The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-04-17
IPnid AdNerilscnent.I
By Altman


For the past week or so Mr..
Gronen has been going into every
| part of the city telling what he
will do If elected to fill the office
| Of tommiss ioner of Public Works
In the city of Tacoma. Political
promises, as the taxpayer knows
from bitter experience. are easy to
make. but easier to break. Did Mr..
Gronen tell what wonderful things
he did for the dear people when
he was in Off Ice Ma. he was too
busy trying to drfame the present
commissioners, "A man above re-
proaeh; a man against whom not
even the breath Of suspicion as to
his honesty and efficiency has ever
been raised. man backed up and
supported by the manufacturers,
the business men. the laboring
men, and the men aud women n
general who believe In eompe-
teury regardless of nationality or
religion.
As Mr.. Gronen is too busy tell
ing what he is going to do, we be-
| lieve the voters should know some
of the things he did do when he
| was in office.
one of the first things he did to
show the onion men of Tacoma
| that he was their friend and at
| the same time booster for the
| Tacoma slogan Buy I'm Tacoma"
he sent to Seattle ana induced
MIR. tarhart and Mr.. Fisher to ac-
cept the two highest paid jobs In
| the electrical department. Union
men, cross for Gronen on Tues
! day means-What? You know.
! When he was defeated for the po-
sitiou by Mr. Lawson he aligned
! himself with Hans Peterson and
! tried to milk the city for $t0S.000
| for extras on the Nisqually Power
Plant contract notwithstanding
his sworn affidavit. and the fact
! that he personally appeared before
| the city Council advocating the
| justice of Pederson's claims, set
| Element was made for $4,000
After this settlement was made
| Peterson sued the city for $4,000,
and ON the witness stand Gronen
sWore that the claim was Just. The
| Judge without leaving the bench
! decided In favor OF the city.
! Surely the taxpayers haVo not
! forgotten how he allowed and APP
proved Pete McIIugh's bills for
hard pan specifications for two
months after the council has re-
pealed the resolution allowing Me-
| Hugh pay for hard pan.
| After hearing Gronen tell how
! he. as chief engineer, designed and
built the Nlsqually power plant we
begin to wonder If We had two
! Nisqually power plants. We were
always under the impression that
! Frank G. Kelsey, the chief engin-
| eer I'm charge of the Nisqually
power plant, was also the designer
and to satisfy ourselves on this
point we investigated the files of
the News and under date of April
18th, 1911, we found the following
| letter:
Editor The News: My attention
was called today to letter re-
garding the engineering work on
the Nisqually power plant which
/ appeared in yesterdays Ledger
signed by Savage & Nichols, stat
ing that | had recommended the
present engineer.
This statement is not true, fur
Their than that | said If n cheap
man was to be employed he was
probably as good man as the city
could get for the salary proposed;
but his course has been such since
taking the position that | would
Withdraw even this statement.
when my contract was cancel
ed by the commission, he came to
me and said that he was going to
apply for the position, and stated
that he did not consider himself
i qualified to design such "A plant.
but having worked on the plans
under my direction. he could and
would see that they were carried
out. sHe was not head designer
The designing was done by me. He
was told every day what to do and
how to do Ii, and with a great
deal of tho work he had nothing
/ whatever to do,
There were other men In the de-
partment who held higher posi-
tons and were better qualified to
design and construct such a plant
than he, but they would not con-
slider the position under the con-
ditions.
sVFban ,bi. ,.a,t, $50. .oiSa. 80.
he applied to me for a position as
draughtsman at a salary of 500 n
month, and did not represent him
self as ever having had any e~se-
rience In designing or constructing
power plants.
"FRANK c. KELSEY"
Tacoma, April II, 1914.
The public records WIFI prove the
above assertions to be true.
Taxpayers, II you want a man
for Commissioner of Public Works
with a record like the above, vote
for Gronen, and you will have
heavier cross to bear than the ona
some fanatic has placed on the
picture of the present absolutely
honest, competent and exper enced
Commissioners of Public Works.
/ Every honest man and woman who
believes In and wants square
deal in politics as wen as in BUSH
ness will go to the polls on Tues
day and vote for owen Woods
III we are going to be non-par-
tisan in city politics let us also be
nonpartisan in religion. II is the
mans principle and ability, not his
religion we should take into con-
sideration when looking for men to
manage our city affairs. Let us
forget the dark ages. Let us be
brothers and sisters In fact, as
well as In name. Let us worship
God and trav-f whichever road we
may so desire TO get to Heaven.
owen Woods is broaden nded
and patriotic enough to help save
our schools, our homes and our
country as the person who had
the little eleventh hour dodger
printed. or anyone or al iof the
three men whose names appear on
the yellow sheet.
On Tuesday let us start to take
the curse, not from the mountaiu
but from the fair city of Tacoma