The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-11

The people of this city have not forgot
ten, nor do we intend to allow them to
forget, that the mercenaries who control
our municipal affairs have increased the
city debt during the last year 1852, 1926
and that there is now deficiency to be
provided for in round numbers of half a
million Of dollars, or, to be exact, $780,
799 %. We have day after day pointed
out item after item, sum after sum, squan-
dered or pifered from the city treasury,
part of this deficit and increased indebt-
edness, until the itemized list isas long as
yard-stck but up to this time no one
has dared to undertake to deny the truth
OF our statement or the positive accuracy
Of our figures. As consequence the i'm
preston has been growing stronger every
hour that the public funds have not orly
been squandered recklessly, but robbed
and pilfered mercilessly.
The City Council at its meeting on the
first Of May, gosded to desperation aud
smartipg under the universal execration
with which its members were assailed,
had the hardihood to come out of its con-
cealmeut and publicly promised, not indeed
to deny, but to make full statement "OF
ALL its expenditures from the date Of
inauguration to the first Of Nay, 1871.
Bold and defiant enough of public scorn
and private detestation to commit all the
crimes charged upon them, we did not be-
leve that these bad men had courage
enough to be honest, nor manhood enough
to make a true exhibit. We, therefore, at
the time said: "7he public judgment and
popular expectation is, that no honest state
ment aciU be made" That we were right
in that prediction, will abundantly appear
from the examination of the miserable
sham, paltry subterfuge and lying humbug
published on Monday last by the Council
in all of the city papers
The items contained in the Statement"
that is the name given to it, amount TO
$270,839sl. Now, if it is true that, this
is what they promised to give, "a true
statement Of all their expenditures" then
the mayor of this city in his annual mes
sage, which by the way is a fearful indict-
ment of this Council, made false report
both of the city expenditures and in
debtedness, not emily $50, but the report
made by the city auditor is also grossly
false. The fact, however, is that the
mayors report and auditors account are
both correct and true. 1t is the wretched
Statement that is false, fraudulent and
lying.
The falsehood, however, does not con-
sist in the words and figures which the pa
per contai&8, but in the fact that it is
grossly and shamefully palmed off upon the
Taxpayers as statement of expenditures,
as an answer to the charge of extravaganza
and peculation. This pretended statement
is only partial list of appropriations for the
future. Of the items mentioned, $1s4, 900
have never been expended at all, which
deducted from the whole amount, leaves
the actual amount paid $S6,839 81.
Could anything be more barefaced than to
present this statement as an exhibit of the
amount out of which the city has already
been defrauded, when as matter Of fact, it
is only a statement Of the sums in part,
out of which these wretched men intend to
do their peculating aud jobbing during the
year to come?
What do the people care whether there
was any formal appropriation bill Or not
A mercenary Council could waste and
squander as well without such an appro-
priation bill as with one, and it is just as
hard for the people to bear the burdens of
robbery and peculation, whether it is done
with or without resolution of appropri-
alton As matter of fact these formal
appropriations are new invention, never
before resorted to.
The people don't want notification be-
forehand Of what the thief intends to steal,
any more than note of hand for what he
has already stolen. They ask now, and
must have an inventory of, what the rogue
has wasted, squandered, or spent. He
boldly proposes to compromise by giving
partial summary of what he proposes to
take in the future.
We never had much confidence in the
uprightness or capacity of the City Coun-
Gil, but we believe the stupidest of them
all know very we'll the difference between
a statement of expenditures already made
and an appropriation bill for amounts to
be expended in the future. It was low
dirty trick, q contemplate outrage to
attempt to cheat the people, by the
publication of that vile statement. They
ask bread, and are given stone; they
ask fish, and receive serpent; they
ask an egg of their servants, and the ser
want gives to his master scorpion.
The following is list taken from this
statement of the amounts in it which had
not been paid on the 1st Of May, 1871:
tor public schools $4,000 90
n n y M M rrn4 M