Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-07-07
ENGINEER IS LET OUT
OFFICE DECLARED VACANT BY
COUNCIL LAST NIGHT.
Heated Discussion Precedes Vote
Which Resulted in Dismissal
Mr.. Hines.

When the towering form of Alder
man Knight rose to its full height
in the council chamber last night, and
that gentleman moved that the office
of engineer be declared vacant, he
started something that was hard to
stop. Even the mayors efforts to ter
inmate the heated discussion that fol
lowed fast and furious were without
avail. Charges and counter charges, al
most as varied in their character as the
hues of the rainbow, were hurled back
and forth with viciousness that
plainly showed the bad blood that ex-
listed between those aldermen who
sought the official head of the en-
gineer and that officer During the
time the question was open for dis
cusson Mr.. Hines, who was but re-
Gently elected to the office, declared
that Mayor Van Orsdel has stated to
him that mistake had been made in
connection with the septic tank site,
and as "we had to blame some one,
we layed it on you" This brought
forth a quick denial from his honor,
who heatedly declared that he had
never said such a thing to Hines or
any one else. Mayor Van Orsdel en-
deavored to stop the engineers furth-
er use of the floor, but succeeded not,
that individual continuing his inquis-
itorial proceedings by calling upon
each alderman individually to express
himself as to what he had against the
engineer. The result, however, was
that Mr.. Hines official head fell in
to the basket by vote Of 4 to B.,
Aldermen Gohrke, Hayter and West
over voting to retain, while Aldermen
Barber, Young, Miller and Knight
voted affirmatively on the motion.
When Alderman Knight, near the
close Of the session, presented the mo-
tion to vacate the office, Alderman
Hayter remarked that the action ap-
peared to be rather sudden and asked
if the council was to let a man out
without a hearing? If Hines had
done anything to warrant dismissal
then throw him out, but the action
should be justified.
Mr.. Hines, by permission, got the
floor and held it to the bitter end,
but no boquets were tossed those who
We're after his scalp. He could not
understand the reason for the motion,
as he had just been elected by the
council by a vote of 5 to 2. The
alderman who made the motion. he
said, was among those who voted
against his election. He had heard
that there was some dissatisfaction
between the street committee-Bar-
ber, Miller and Knight-but he could
not imagine where the friction was.
Here the engineer asked the permis-
sion of the mayor to interrogate the
aldermen and upon having his hon
or's consent he went to it with de-
termination to ascertain the true con-
dition of affairs.
Hines first trained his guns upon
Alderman Knight, but he refused to
engage in conversation, simply re-
that "we don't work well
When asked if he had
ever asked the engineer to do any
thing, Mr.. Knight replied in the mega
tive, adding that "the dissatisfaction
is there Just the same.
Mayor Van Orsdel said, addressing
Mr. Hines, that the street committee
and engineer could not work together
larmoniously and the engineer better
luit. The mayor charged that when
The septic tank matter came up, he
and Alderman Sibley had worked to-
yether and it had made trouble; that
ne had by his figures given wrong
concerning the Brown
ract by reserving sixty feet on the
1lat he had prepared for road
Alderman Hayter was upon his
'eet in an instant to correct the chief
Executive, saying that the statement
vas an injustice to Hines. The al
lerman presented the figures made by
he engineer, which showed that Mr.,
Hines had presented the matter cor
ectly.
"Well, l understood you read sixty
eet for roadway, any way" re-
orted the mayor.
81 am not responsible for your mis- !
understandings" came back the al
erman.
Mayor: az am sorry about this, |
indeed l am. understood the 60 feet |
7as for a roadway" ]
Mr. Hines did not appear to be sat c
SIZED until he found what dissatis- i
action existed between himself and v
Knight. and continued to interrogate G
hat gentleman without success.
'urning his attention to Alderman 7
Vestover and then to Alderman 5
iohrke he propounded the same ques- C
ion, and both replied that they had Q
O fault to find. But when he reach a
4 Alderman Miller he found wherein
hat councilman was dissatisfied with
ut much difficulty Miller said he
al never found the official unwilling a
} perform his work. but that there i,
as anything except harmony between d
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