The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-15
[ApvEnT1sEMR>r.i
0 Public Plunder. /"
TO TIE EDITOR OF THE NEWS.

10 THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS.
GA Citizen" publishes in your papor of yos-
terday long string Of what he calls "facts" In re-
gard to Mr. George W. Clark, Acting Mayor Of
Charleston; and, although have no paruculer love
for Mayor Clark, do not k, to see etabbod in The
back ma who, whether he knowsit mot, is fght.
ing the battle Of law and order in fusns to give up
his seat to PillsbLry until ha! person Is declared by
thu proper tribunal to have been duly elected.
Now, what are the "fao,s" which "a Citizen" pa.
rades with 30 mucI apparent pride3 lam Tot ia
miliar with Tho domestic economy OF the city gov
ernmeni. but think that can very quickly dispose
OF most ofthem. First. Nc!or Clark is said 10 he
"tbe purrcyor for oil the city institutions" This,
as I am informed, is Untrue. May or Clark ID not
purvcyor for the Aims House, IL he puivoJor for
the Orphan House, which institutions do certIi "ly
consume somo neil. -four. b4con and sat His
firm, g. ". Clark 6 Co.. Go supply tho hospitals
Will groceries, but nothing csc. S.cond 1t ia
charsco that the articles supplied by Mayor tlark
arc OF tho most iu'crior quailty. and that the
-four, mel' and meal issued to tho patients
at ho Mauno Hospital were found to be
utterly unsourd. This may be true. I do not
know whether it is or not; but, if 1t is. then the
fault as I am informed. lies with clio on rals In
charge CT the hospital wh duty 1t is to SEQ whether
the food is wholesome. and to rj ct what is not t
for Third 1t is charged That the Mayor "audits
his own accounts aud, as Ma or. draws his checks
upon tho city treasury to pay thom. This brings
me to the root of tho VIII 10 question. which is
whether the city ih paying loo much for what it buys
and whether the persons who sell 20 the city are en-.
hu ofA, - oil
accounts and pay themselves the money.
All accounts against The city submitted to and
examined by the COMMITTEES on Accounts. whioh
committee approves the acooup sif they found to
be correct. The accounts then rerortcd to
oun I'll and approved by that body are pad by the
T reasurer. II is tho Committee on Accounts which
determines whether too much is paid 10 spikes and
whiskey, or dozen ancient eggs and agree with
"a Citizen" that It would be violation Of public
decency for tho Mayor to be the whole OF that COM
mittee. But he Is not the whole of the committee,
nor the half Of il. nor oven the chairman oit. he
committee ia composed OF three members Alder
nan q. B. Olney, chairman, Alderman W. @. Wbil-
den and Mayor Clark Mr.. Olney uI MIR. Whildtn.
two of our own citizens. determine what shall be
PAID and what shall not. Mayor Clark has but one
NOo III sikcO. 4h'o, W AAAihep NiSPoSSo Va sAo
whole charge. am wiling to trust mSp"oI erty in
the hands of Aldermen O,ney and Whilden and
believe that ninety mine of every hundred taxpayers
In the city arc willing to do the same.
As to what "a Ct IL N" says about the Acting Al
dermen pply ing tho city with lumber and lime. and
brioS, I reply that the Aldermen havo the right
to sell material to tho city that hsve. or "a Gil
zen" has. They do not lose their rights as mer-
chants because they are aldermen. They hcve the
perfect tight to sell wha, they please to tue city, II
they do not charge moro than tho ket price. and
the Committee ON Accounts wall 500 to that.
have said all that au outsider cau sIy about this
matter, and there let It drop. 1 may nark. how
ever that, wbateverthe politics of Mayor Clark. he
Is undoubtedly the deferder Of the rights privileges
and immunisies Of the ol,izeus Of Charleston with
out regard to parry. Every kind Of pressure has
been used to make him recedo from his p>sitIon
and, while he stands firm in his determination to
lct the law decide both bis and ours, newspaper
gossip and anony nous accusations will only tend to
d, feat the object all have in view by weakening
tho Acting Mayor and Aldermen aud strengthening
tho Pi lsbury party.
April Is IL CITIZEN AND TAXPAYER