The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-02-12
a. The following article we copy from the

ing people of our county were with us in de-
manding some changes in the management of
their financial affairs, by which
"First, A strict accountability shall be Sc
cured from the county CONTROLLERS
"Second, A satisfactory showing of the
county finances shall be rendered to the people,
and
Finally, Economy, honesty and skill shall
mark the county management, or the people
shall have opportunity to justly fix the fault
and apply the remedy.
"The results of the present loose and ire
sponsible county government have been sutfi-
cient to force this painful feeling upon our
people, even if its workings were entirely
hidden. But occasional glmpses of the way
the public trust has been abused, have come
to the peoples eyes; and they feel how easily
the bulk of the bad management may be hid
den and how their hard-earned money may be
largely squandered or stolen under the exist
ing order of things.
eve need not now go into the disagreeable
details of disclosures and suspicious circum-
stances which have come to light in this con-
nection. 1t is sufficiently convincing to COM
pare the condition of the county now with
that of a few years ago. Our county work is
not now done perceptibly better than when
taxes rated at small fraction of the present
ones, and besides bearing these burdensome
taxes we have got accustomed to n statement
of the county debt such as would have seemed
inexplcable not ten years ago. And while
thus having to witness wonderful growth of
extravaganza or worse mismanagementi in their
affairs, the people of this county are carefully
kept in the dark as to how the deplorable re-
suits are brought about. The frequent meet
ings of the Board of Freeholders are virtually
kept secret their proceedings are not pub
lished, as they are in other counties of the
State and their annual exhibit of the County
Finances, instead of being full and detailed
las the statute requires), is really NO exhibit
of THEIR expenditures. The people who have
to foot the bills have been denied all knowledge
of where the money went.
"Now, we do not blame individual members
of the present or past Boards with the defects
of county management which are so obvious.
We know that many of them, and we feel GER
tstli lnOSt VI thciu, dtC ciitICiy
trustworthy men. But any outsider who has
accidentally heard of and attended meeting
of the Board, any time within the past few
years, would see that it is constantly under
control of a managing few. On plausible pre-
texts job of work is authorized, and then
the Director and little ring around him
take it. That they make the most of it is not
! Al. Z.
operations and all bills which the Director
signs must be paid. Those bills never meet
the public gaze for if a Freebooter moves to
make provision for their publication, some old
manager rises and denounces and finally frowns
down the extravaganza of the thing. If a
newspaper has ever been true to it's public
duty, and bold enough to expose the extrava-
gance and want of accountability in our county
government that paper is declared no proper
medium to lay before the people the Annual
Statement which these managers make the
Board believe is a satisfactory report of their
stewardship. One of them (such as the man
who has managed himself into various pub
er from one of the Wards of Lambertvile)
will jump fiercely to his feet when modest
motion is made to publish the Financial State
ment in the newspapers of the county (as
the statute rcquires), and with medico- judicial
authority pronounces that the law never meant
any papers except what might have been pub
lished in Pennington and Lambertville when
the law was passed; if those papers happened
to break down, then we would be altogether
rid of this nuisance of pretending to show the
people our books. Then the thing is consid-
cred settled, and the machine runs smoothly
till some other honest member again makes q
little useless friction.
"Though the people have finally become
pretty unanimous in demanding reform in the
county management, there is much diversity
of opinion as to what shape it ought to taxi :.
Many think a small number of salaried men,
held to strict responsibility, would be an inn
provement on the Board Of Freeholders others
think that proper remedies can be more salts
factorily applied to the present system. AT
all events, we believe it is the general desire
throughout the county that the Legislature
now in session should take action in this
matter"
We agree with our contemporary as to the
need of some reform in county management.
The bills of many of the Freeholders are alto
gether too large, and there is an evident un-
willingness on their part to give the items Of
their bills. Every year they violate plain
law by neglecting to give detailed statement,
and by refusing to publish such statement in
'all the papers authorized to publish the
laws, y as the law directs In regard to the
Freebooter from Lambertville, referre d to in
the article, we would say that, while we think
he takes wrong ground as to the publication
of the annual report he has shown watch
fulness over the expenditures Of the county
which is commendable.
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DEATH OF GOVERNOR GEARY.-Harrisburg
Feb 8-SbOrtlv before nine ~ cloclS this morn