The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-09-26
HOW THE sGREAT MANAGER" HY.
1s POEHkCAfkS.

HUN the SdkEAf HANA6ER" HI |
POTHkCAFRS.
To the Honorable City Council: |
GENTLEMEN We had the pleasure, |
not long ago, Of congrstulating |
your honorable body On the high
character you had established un-
der brilliant leadership, with ali
candid minds, by your self.sacrific-
ing efforts to suppress the liquor
trade, and establish on q firm basis
the financial credit of the commun-
ity which you represent.
Dishonesty In the administration
of q public trust is so mean . vice
that in our appreciation of your
legislative acts, we have never
deigned to notice the malignant ru-
mors that some fraction Of the mon
ey appropriated for the wagon fac
tory and like Interests of our city,
found its way into the pockets of
one Of your members, and some
other public officer. Nor is ii worth
our while to consider to any great
length the report, doubtless eminat-
ing from the same sources, that
several of your number, since your
retail policy of suppression was
adopted, have become personally
implicated In the whisky trade.
It is sufficient to know that honor
able councilmen, after denouncing
the ''yile stuff; and voting for the re-
tail project under solemn "protest."
would blush to look honest men in
the face after such transactions,
though enveloped in the hide of a
rhinoceros.
But smother charge against your
fidelity has gained some credence in
certain quarters, which strikes at
the very foundation of your high
reputation as public financiers. Il
is boldly asserted, that you have
passed an ordinance repudiating the
public debt Of the city, and refusing
to levy taxes for the payment of In.
terest on the same. The obtuseness
of the people on such subjects is
perfectly astonishing. Does any
one suppose that the '1ong headed"
prime manager of our county and
city politics and finance has made
any mistake in this matterP When
from time to time the measures for
which this Indebtedness has been
incurred, have come before the peo-
pie, has he not proclaimed from the
stump, ana the rostrum his faith in
8 system of long credit? How often
during the past tropical season have
we seen him draw q colored follow
citizen into some friendly shade, and
placing himself on the windward
side, demonstrate the advantages of
the long credit system, and secure q
vote /; and if long credit lie Q good
thing, and the longer the better, it
follows that an everlasting credit is
logically the perfection of the pol
icy.
The ordinance for leYying q tax
to pay the interest on these bends
was passed by 9 majority of the
council and veto ed by the mayor !;
and then the great leader rushed to
the rescue OF the credit of the city.
He moved the passage of the ordi-
nance over the mayors veto, and
Immediately when the vote was tax.
en- voted against his own motion,
thereby defeating the tax levy and
demonstrating that he considered
the proposal to pay the interest on
the city debt premature snd In di.
rect opposition to his idea of G cred.
it unlimited as to time and amount.
It was . bold stroke of policy to
preserve the unity of his position
on the long credit system, and his
consistency in voting and acting on
all sides of every question.
1t will be recollected, by those
who keep the run of current events,
that when the proposition to vote
one hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars in county bonds to the Kansas
City 8 Emporie railroad Was sub
mitted to the people, in the spring,
it was anticipated that sixty cents
on the dollar could be realized on
the bonds, bearing seven per cent.
interest, ssonsiaally payable in thirty
years. But il came out under the
pressure Of discussion, that Il was
not expected to actually pay the
bonds in thirty years but, as
explained by the distinguished
manager, to lEpotkecats them
that Is, to pledge the bonds
for the payment of the de6s;
ct the end of another thirty yeArs,
and thus by successive shypotheca-
tions" to arrive at the same general
result rs that attained by the May
or's veto. There Is, however, on >
more critical examination & slight
difference in the two cases. The
city bonds were an accomplished
fact. ssignsd, aealed and delivered p
and any little consideration awarded
for distinguished services rendered,
duly paid and judiciously invested,
and hence the mayors veto sshypo.
thecated" both principle and inter-
est. But in the csse of the proposed
county bonds, no such just reward
of honest labor could reasonably be
expected until the instruments
were delivered in Satisfactory con.
dition; and therefore common prsa-
denee required It should be under
stood that the interest would be
punctually paid. We have refresh
ed your memories with these short |
only that we may the
more clearly demonstrate the ab-
surdity of the charge Of repudia-
lion, evidently made to rel ect die.
credit on . distinguished member
of your body, remarkable for hon.
esty and straightforwardness In all |
in which be IL con-
csrned.
In.criticising the public scss OF .
aeighborhood agreat man, = We must, |
70 far as orr ability win allow, i'm |
lgine ourselves In his posisioa, and
hen We can more fully realize the |