every
themselves. caught helpless in the aw-
Jul net OF the system. Will admit that
The police department Is fierce Those
OF US who critielse the CITY Eoyernment
90 not, pass Judgment upon individuals.
ment. that the people are after and are
going to change.
run solely and alone in tie best inter,
designed 10 serve. II Il Is not - ian,
~. on the contrary II Is run in The In.
terests OF n private individual. or Of
any group OF Individuals. or OF any pub
lie official. or OF any corporation or
corporations. or Of any r%oliticai party
d. run aud Is a bad" department. Now /
contend further that with the exception
politics seem to be excluded. the city
departments are all bad. since they are
factors and have been used for the fur
thersnce Of aims OF political parties
and groups OF selfish individuals Fhis
Is true even OF the fire department,
E although some of the public are so de-
luded as TO believe THAI II Is outside or
. politics. Some. citizens seem o. mink
that the fare department is truly and
entirely under civil service. t1nt IN It
merit alone counts. with all politics eX-
cluded. The truth vs. thar the e. s.t
tine various captains are under civil ser
vice. while the rank and uig. e., LIZ
men who do the real work at fires. arc
not. The real fact Is tnat partisan poli-
tics do WELD an influence In the FIRE
DEPARTMENT: and to the extent TO which
this ~ true that department ~ bad
being diverted from what should he its
munity. regardless OF political paTtIzan-
ship. As for the remainder OF the de-
partments no one will deny that they
have been the easy prey OF politics and
~ politicians as far back az We can re
member and stiil so remain. Tnis n
the fact. a deplorable fact. but ali un-
deniable fact nevertheless.
But. 81 will be asked again. as ~ has
remedy for this evil state OF affairs
that all SANE and honest men must ac-
knowledge and deplore2 The logical an
swer to this question ~ self-evident;
nay. ~ is so simple that a chiid can
give II. II II is partisan politics that
wipe cut the partisan politics. Now
herein lies one Of the chief bent ftts
from The %RroRGsed yS charter 5o M Ts9H ~ zsth,
The new commission charter wipes out
partisan politics. Under II. any citizen
NAV bec,-1e a candidate for mayor or
commissioner without asking the good
will or favor OF any political parry or
party boss. Moreover. the citizens thus
Becoming candidates will not be Obliged
10 pay tribute OF expense money 10 any
'Poiiteai c9mmIT5es or p9Tty hfn on Tn
ballot. Further. their names viii be
printed in alphabetical order Without
ANY HaHNAEhA AhNF " 49, 80
candidates will thus he offered 10 the
SURFACES Of the voters on the unparti-
worth and capabiity IN al9itLon y"
all this the new charter makes u a gun
ishnble m-isdemeanor for city OFFICIALS
70 - odSy or or say IyP PS''''eSl '"'1'e or S'
because the new charter will wipe out
Tolitics from the city government ami
IrofeSsiouai politician aud tle TX boss
-" behind them. are hghung desperate
rurfFNuE an The wall that rnTEfeIAN the
downfall 81 their power any longer 70
use for their own purposes those thtnEs
S~teaIthily through the decades under
cover Of the inadequate charters by
Tore. the people have mad their privi-
ieges and franchises- hlched away from
them nv unworthy servants ana a greedy
rarasites. but now the dav % reckoning
- a. hand. The han4w .iting on the wall
:. there igr all % re-l n15s' 'rn
have been weighed M the balanr" and
fGuu' Wa0tfuR' ,our pnwer shall DO TAX
en- from you and given 70 the people
Not- that vital point Not rniy clF-
the proposed commission charter wipe
ana put the candidate before the voters
10 stand upon their mrfIts ar men ~
chhrsotsr ~ NV ~ 49, ~ ot-.-
most important thing making the
power Fvay from me politicians anil
whom tfat power rightly belongs
There has been Of late some foolish
uoinK away with the legislative branch
- the CITY R0vefnwruf ~ giving 10 over
20 i've men THE 'r nrre u.Hfe and
tWaddie The commission charter Turns
The legislative power over 90 me whole
u rtoufe The commission IH merely H
te an executive pmmiftre CO. look affra
ne details and routine ~ tire CITY aI-
minisiration. Ths people reserve u ~
their rfrhta and keen FOR fhemeefvr9
fte power ~ veto. the rigrf ~ final 40
r Ir0vai or dIaarr-ofai The uo0uic are
fn Farr 'r 1aaf - |r everything
Annie nfIcffr overs urn.a fs rrY.IffF