Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-08-03

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The firm oi key.cr Il Co., thu, earned
altogether the modest sum Of 81 aJl SCI 20
chiefly in the course OF two YEAR, Are
they not top -awycrs' in their trade:
Every warrant Was signed by Connolly
and couutcr>i-nc By Hall They were
not obliged 20 sign warrants which they
had reason tu believe were fraudulent.
The ease of The People rs Wood. " report
cd in BdrtoHrs Reports, vol. -. y. tsi3 Il
81, i sufficient To- drcd, that The object
OF requiring the MAYOR to countersiyn
warrants j. tn pr,reHt frIHd. sg.Jn ~ pro
PIE. Ii the mayor had no right to refuse
To sign warrants. what security would
there be tpr the public: la the case in
question. Judge Mullen justices Barnard
and tlerkc concurrius) ruled that the
MAYOR could refuse 10 sign suspicious
warrants. II. said -
Ii these officer. are to act A. guardian,
az the trra-ury-it they are 10 protect. 20
tar A. Ia them lies. the city from unfoundcd
and dishonest claim--thnV must have the
means of Knowing whether the claim l.
one proper to be paid. aud II j. their duty
[ to inform themselves Ia regard "a H. aud
{ couuter,ign or refuse a. they NAV deem
/ proper. after such investigation. In thi.
way aud Ia thi, WAY ouly. can these men
+ cflcctuAlly protect the Treasury
What become, then. OF the mayors
/ plea that the audit uf the board of -uf,-r-
visor, j. final. and Z. not one Of tho.c
/ act, which 4 uIVor could Veto" and that
I the warrants We have published were
| signed and countrTigncd A. simply minis
] icriAl Act- = W. .al that the mayor and
/ controller cannot escape from their share
+ of responsibility for these fraudulent war
/ rants. ANY decent body of citizens can
/ bring them "a account Ia 4 court ~ law.
/ aud now j. the time to 10 IL
let u now recapitulatr little. Present
Z IL W. may giS- Hal 4 Connolly a fresh
series Of their own figure, To ponder over
We have >cen what a good thing 1t j. to
/ be- appointed iurui,urc-Iraler pr carpenter.
/ or p.a>tcr"r. or plumber. under the city
authoriiic- W. have >e~u that the money
paid or alleged To- have been paid. Tor
carpet, ia the new court-hou-e and
Armoric- would hay. purchased laa ~
square yarl- II $3.50 wand. II of the
usual width per ward. thl. carpet would
have covered i'iG .tsy5 feet or about seventy
miles ia other woru-. il would 20 nearly
from New lurA TO New II lVen or half
MAY to Albany. or four times from the
battery IA \ uuker- Of from Albany 10
p>wcgu. Bu, what carpet. are really In
the courthouse: only three floor OF the
new ,"urt-hou-- are occupied. On each
A'NAf Sft quar- anus tff occupied
Office. making = total Of 91lG Nard- II
covered with carpet at 81 per ward the
cost would be sIG.uoD. oue Of the largest
room~ that was occupied by the bureau of
arre1rs 81 taxes, has 40 covering what
ever nu IL floor. The county clerk Ollie
sheriff. oiilrc and office 81 the surrogate.
are not rArpeted. bat ar. covered with oil
cloth and mating. with the exception of
the small private office. Few 81 the
other Offices or uourt-rpoms are cart.ted
throughout
With regard 10 the carpenter work done
10 the new court house. Tor which such
enornou, sums have been paid. ii must bee
remembered that the building /, chiefly
constructed of marble and iron: there /,
but very little woodwork In H. Vet. If
thi- woodwork costs - much. what must
have been tn" expense of the iron and
marble: Those materials do not enter into
the account, which We have laid before
tn. public
For chairs supplied 10 tbs arm. gri,s only
lnscr-oll was paid sl.J.723 90. Ii armory
chair, cost s. each, and il each chair wa
IL feet In depth. the money paid To
Ingcr-oll would have bought 81 - chair.
aud il placed in "A ,traigh, row these chair,
would have reached over s5.363 feet or
about Il miles. Ii they cost $40 each they
would make a line OF ~ miles aud even
at 81 each they would stretch from the
City Hall Park 10 Forty->econd street
For Gabinet-work and furniture In the
new courthouse aud county offices the
sum of s2.sl. 1853 10 wa. spent. or AT least
Wa signed away by Mayor Hall and
Controller Connolly. An eminent up-
hol-tercr informs ~. after making a care
ful estimate. that he would furnish the new
courthouse mIgnlcentiy for $500 900.
aud make ! handsome profit ON the trans
action. Look al this charge IN another
way. What could be done with the So .sl7.-
1863 10 in furnishing private houses? Allow
ing $1,000 per house. il would furnish
thoroughly nearly three hundred houses
on Finn avenue, from Washington square
To Thrtisth street, on both sides OF the
street. The same amount would put two
parlor suites al $3.50 each and three bed
room, suites AT 500 each. into every house
on Broadway from the Battery TO the
upper end. on both sides and enough
would be left 10 furnish in the same way
every house on Third avenue from Rowery
to Seventeen street. on both sides.
IL Is only by testing the figures in this
way that the prodlgious frauds necessarily
involved in the warrants We have published,
can be brought home to the minds Of
persons little accustomed to deal with ac.
counts.-lN. \. TimeS, July PC