The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-01
HOW THE MONEY Is sQuANDEREL
TIE GAS WORKS.


this oppressed city, to examine thorough
ly and scrutinize carefully the official act
of the party now controlling the munici.
pal affairs Of Richmond. If the Council
is bold, bad, defiant and reckless, wasteful
and extravagant, it becomes all the more
necessary they be stopped in this reck.
lessness and taught to remember that they
are not the masters, but the servants o
the people. They do not own the public
money which has been squandered, mol
the city bonds which have been scattered
by them, like autumn leaves, and cheap
ened to the value of cord-wood, for which
they may soon be exchanged cord for cord.
They were only placed in their custody as
stewards of a confding constituency to be
honestly dealt with and religiously ac-
counted for, and it is now high time that the
masters should call their unjust servants to
an account. a-saiss .ai
The investigation should be thorough,
searching, complete--the merchant from his
counter, the property-holder whose possess
sions are endangered, the carpenter from
his bench, and the blacksmith from his an
vii, are the men who should make it. 1t
is no child's play, but great imperious
duty, demanding personal sacrifice and alb.
solute fidelity. Let the knife and probe
go straight to the very core and center of
the ugly sore which disfgures the body
polite, nor be stopped or checked by any
cry of pain or prayer for mercy. Men
who showed no mercy for others, but rob-
bed ruthlessly, regardless Of the poverty
and distress ftheir victims, have no right
to ask that any mercy should be shown to
them, other than such mercy as "they to
others show"
The cry of pain already wrung from
these unjust servants, only invites justice
to make her inquisitions more thorough.
The outrages already brought to light are
but the outcroppings of the grosser wrongs
yet uaexposed. The hue and cry has
been raised now must come the pursuit.
The felon must be hunted down, brought
forth from his concealments, stripped of
his disguises, and exposed in the broad
sunlight to the scorn, detestation and con-
tempt of an outraged people. We have
already glanced at the alms-house abuses,
and hope that our investigation may help
to save the great mass of our people from
becoming inmates of it. Now, we ask
shem to look at the frauds and misman-
'gement carried on at the Gas Works, and
'se how their hard-earned substance has
'een wasted and squandered in that in
We know that the public debt has bee n
during the last year $66s, ,129,-
8, aud that there is q deficiency of
1866, 1922 Nearly half a million of
ollars to be raised by taxation this year
ut we do not know just how much of that |
normously increased debt was caused by |
be mismanagemsDt of the gas works, nor
lst how much they calculate to squander
here this year. We do, however, know
ome facts in relation to the matter. We
now that when the gas works were under
ne management Of the "carpet-baggers''
nd "scalawags," appointed by military
uthority, mere money was collected for
no gas sold, and it cost less to carry on the
as works than it has under the present
administration. We knew that under the
Military control the gas works paid large
rofit to the city while under the manage
lent OF these mercenaries the gas works
IN the city in debt every day of the year.
There was received from the sale of gas
the fiscal year of 1868, $145,202.76;
,e cost of material and repairs during the
'me time was $120, a
ct profit to the city of $19, ,454. 95, besides
l the gas consumed in the public build
lgs and in the street lamps. During the
seal year of 1869, there was received
om the sale of gas $3.50, ,177.os the
'sts OF materials and repairs during the
'me time was $lll,07S67-showing a
st profit to the city of SIS, s,O98. SO be.
des the public consumption of gas.
Here, unfortunately, ends the admins
alton of the honest men, while that of
le rogues began. The receipts from the
lie OF gas for the fiscal year 1870 was
1873 ,088.46; the cost of materials and
pairs during the same time was $143.-
'7.Os-being loss to the city during
o first year of this Councils corrupt
anagement In the gas works alone of
l0,68S.67-showing an aggregate differ
zee caused by mismanagement and pecu-
lion between the years 1869 and 1870 o
20, ,736.9Sll
1t is curious also to observe that while !
ese bad men received in 1870 $4,000
ore for gas than was received by their
edecessors the year previous, the rate
ing the same both years, it actually cost q
'2,64s more to carry on the works in :
10 than it did the year before, and that,
}, notwithstanding every man knows n
1t the cost Of living, labor and material s