New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-05-30

PAW, No. 2.@................... 968 50
Total. ................. $ll, 1869 Is
Thomas Soublet for repairs to en-
CINE house of Orleans Fire Com
pany, No. 2l.. ......., .......... 2,'6o w
Total .......................$ l8,957 rs
Adopted, Mr.. Shaw voting no.
Mr. Shaw called up the ordinance, read
twice last week, providing for the payment
of the monthly pay rolls.
Adopted. .-.-. ..-.
Mr.. Shaw called up an ordinance, read
twice and printed last week, commencing;
New Orleans Republican, $I46 so.
An item of Henry J. Leovy, fees as Gu
rator ad hoe, $780, was laid over. The rest
of the ordinance was adopted, Mr.. Shaw
voting no on the appropriation of 1921 IS
to Page g. Co., for carbolic acid.
An ordinance providing for the payment
in cash of the promissOry notes given by
the city for the opening of Royal and Char
tres streets was adopted.
Mr.. Shaw called up the following ordi-
nance:
An ordinance for the settlement of bal
ance due the Girod fund.
Be it ordained by the Council of the city
of New Orleans, That the Mayor and Adj
ministrator of Finance be authorized and
directed to settle, under the provisions of
the law for funding, with the trustees of the
Girod fund for balance of Sl357 II due
said fund, as per account rendered.
mfr. Bonzano in the chair.
Mr.. Shaw said he should vote against the
ordinance. He did not object to the settle
ment. but to the mode of settlement. 1t
was the city that should be responsible for
all these trust funds. That he believed to
have been the idea of the donors. The city
could not run away. This GirOd fund had
been violated in times past because Mayors
and City Attorneys had had access lit. 1t
was true the fund was now in the custody
of Mayor in whom everybody had conf
denee; but he objected to the mode of set
Element proposed by the ordinance, because
it might be used as a precedent in future
for placing public trust money in the hands
of individuals.
The Mayor said he was very glad of this
opportunity to explain to the Council the
position of the Girod fund. As to trust
funds left to the city of New Orleans, to be
managed by city officers, whoever they
might be, the Administrator of Accounts
(Mr. Shaw was probably right in his
views. But this legacy was left some
twenty-five years ago, in the will
of Mr.. GirOd, to the Mayor of
the city of New Orleans; not to the cor
peration; not to the city, but to the Mayor,
to be used for the erection of an asylum for
destitute French orphans. The legacy was
a hundred thousand dollars, and Mr.. Girod
supposed his estate was worth several
millions But when the estate came I'd be
settled, as often happened when lawyers had
a hand in the matter, there was only twenty
eight thousand instead of a hundred thou
sand dollars. This was paid to Mayor
Crossman, on his receipt alone. Mayor
Crossman, without asking or requiring any
orders from the Council, proceeded to in
vest the amount in State and city bonds,
and finally it increased to sixty or seventy
thousand dollars, being taken charge of in
all instances by the Mayor alone, who man
aged it without any control. The heirs
of Mr.. Girod brought suit against May
or CrOssman to recover the bequest,
but the Supreme Court sustained the will.
During the war Mayor Hoyt, military
Mayor having this fund in his possession,
ordered the Treasurer to take the money
and pay to the fund seven per cent interest,
and giving the fund credit for the amount
When Mayor Monroe came into Office he
entered into contract for the building Of
an asylum. Mr.. John Davidson, as all
would remember, gave piece of land, and
contract was made for the erection of the
building. But the Mayor being unable to
get from the city the money which had been
turned over to the city treasury by Mayor
Hoyt, could only pay the contractor $4,000
out of one hundred and odd thousand,
and the same trouble continued during the
ministrations of Mayors Heath and Conway.
When the fund was turned over to him
Mayor Flanders) it consisted of $40 in
cash, and an Indebtedness of some seventy
nine thousand dollars to the builder. There
were thirty or forty contractors and sub
contractors, and other creditors, suing and
garnisheeing the city, and claiming liens on
the building, and the whole affair was in
muddle and mixed up. He Mayor Elan
ders) tried to get the city to pay these men,
but eventually, assented to the Girod fund
being placed on the floating debt with other
claims against the city, whereby there was
a considerable loss to the fund in interest,
damages and costs. Finally, after great
trouble and the most rigid scrutiny, he had
settled all claims against the fund except
balance still due the builder, and some
thing like $4,000 which there was not
sufficient money to pay, and, consequently,
in order to meet that amount the building
had been temporarily leased The settle
ment asked for now was a small balance
of thirteen hundred dollars still due the
fund by the city, as per accounts on file.
This was not enough 10 run away with,
and if the Council would trust him to this
extent he would esteem it a great favor, as
it would enable him to close up matter
which had caused him almost as much
trouble and anxiety as his MayOralty. he
had all the accounts and vouchers in a tin
box, and was ready to deposit them in the
vaults of the city for his successor.
The ordinance was adopted, Mr.. Shaw