The daily gazette., 1874-12-04
TIE Discharge of the COhaciF.
. nt "i'f EEDerf.

The Council last night by decisive
vote, discharged the expert that body
has been paying 5000 month for about
siehteed months to examine the financial
records Of the city. and to ascertain the
precise liability Of the late City Irea-
surer Killgore. The result Of the eIami-
nation is unsatisfactory. In fact we re-
gard it as one Of the frauds perpetrated
upon the people deserving denuneiation.
Few have any confidence in the state
ments presented. We have rarely heard
Of such extravaganza as this piece of
duplicity. The hope, when Woolley was
diverted from the first object, Killgore's
defalcation; may have been to lind some
innccuracy in the accounts when the
Democrats had the management OF the
city 8 affairs. about twenty years ago. In
this there has been an entire failure, and
Mr.. Woolley taking advantage OF the
fact that no sum was named when he
was appointed, and tie time UNLIMITED,
determined to make a good thing OF it.
He has done so, and about So, 600 has been
wasted in vain efforts to tr..co oat the
Liability of Killgoro's fraud. What this
is we do no not know, but it is presumed
to somewhere between $4,000 and $4,000.
The council could have selected half q
dozen young men from the counting
rooms Of our banks OF business establish
ments who woulihavc shown equal labih-
ty as experts, and would not have thought
Of charging more than $500 for the job.
Some would have taken the examination
ut that price and guaranteed q correct
balance sheet. In fact they would have
made their work intelligiblc. But this
Is one Of the species Of extravaganza
which the party having the majority in
the Council seem prone to indulge.
The same tri1ing is observable in all
the Departments, except the Police and
Fire Departments and in the latter they
attempted experiments, but were de
feated. Political jobbery has been the
order Of the day, and according to the
statement Of City Treasurer published
in the GAZETTE yesterday. the Counci
has received this year S5l5, ,335 81; of this
amount, according to the report to Coun
ell last night, there remained IN banl
S53,6S2 %, 80 that in eleven months tn
Council has expended the enormous sun
of nearly half million Of dollars. VIVA
has become of all this money? Sucl
extravaganza for city Of only 5000 in
habitants cannot be endured. 1t is ii
outrage upon the people. We have erect
ed no fine public buildings; the peopl
are taxed, and made to pay separated
for paving Of the streets. Whero ha
this money gone, and what have W
received for it, are just the question
which cannot be satisfactorily answere(
The Engineers Department ought TO
abolished the Water Department II
formed and its expenses curtailed, an
the Treasurer's Department left to tx
care of its legitimate head whose bus
ness is to keep accurate accounts OF II
receipts and disbursements Of the none
and who has given bonds fer the fait
full discharge Of this duty. The Count
by invading his office themselves destr'
the bonds it has exacted, as it is now sa
by some they did in the case Of Killgor
If an officer is to be held responsible +
MS subordinates he should be perInitt
to select them.
This is serious time for Il people to
tri1ed with, as the Council have trih
with the interests Of Wilmington, al
their persistence in the e1travagant pl
Of building the reservoir alone would
sufficient in any other city to guarant
their invitation to q more private Ii
pnd relief from all oublic lutiea