Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-01-03
Gitp ano County Sntelligente,
Inauguration of the City Government of
1860,

large, and indicated considerable interest il
the proceedings. The oath of office was ad
ministered to Hon. VIM. W. Rice, Mayor
elect, by the retiring Mayor, Hon. A. II. Bull
lock. The divine blessing was invoked by
Rev. Dr. Sweetser. The Mayor administered
| the oath of office to the members of the City
! Council, after which he delivered the follow
ing
INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
| Gentlemen of the Board Of Aldermen, and Of me
Common Council;
The beginning of the new year imposes upon US
| the temporary administration of the munlclpal
affairs of our city The duty is grave and respon-
sble one and we should enter upon It with spirit
of faithful and earnest devotion to the interests OF
our fellow-citizens whose favor and confidence have
| devolved it upon us.
1t is not necessary for u.s. the munlcpai oilicers
| of this New England city, to devise new forms un-
der which to organize and administer or to practice
| experiments the result of untried, and often i'm
practicable theories 1t is our good fortune to he
called upon to act conseryators, not as innova-
| tors and we shall do best to study the policy of
those who have preceded us, that during our Official
teral and moral prosperity upon which she has been
placed, by those who have hitherto directed her
affairs.
In calling your attention. therefore. to the vari-
Gus departments of affairs, which about to pass
under our control and management, shall offer
few if any, new suggestions, promising that While
the still depressed cOnutlOn OIL business JusGineS
and demands strict economy in all our appropri-
ations that is sometimes most truly found IN gen
erous expenditure.
repair the property and highways of the city, to
| guard efficiently against the deyourlng element,
to provide both largely and wisely for our public
schools and to bestow literally the charities OF the
city, shall recommend no new enterprise, tending
| to increase the demand upon the City treasury,
| excepting such as the occasion and circumstances
indicate to be, not only emlnently useful ana prop
err but also inevitable.
The funded debt of the city now amounts to
S99429 l0 $4,000 of this natures the first OF April
next but in the present state of the money market
no difficulty is apprehended in retunding II as ad-
vantageously, certainly, as at present
Our predecessors found in the Treasury
They received from uncollected taxes of 1858,
about. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 2Ooo
$4,000
l'They leave in the Treasury about; $3.50
And for taxes uncolleeted and collectable for
1859, about. .........--.'......'.'' i'0oo
$4,000
But if they do not leave in the Treasury as much
money they found, they are, neYertheless aole
to show substantial results from its expenditure
Among other things they have expended specially;
For school house at Tatnuck, about .......S4'200
For school house at So1tsIy1ife, about: 2,22o
For n new engine house, about. ........... o,oO0
For a lot of land added to the city farm. 900
For lot of land adjoining city barn. 2,OOO
For a lot of land on Elm street for city IL 80
And have appropriated for that library.
While they have been generous IN their various
appropriations they have not been LAVISH ana aiter
a somewhat careful examination OF the Items OF
expenditure in the various departments, as well as
those of a contingent character, do not see where
we effect any considerable retrenchment. .
We have, already pointed out for us, objects OF
expense of an extraordinary character, more than
equal to those which | have just enumerated as
incurred by the last city government.
While therefore, should be most happy to re-
peat the recommendation of almost all my preue-
cessors, that attempt reduction OF our city
debt circumstances beyond our control renaer IL SO
clearly impossible, that can only caution you
against increasing it more than is absolutely neces
sary.
Against any undertaking tending permanently
to increase it, L must enter my remonstrance. /
see no reason why the we'll tested principle that 1t
is good policy for the individual to pay as he
spends is not equally applicable to municipal cor
norations do not believe in mourning debts for
our children to pay. 1t is urged that the improve
ments we effect and the institutions we establish
will be for their benefit well as ours, and that
therefore, they should bear their proportion OF the
expense. Depend upon it, however, that the spirit
of progress which has thus far prevailed In our
oitv and which we trust will never die out In the
bosoms of its citizens will be constantly suggesting
new enterprises equal in utility and magnitude, to
those which engross our attention. The next
generation will have responsibilities enough OF Its
own to meet without inheriting burdens from us.
In two months our city will have attained the
age of twelve years, and its debt is not S50O less
than when it entered on its corporate existence
am convinced that, with proper management all
current expenses can be met and this entire debt
expunged in twenty years, without subjecting our
citizens to a rate of taxation exceeding the aver
age per cent in the towns of the county. lneXper-
ence hazards conclusions which experience contra
diets, but think we can safely clam to nave ad-
ministered the financial affairs OF the city Wel IL
at the close of our official term, we shall have
demonstrated this to be correct.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Our public schools properly claim from us the
largest appropriations OF money and attention.
With 4l63 children between the ages OF live and
fifteen years, of whom S40o are constantly IN the
give grudgingly to these moral and intellectual
nurseries of our city.
ing the last four years has been as follows;
For lS96 s533S 3
For 1857. 0SSoo
For 1858. 3OoU4
Taxing into consideration the fact that the aver
age attendance during the last, has been greater
| than in any preceding year, and that about $4,000
has been paid for furnishing new school houses
and repairing the damage done by the explosion on
Pleasant street, think that the cost Of education,
per Scholar has not been increased during the past
We have now 81 schools, of which 81 are perma-
nent These are instructed by rs teachers, OF whom
| IS are females.
| The $4,000 expended during the past year may
be divided, by estimation, as follows:
| For salaries of Teachers and Superlntend-
emit $26,O43 80
For fuel about. 1000 90
| For care of school houses about. $50 90
For books for teachers and INDECENT pupils 800 90
For furnishing new school houses and re-
pairing damage from explosion ON Pleas
ant street 1850 90
s3O,e93 80
This leaves balance of about $1,000 expended
for repairs and miscellaneous expenses. The school
house property Of this city is worth more than
$4,000 Although it must cost large sum to
keep that amount of property, consisting chiefly
of buildings in repair and supplied with stoves,
furnaces and other articles of necessary use, yet
fn1lr hot catrnn of m,
$1,000 can be effected in this last item Heretofore
prudential and other committees have expended
money very much at their pleasure, but by the
adoption of rule by the school Board, estab-
| fishing finance committee, which must approve
of every item Of expenditure before incurred, /
think we may anticipate a little retrenchment
in this department might be effected.
While we regard with pleasure and with favor
the private schools and seminaries which are locat-
ed on the pleasant hills about us in almost every
direction, attracting to the privileges and culture
of our city the children of strangers, we should
raise the standard of our public schools so high
above these, that our own citizens should find in
| them for their children no superior attractions
This superiority should be attained in every re-
spect, whether tending to physical, moral intel
lectual development Instruction in practi-
cal studies as bookkeeping and commercial arith-
matte, now regarded somewhat as specialties should
be made common and thorough. Penmanship, now
likely soon to be ranked among the lost arts, among
the literally educated classes, should be re-
stored to its proper position, and shall recommend
to the proper department that competent teach
er be employed, who shall devote all his time to
| giving instruction in that branch in our public
| schools.
Our public schools ought also t. be carefully con-
Quoted in such manner to excite no mutual ami
mosites and repulsons between the native born
and those who have come from foreign lands to
share in the privileges and blessings of this Those
| who have thus come, necessarily bring with them
prejudiees and opinions, in respects differing
from those to which natives of Massachusetts were
born but they have entered into and become an in
tegra part Of the community. The next generation,
at farthest, will pull down any division walls,
which the present may build, and it is better there
fore for all good citizens to aid in the process of as
simiIation and absorption than, by any unwse and