Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-01-16
INDICTMENT AGAINST THE RING.


: 1t as not charged, That Mayor Van Gill
der has not been economical i'll the price
paid for city work. The contracts for
curbing, ::guttering, scavengering, &C.. are
reasonable enough. But he deserves no
credit for this, except in the eyes of those
who think that such things shouldn't be
looked for at the hands of public officers,
therefore where one is found who does his
duty in that regard he is supremely yir-
tuous. But even in private business
point of view reasonable solution may be
aptIy fitting in our Mayors case. Since he
is bent OH appreciating the value of his
own property at public expense, the fur
ther the money goes the more benefit he
derives from the public purse. A man
with an eye to business and who thought
voters didn't look any further than their
noses, would very readily suppose that he
could make political capital upon the plea
of economy in city expenses for work.
1t is not charged, That Mayor Van Gill
ings of the Board. 1t never has been
deemed necessary to say anything about
this duty of his, except that now his
friends seem TO think that in such action he
has manifested commendable zeal in the
public behalf. Has any one ever accused
Jno. S. Van Glider of not attending to his
banking business? ? Why, then, should We
accuse him Of failing to attend the meet
ings Of the City Council? He makes one
his money office; the other his real estate
office. 1-
II is not charged that Mayor Van Gil
der receives any salary from the city in
the name of salary paid the Mayor. No
such thing appears on the Recorders
books. He does MT draw any salary in his
own name from the Recorder as "salary to
Mayor for June, s." Nobody has ever
said anything of the sort, because he
would MT want to be laughed at for being
so ignorant of what was going on. .
It is not charged That Mayor Van Gill
der is not a very clever man, personally,
socially and in business matters. Every
body who knows him will readily and
willingly admit that he is.
But it is charged, That Mayor Van Gill
der is too anxious, we may say indecently
anxious to assume the OnerOus duties of
Mayor for another term ,0Hhom salary ds
heretofore. Why this is SO, we can only
suspect of course; doubtless it is an over
weaving love for the poor laboring tax
payer (?) When a man is so willing to
serve the public his own business natur-
ally needing his attention, something is
wrong.
HiS charged That Mayor Van Glider has
used the public funds i'll the opening of
which either was his own, or property in
which he was interested. He has neglect
cd parts of the town which needed inn
provements, if those he has fixed really
called for the work bestowed upon them.
There have been seventy thousand dollars
and more spent upon the streets since
Mayor Van Glider went into office. Any
man who knows where Van Gilder's prop
erty is, knows where q very great, if not
the greater part of street appropriations has
been expended. 1t would not be as weighty
a fact against Mayor Van Glider if he had
not virtually made himself Chairman of
the Street Committee, and expended the
money appropriated for street purposes in
such places as he deemed proper; some
thing he has no right to do in the first
place, and something which, morally, is
very questionable. Ii it is against the law
for an Alderman to have any interest in
any contract to which the city is a con-
tracting party, it is certainly within
the spirit of the same law that the May
or ought not to use the public
funds for the direct enhancement of his
own property. Public sentiment ought to
put stop to such loose ideas of what is
officially honest and commendable. Pub
lie morality is toned by public sentiment,
and we should see to it that honesty and
integrity without any questionable admiX-
ture Of official po,cerS for personal benefit
is what the people want, and it is such
RuIe they are determined to have.
The questions of Mayor who is always
at the City Hall, and who receives no SAL
ary are of significantly minor Importance
to the other questions involved in this cam
vass. TRACY.