Show i THE MUDDLE The whole city government at present appears to be an interminable muddle of inefficiency and weakness The air is full of foul rumors concerning some departments depart-ments enough every day escaping from the chief Liberal organ to set any grand jury of good intentions diligently to work The mayor of the city is notoriously weak t and vacillating without any of that Strength of principle and decision of character char-acter that should belong to a man in the position he occupies Public sentiment has several times been directed to him in the hope that he would do something towards restraining the lawlessness and vice that at present disgrace this city t Public opinion failing to move the mayor this paper then voiced a strong sentiment i that is abroad for the city marshal to take B hand in suppressing the vicious elements in this city whether upheld by the mayor or not But the marshal does not move either nor give any sign that he is aware Of the condition the city has fallen into The council has been appealed to on several sev-eral occasions and a few nights since gave the first evidence of having heard that some affairs are running altogether too I fast and loose in this municipality As a result some sort of inquiry into certain city departments is being conducted and the august body even went so far as to refuse by a tie vote to grant a license for n saloon to be conducted in the basement of the recently licensed variety theatre But d on the whole that body seems unwilling R or unable to do anything in tho way of making the muchneeded reforms To whom can the citizens next appeal What more can they do They can wait to be sure a year longer and then turn out tbojaresent inefficient set But we suggest that the citizens keep on prodding the officials of-ficials and perhaps a littlo can be accomplished accom-plished in this way i t pnless tnemayor the councilor the mar = 4 U shal shall speedily take a definite stand on this issue and manifest a determination to stamp out the gross immorality and the exasperating ex-asperating villainy of crooks and highway men in this city then the citizens will hold them all equally inefficient equally guilty and equally cowardly in avoiding the per formance of their sworn duties Let them move quickly or stand forever condemned by a longsuffering public |