Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-07-14

eJ' "aiA NC DIS DElci do POSciuiC, Coii-
tanning only what is necessary to place the
matter rightly before the public.
To the callof Reporter for the sympathy Of
the public on the ground Of being smechan-
ic" my position surely would not lead me to
object, having myself for the last thirty years
and upwards operated in that line. The idea
that mans calling should either elevate or
degrade him lproyided it be an honest calling)
have ever held in contempt. A man may
degrade has calling by not properly performing
its duties, but,
Honor and shame from no condition rise,
Act 'OeH your part i; there all the honor lies.
What success may have had is owing to
the attention have given to my trade, and
the observance of "a few simple rules; having
never received any thing by inheritance, or
otherwise, separate from my own exertion.-
set out in life with firm determination to
keep my expenses within my income, and
scrnpulously TO fuIM my engagements at all
hazards; and if your g Reporter y wishes to
transmit to his children " good name y and
something else, can only recommend to him
to g go and do likewise
His long paragraph on " giving the impress
slon," was as new to me as to any Of your
readers. His exuberant Indignation must have
supplied him with most Of his materials, I'M
less perhaps he wished to do what he charges
upon me, and wrote that to create an 90 impress
sion."
He wishes to have it borne in mind that his
report Of my remarks is the real question:
The principal question involved in this contro-
versy is whether his 90 report - is correct or
otherwise; and in order that the matter may
be understood more clearly, allow me to ask,
,chat caused that repOrt' The answer to this
question may throw some light on the sub
ject. Was it not because my remarks and de-
cision that evening prevented the acceptance
by the Council of spurious Report; which
spurious report your Reporter and his coadju-
tors were DESTROYS that the Council should re-
ceive and sanction. Was not his report of
my remarks, which has been publicly declared
to be incorrect by majority of the Council,
an ebullition of spleen because my remarks
caused the defeat of his favorite measure L
Has he or his coadjutors at any time, in print
or speech, in any newspaper article, or in the
City Council, ever bestowed word of cen
sure upon that paper " purporting to be Re-
port of the Finance Committee y which both
branches of the City Council have SO emphat-
ically condemned
Now what would have been the effect had |
made no remarks, and silently allowed the gen
tleman to have carried his point | answer,
that the effect would have been to make a
smaller per centage of tax this year than last,
although the appropriations exceed by many
thousands Of dollars those of any previous year;
and the City debt would have been increased
at once between three and four thousand dol
lars merely for the ordinary annual expendi-
| lures.
Extraordinary expenditures are called for
every year, and the City debt has been con-
stantly increasing from the beginning until it
now amounts to thrty-three thousand dollars.
We have added to it this year already since the
passage of the annual appropriations two thou
sand dollars for an Engine House, and doubt
less the debt will be increased quadruple that
amount before the close of the year. Would
it be desirable to our citizens to borrow money
for the ordinary expenses of the City, and go
on increasing the City debt ad libitum 4
| Would such course be wise1 Let the pres
ent state of the British Government answer
that question.
Perhaps it would not be out of place in this
connection to ask another question Are those
persons against whom legal and just demands
are offered in the market at great discount
and can find no purchasers-are such the most
proper persons to manage the City Finances!
A majority of the Common Council declare
that his report Z" is incorrect and calculated
to convey a false impression to the public
mind" How does he get over that! He at
tempted to do it by saying that it is a {" docu-
ment certifying nothing in particular" If
that is true why does it trouble him. Why
does he parade long unmeaning rigmaroe,
which he calls g circumstantial evidence to
do away with the force of g document certi-
flying nothing in particularl' Why does he
procure certificate, signed by half dozen,
aimed at effecting the same object! To be
sure he says of his certificate g it is scarcely
worth while to insert it, which will doubt
less be concurred in by very great majority
of our citizens.
Referring to my remarks being pointed and
strong, he says g Pointed at whoml' g Strong
in what respect - He seems to have an idea
that remarks to be pointed must necessarily be
pointed at some person. That may be the
case with him. He may not be able to point
at any misconduct or malpractice, but only at
persons. To think that no one else can do it,
argues height of presumption or depth of ig-
norance that should be 10th to charge upon
any one.
My remarks were pointed at a mode Of do
ing business which has since received the con-
demnation of the City Council; and they were
expressed in strong plain English, easy to be
understood. If they had not been perverted,
disarranged, and placed out of their proper
complexion to subserve an unworthy purpose,
this controversy would never have taken place.