Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-09-14
Protest Against the Tam
many Thieves.

and enthusiastic gathering of the bes'
elements Of the city. The taxpayers, who
have long groaned beneath the burdens
laid upon them by official swindlers,cam
together en- naaSse, and long before the
hour of commencement Coeper's Institute
was crowded to overfowing, and hundred
waited patiently in the lobb;es and upor
the sidewalk in front of the entrance
James B. M Brown called the meeting t(
order, and ex-Mayor Havemeyer was call
ed to the chair. In accepting the position
Mr.. Havemeyer made a speech, in the
course of which he said:
Now, fellow citizens, you are aware
that very grave charges have been made
against the members of the city govern
ment of fraudulent and corrupt extrava'
gance IN the expenditure of the public
moneys-that large sums have, in some
cases. been paid to counterfeit demands
and in others, where either no equivalent
or very disproportionate one, has been
received, until the public has become
alarmed, and ia at last aroused to the
necessity of institutiag such a rigid in.
vestiga ion of the public accounts, as will
if the charges are false, dispel alarm for
the future, or, if found to be true, will
lead to such decided measures as to force
the guilty parties to disgorge their ill-got'
ten gains, and suffer the utmost penalty
of the law for their larcenies. These
charges against the integrity of the mem
bers of our city government have not yet
been answered in q way to satisfy this
community that they are false, or that
they lack any of the elements to convict
those implicated of crime before any hon
est court or jury and I must here be
permitted to say, that, il what has been
alleged against the officials to whom [
have referred be true, the credit of the
city is in imminent danger by the acts of
those whose duty it was to preserve and
protect it.
These statements cannot be weakened
by fattering estimates of the value of the
city property, which may be made by ex-
perts in real estate, as the mass of that
property is needed for use, and is not
open for sale, and any debt fraudulently
incurred must fall back on the people to
be paid by taxation. The prosperity of
the city, fellow citizens, is due solely to
its natural advantages, it's growth is in
spite of negligence, Ignorance and corrup-
tion of its government, and while com
mercs Is shackled and burdened by un-
lust exactions, from the moment it passes
into our bay. and is seeking other marts
and capital scared by the appartion of
political receivers and referees, seeks the
protection of purer administration of
Justice, it still thrives. But deadly dis
ease is consuming its vitals. Official life,
no longer honorable, has become a husi-
ness Offices are created, not so much to
reward political fAvoriteS. as to purchase
the aid of corrupt men to stamp our liber
tv in cur midst. The most exorhitant
aalraies are paid to the most incompetent
officials The charter of our city, as it
now stands, il a mere act of perfdious
legislation, conceived and framed to pre-
long the terms of bad men. Under it,
and its attendant legislation, the govern
ment of this city has become an oligarchy
The right of suffrage is practic tlly
abolished. Elective offices are shorn of
power, and scarcely the form Of Demo
cratic government remains to us in this
city Wealth, wrung in the shape of
the public gaze, in gorgeous array-in
splendid eqnipsges, and in palatial resi-
dences; to attest, / suppose, the pr0gident.
unadulterated, jncorruptj6le and radical
Democracy Of us p0SSesS0rS, To eradi-
cate these evils will require the use of
the cautery and the knife, in the hands
of bold, rkillfnl aud fiithful operators,
rather than the quack nostrums of rre-
tentious p'aoebos of anv literary mountc-
bank. This city, fellow citizens, so mag
nifcent in extent, so liber i in its W, lcome
and hospitality, and boundless its ch4ri-
ties, now calls her people to their duties
in this time of her humiliation.
At the close of the Presidents speech,
a list of two hundred and thirty Vice
Presidents and fifteen Secretaries was an
nouuced. comprising the most distinguish
ID names in business, law, learning and
in the city. The next speech
was by Judge Emott, who after reviewing
The methods in the organic ttion of the
I'D and new Boards of Supervisors, said
Now, gentlemen, let me give you few
If the details of the way in which your
money has been ;apent You know that
you have a Court House. Laughter |
At least you ought to know it by this
lime. Continued laughter 1t has cost
you, at least it is pretended that It has
,ost you, seven millions of dollars-not |
or building it, but for furnishing, re-
pairing and decorating it. Laughter |
# any of you belong to any of our militia
'egiments, you know that you have ar
nories, and you know what sort of places
hey are. 1t is said to cost $2,70O000 for
epairing, decorating and furnishing these
rmories 1t is said to have cost 81 ,&00,,
100 for printing, and $685., 900 for station
which certain fay ored gentlemen, high in
fice in the city government, are largely
Interested. [Applause] Ws1l, | don't
NOW as they are in the Court House.
But some carpets have been
'ought by you to the tune Of $350,000-
nough to supply every man who is here
With sufficient carpeting to cover his
Iouse. Laughter But the worst of it
s, that it is $350,O00 more than an ac-
urate and fair person, conversant with
hat business, has stated would suffice to
arpet the whole of this Court House
Where the $35O,000 went and where the
arpets went is question which perhaps
may be your duty to assist us to get
he means to answer.
A Voice-The Metropolitan Hotel.
Judge Emott-Now, who got the money
8 another serious part of the inquiry
Veil, Mr.. Garvey did the plasterine,
laughter, and he got $945,O 900 for plas-
ering in the year 1869, laughter, and
i, 100000 for plastering in 1870, making
z, 800, 900 to this fortunate plasterer-
hat is, if be was fortunate enough to get
he whole of it, which may be questioned
DIR. Keyser, and I am sorry to say am
informed that Mr.. Keyser belongs to the
anne party that I do. Laughter But
shall not speak any more unkindly of
i'm on that account, because / appre-
'end, gentlemen, that you must feel and
now whatever may be said outside or
lsewhore, in the public prints or any
vhere, that this is no partisan meeting.
Great applause. came here to speak
he truth, whether you are Republicans