Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1914-07-10
/ unned Down
$4,000 Bond
Refuse to Confirm City Audior
Who Presents $4,000 Bond
Signed by That Many Prom
inent Golden Valley Farmers
Mayor Address Council.
July 9th, 1914.
10 the City Council of the City
of Beach, North Dakota:

OF Beach, North Dakota:
Gentlemen:-My annual mes
sage and recommendations tc
you have been withheld in the
hope that you would lay aside
your personal prejudices, and,
in the interests of harmony and
the city. approve the appoint.
ments submitted by me for the
minor city Offices of auditor, alto,
ney and chief of police. But a.
your animous seems to have
grown and is now more acute
than ever, | have decided to
make recommendations at this
time and express myself to you
regarding the official inactivity
of your body in attending to the
needs of the city and your fail
ure to protect the city's interests.
Instead Of giving your attention
to things which will result in good
to the city and its citizens, in
stead of endeavoring to make
Beach a more healthful city in
which to live, instead of trying to
make our little city more pleas
ing to the eye and attractive to
the prospective investor and
home maker, instead of attending
to the daily business and needs
of the city. you have centered
your whole thought and endeav-
or, it seems. in one purpose, to
destroy absolutely all city gov
ernment in so far as the auditor 8
office, police department and
mayors office are concerned; the
employment of a city clerk at
$4,000 per month, apparently,
seems more important to you
than the successful operating of
a $l25.O00 water and sewer sys-
TEN; the employment of po-
liceman appears to be of greater
importance to you than the COL
lecting of taxes, water rents and
the payment Of the city's debts;
the matter of a city attorney ap-
pears to so frighten. some of the
members of this body that they
are unable to reconcile them
selves to the duty of transacting
other business.
The paying of two policemen,
as has heretofore been employ
ed, seems to be more important
than the investigation and cor
rection of faulty waterworks sys-
tenn which has cost the city thou
sands of dollars. Since the 22nd
day of April no city business has
been transacted except the
prompt refusal of your body to
recognize appointments made by
me. which the law requires that
| should make; no bills have
been paid, no water rents COL
lected, no poll tax collected, no
dog tax collected, in fact, you sit
tonight where you did last April.
with nothing accomplishment
apparently with determination
to accomplish nothing in the fu-
ture. ...
The city's records, as result
of your determination to hold up
appointments, are in the hands
of a private citizen not entitled to
them and from your attitude it
seems that you propose to keep
them there safe and secure from
the public's use and away from
the public eye. Are the public
records of Beach private prop
erty2 Can you not trust them in
the hands of man who offers
you a bond equal to $4,000?
Are the city records such that
you must have a city attorney
friendly to you-or some of youa
Are there citizens within our
boarders who cannot live in the
city unless certain men are sworn
in as policemen?
Whose interests are you serv-
ing in refusing to confirm the ap-
pointment of a city auditora
Whose interests are you serving in
refusing to confirm the appoint
ment Of city attorney? Whose
interests are you serving in re-
fusing to confirm the appoint
ment of chief of police? Sure
ly not the taxpayers and citizens
of the town who elected you.
Are these appointments more i'm
portant than the transaction of
all other business? You have
given no reasons. other than per-
sonal, for refusing to confirm the
appointments have offered, and
for the want Of good and suffi-
cient reasons. | have made no
change in these appointments.
cannot see why these ap-
pointments should stand in the
CONTINUED from editorial page)