The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-04-29
HOW THE MONEY WAS sQUAN-
DER ED. $50

1t is undoubtedly true that the greates
proportion OF all domestic revolutions
have been occasioned by the unequal dis
tribution of wealth. 1t is, therefore, thu
most natural thing in the world that {
people who have been systematically
robbed and plundered should desire in.
formation as to the arts by which tht
robbery was accomplished. They will
wish to know who got the money, and fol
what. The whole city was aroused when
we informed our readers some days since
that the city debt had been increased SIX
HUNDRED DANDSIXTY- EIGHTTHOU.
SAND ONE HUNDRED AND TWEEN.
TY-NINE DOLLARS AND FIFTY
EIGHT CENTS in the last year, and that
there was deficiency of FOUR HUN
DRED AND FIFTY-SIX THOUSAND
SEVEN HUNDRED AND NINETY
NINE DOLLARS AND TWENTY-FIVE
CENTS and now the intelligent people
who pay taxes are asking further informa-
ton as to the details of this acholesa,e
robbery.
We will try to give the information,
but if the details are not full enough it
should be bourne in mind that those bad
men, who have been fattening on public
plunder and squandering the money wrung
from a distressed people, appoint their own
committees, the chairmen of which do their
miserable work in secret. The reporters
for the press obtain only such scanty in
formation as these committeeman may
choose graciously 10 bestow, and which
is generally false or deceptive, if not
fraudulent; but unfortunately for these
bad men, the plotters of our financial ruin,
when no press or other public oracle would
or could be persuaded or induced, upon
any consideration to enter upon their de-
fence, smarting under the castigations
administered to them in public and in
private. and stung by the universal con-
demnation which their official acts have
received, one of these committees, and we
have right to suppose it was the best OF
them all, the one stained with the fewest
and the least enormous acts of malfeasance.
omission and commission, for the defence
of the whole, undertakes in feeble,
snivelling way to apologies, or, in fact, to
justify as economical and wise, the admin
istration of the city alms-house. hoping
doubtless thereby to divert the storm of
scorn and contempt aroused against the
whole horde of reckless spendthrifts.
A visit has been n.ado to the aims. house
--one result only is disclosed. We are
gravely informed that by the present
management Of this charity there has
been saued to the city. in a single year, at
least t.centy thousand dollars. We should
be glad, indeed, If this was really true, but
there still remains an increase of SIX
H UNDRED AND SIXTY-EIGHT
THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND
TWENTY-NINE DOLLARS AND FlF-
TY-EIGHr CENTS of public debt, SO
that this plea of twenty thousand dollars
saved is only the defence that rogue
makes, who, having stolen thirty-three
horses, says there is one horse he might
have stolen, but did not steal We reply
you have wickedly, with malice and from
motives, robbed the public of
times twenty thousa nd dollars,
and until that is restored you have no
right to parade saving Of $40, 1000, made
not by you, but by some honest gentleman
beyond your control, who was faithful and
patriotic, in spite of the vicious example
which you, bis superiors, have set for him.
But has the $40, 900 In fact been saved /?
Figures are wicked instruments, or at least
cruel weapons, in the hands of an outraged
people merciless pursuing their betrayers.
A rogue should never undertake to Justify
or palliate his fraud by detailed statements
or figures which are the subject of exact
The authors of the report to
which we refer have mistaken the intelli-
gence and sagacity OF the people; they
did not know or wilfully failed to remem-
Der that the men whose taxes have been
squandered would, with pencil in hand,
''sit down quickly" to write up the results
70 imprudently disclosed by the report;
and what are they7
The average number of paupers in '69
and 10, was 1882; the average number of
paupers in 10 and II was 2S6 it cost to
m aintain these sS2 paupers for one year
S6l, l,048, that is to say $3.50 70 for each
person, while it cost for maintaining 2se
paupers for one year, $40,874 that is
$l7s 10 for each person, so it cost by
their own showing, and under the pretend
ed management Of this miserable Council
SIS 40 more for each person cared for by
them, than it did when the institution
was under the management OF the honest
men who preceded them.
Again if the 2se paupers maintained
during the last year had been maintained
with the same economy as was exercised