The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-01-28

Europe. His views us detailed in the let.
ter are interesting and instructive.
The Register on City Anairs.
The Register. with nm ingenuity that
would be plausible If the facts were not
so well understood, undertakes 10 say that
"Gor two years the government ci the city
has been in those very hands in which the
INTEILiGENcER aided to place IL" and
that, il anything las gone wrong, II Is we
and our friends who arc to blame Tor 1t, 1t
is trnct that gentleman whom we support
led has been Mayortwr years, and anoIh-
er has been Sergeant, another Street Com
missioner, and so on. 1t is, also, true that
those gentlemen have done their duty To
the satisfaction Of the public; that the
Sergeant and Street Commissioner have
been reelected, as the Mayor would
have been II he had consented,
But il isnOt these officers in whose hands
the city government has been during their
incumbcncy, They are not responsible
Cor,the $s00y0OO disbursed, and the. $780,
600 Of additional debt created during the
year The Council is the power in whose
hands the city government rests; il is they
who lay the taxes, make the improve
ments, let out the contracts, regulate all
departments Of the city and vote all the
appropriations. All the executive officers
arc subject TO their orders, and merely ex.
ecutc their commands. AT no time. for
ahalT dozen years has the Council been
under the control of those whom VIC aid.
ed in placing Eherc; anu especially during
the last two years have our friends been
but II small minority Of that body.
The Registers friends have controlled both
branches by large,mJority. With them
rests the responsibility, If there is any
responsibility, attaching to the fact that ut
the close o.. the present year, settlements
had to be made formany thousands Of dol.
lars Of over expenditures by giving nego.
table notes at 8 and 0 per cent, and by is
suing what might justly be called a
forced loan in the shape of orders on an
empty treasury, which the creditors have
discounted at the expense of the city.
The Register says the current revenue
is ample to meet oil the floating obliga'
tions We have incurred" Then why
were tile measures adopted that
We hayereierred to? Why could not the
bill of the Street Commissioner for De-
ccmber bc paid ten days ago without Dor.
rowing. Why cannot the bill OF DoNEL
& GRAY for 81 200, for work done on the
now hose house be paids Whywere they
compelled to take "orlcrs" with IN un.
derstanding that the city would stand the
discount Why have the Sinking Fund
Commissioners been obliged to take some
twelve thousand dollars in orders and u
check on an adverse balance Tor five
thousand, when the money instead is sa-
credly reserved to them by law! Why
does the Norway Company hold some
five or six thousand dollars Of orders for
work done on the bridge and ask
for the money on them in vainS Why
was a negotiable note for $1,000 given six
months ago, renewed instead of paid, and
over checks amounting to ten thousand
dollars paid in u negotiable note instead
Of money! And why did the contracts
recently made for the Island water pipe
read that the contractors should have
"cash or its equivalent" The phrase mean.
Ing that they would take the city orders
and the city would stand the shaveY
These things all appcaredin the closing
sessions Of the old council; and certainly
It the current revenue was ample, or Is
now, to meet these floating obligations,
the Council acted very unwisely. 10
Now We have not said or meant 10 say
that the solvency Of the city is affected,
It has been paying debts, as the
RT0ister says, and has felt some pinch on
that account What We find fault with is
that Council was just MS lavish and rcCk.
less rs II thaln't been paying any debts;
spent more money than II Ind 10 spend;
and then neglected to make such provi.
sion for the debt thus crcatedas was nCCcs.
sary TO prevent the city's credit being
shamed and abused. Tho cityis more
solvent than IL has been for several years,
and yCtits credit on tho street and at the
hank counters was nCvcrlowtr, simply be.
cause proper measures swefenol employed
to protect that credit What would be
thought Of u business flrm that wouldtry
to run its current business by paying in
checks on bank where It had no money!
We hope the incoming Council will adopt
better business methods than were prac.
tised by their predecessors