Hidden Correspondence Sparks Council Controversy
A secret letter from Captain L. A. Abbott regarding city streets and alleys suggests the council may be bowing to a selfish clique.
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The information contained in the letter of Capt. L. A. Abbott was communicated to the city council about two weeks ago, but instead of reading it in open meeting so that the taxpayers might understand the situation, the letter was suppressed, presumably through the influence of a clique with selfish motives. The captain wrote the Herald to the same effect last week and among other things adds: 'It is doubtful if any body of councilmen could be gotten together who would dare to jeopardize the city's future by renouncing their right to the streets and alleys in question and vacating the same.' The duty of the incoming council is plain. They were elected by their fellow citizens to break the back of the mossback octopus and afford every encouragement to secure a railroad for the city, or in fact any enterprise that will advance Aberdeen's growth and prosperity.
“The duty of the incoming council is plain. They were elected by their fellow citizens to break the back of the mossback octopus.”
The rhetoric of the 'mossback' (a derogatory term for stubborn, anti-growth locals) fighting against railroad expansion highlights the intense boosterism and political infighting that defined Aberdeen’s formative years.
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