In the mayor’s inaugural address to the Common Council, Cleveland emphasized the importance of improving the sewer system in the city. Buffalo was a fast growing city, but the sewage system was inadequate, and as a result well water was poisoned by water borne diseases causing sickness and death.

In a communication to the Board of Health, the health physician made the following statement:

“At your last regular meeting in a statement to you regarding the health of our city and its standing in this regard among the cities of the United States, I was obliged to say that Buffalo ranked as not a healthy city. You ordered me to present in writing my authority for the assertion and to point out, if possible, the causes, which have produced the unusual mortality reported to your Board, in order that proper measures may be adopted to diminish our unnecessarily large death rate. My authority is the National Board of Health at Washington.

“The explanation, I think, is not difficult, and happily it can be remedied. Buffalo should be what we once supposed it was, one of the healthiest cities in our land. Our climate is delightful and healthful excepting during two or three spring months. The land upon which it is built is sufficiently high to give good drainage. Our water is not excelled in quality, and in quantity it is absolutely inexhaustible. What then are the causes that run up our mortality rate as compared to other and less favorably situated cities. As chief causes I would mention insufficient sewerage, and as a natural consequence poisoned well water; uncleanliness of houses and surroundings, the keeping of large numbers of cattle, crowded together in poorly ventilated buildings; overcrowded schoolrooms, and lastly the Hamburg canal.

“Perhaps many citizens would have placed my last-mentioned cause first as a destroyer of life. I have placed it last advisedly believing as I do that it produces less sickness and death than the others named. It is, however, a great nuisance, and undoubtedly causes a large amount of sickness.

“The remedies are self evident, and only require money intelligently expended. I would provide a way to thoroughly sewer every part of the city, then close up every well, and prohibit the digging of any new ones. This would necessitate the introduction of Niagara water into every house; oblige citizens to keep their houses and surroundings clean; prohibit the keeping of large numbers of cattle or other animals in the populated portions of the city; build more schoolhouses, and push forward to early completion the intercepting sewer.

“Nothing that I have suggested is impracticable, and unless these suggestions are carried out in whole or in part, Buffalo may some day rival in the death rate Salt Lake City with its polygamous institutions.”

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Cleveland reasoned that this would be a battle because the council ring knew this was the biggest public infrastructure project to date in the City of Buffalo, and jobbery and extravagant spending would be their goal to enrich themselves and their friends.

In the previous administration, the Common Council decided to build the intercepting sewer and had advertised for proposals. This advertisement was only an announcement of a large job, and the politically connected jobbers made their bids. The lowest bid for the sewer project as proposed was $1,568,000. Mayor Cleveland was aware of this before he ran for the office and figured the city and the taxpayers were about to be robbed.

As a mayor who had a singular fiscal goal of saving the public from the extravagant expense of their tax dollars by the ring, he also needed to insure that the work would be done well and in a timely manner. In order to accomplish these things, he knew he would have to disconnect the ring and the city department heads from the management of the work.

In a message to the Common Council in February, he made the following recommendations:

“I believe it is conceded by all, that there is at present nothing so important to the welfare of our city as the construction of the intercepting sewer, which has been the subject of so much discussion; and the same reasons which render this important make it necessary that the work should be quickly done, and well done. And yet, though considerable time and labor have been bestowed upon the subject, and though much preliminary work has been done, we are not at the threshold of actual performance.

“Thus valuable time is lost, and the danger to our citizens and the damage to the fair fame of our city continues.

“I do not think that your Honorable Body is at fault for this delay, for all must admit that this matter has of late occupied much of your time and attention.

“The construction of this sewer is, I believe, the most extensive work, and will probably involve more expenditure and more care and attention than any ever before attempted in the city. It should meet all the necessities’ of the future and anticipate the needs of the increased growth and progress which awaits us.

“There should be no mistake made in locating the sewer; and the manner of its construction should be superintended and constantly watched by the best engineering skill and care. I understand that three years is the least estimate of the time required for its completion, during which period the terms of all the present city officers will expire.

“The advantage of having the work commenced and completed under the same management must be obvious.

“The character of the work is such that it is hardly possible that a contract can be made covering all contingencies and which would need no modification during the progress of construction; while unforeseen and unexpected conditions that are likely to be met should be promptly and vigorously dealt with.

“Your Honorable Body has quite enough to occupy your time in the ordinary matters connected with municipal affairs, which from week to week are urged upon your consideration; and our city engineer and his corps of assistants, should be constantly employed in the city’s current affairs which necessarily fall to his department.

“Under these circumstances I beg leave to suggest that the construction of the contemplated sewer be put in the hands of a commission of our citizens, who shall have full charge of the work.

“Of course the success of this scheme depends very much upon the men who are selected as commissioners; but I believe that we have men among us who will accept the positions, whose leisure will enable them to devote the necessary time to the matter, and whose energy and practical ability will insure the speedy and successful accomplishment of the work.

“It does no harm to bring the non-office holding portion of the community into more intimate relation with public affairs; and I should think it very strange if the importance of the subject would not suggest to all who are mindful of the welfare of the city, the necessity of a united effort on the part of private citizens as well as officials, to protect our interests from the dangers which threaten them.

“The private citizen has no right to stand aloof and refuse to thus aid when called on, unless he is prepared to share the consequences of neglect.

“I am satisfied that a commission, properly selected, to prosecute this work, would be the means of saving much time and money, and that the sewer would be better and more thoroughly built than in any other way.

“I therefore recommend that measures be taken to secure the passage of a law organizing such a commission, with full control of the construction of this sewer; and that in the same bill such provisions may be incorporated as are necessary to provide for the payment of the expenses of the work.”

Naturally, the council did not take the mayors recommendations without protest. He was in effect proposing to take away their ability to plunder the taxpayer, something they were used too in previous administrations.

The first protest came at the next council meeting, and the message came from the city engineer whose message is as follows:

“The communication of His Honor the Mayor to the Council on the 20th ultimo seems to convey the impression that the work of constructing the proposed intercepting sewer should be taken from this department, and placed in the hands of a commission, who are to have the exclusive control of the work. While I have no desire to interfere with any proposition which may seem to promote a speedy and energetic prosecution of this important work, I beg leave respectfully to state that in my opinion any change from the ordinary course pursued in works of this character would result in permanent -loss ani injury to the records of this department. The only question to be considered is one of location, and this can be determined by your Honorable Body when the report in preparation is submitted to you. After the plans and details are made, the mere work of construction Li the simplest part of it, care being taken to have it carried forward in strict accordance with the specifications. The immense cost of the work seems to have conveyed the impression to the non-professional mind that it requires great engineering ability to accomplish it. It is simply the making of a cut or tunnel of sufficient capacity in which to lay the sewer upou foundations used upon works of this character; and the remaining one of simply turning a stream of water from one channel into another, a work requiring no extraordinary feat of engineering, or such as to require the employment of another engineer to take charge of the work of construction. In reference to the work being carried on and completed under one management, it is only necessary to call your attention to the fact that the best work done in the sewer department of this office, that of the Fillmore Avenue sewer, was executed under different administrations. Very few important engineering works have been commenced and completed by one engineer. The plans and specifications having been approved, and the contract let, there is little danger of faulty construction if careful supervision is continued. I therefore respectfully submit that the work, upon which so much labor has been expended in this office, be left under the control of this department. While I have no fear but that the work can be successfully and satisfactorily done, I would be pleased to have a consulting engineer, of acknowledged ability in this specialty, associated with me, and that the force of assistants in this office be increased during this progress of the work as the necessities may require. If it be deemed advisable to have a local commission of the citizens also associated with the engineer for the purpose of awarding the contracts and overseeing the work as well, there would be no objection to such course.”

It can be supposed that the council used the city engineer to draw fire from the mayor, to make an objection to the mayor’s plan to take the fat job out of their hands.

Continued....