Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-12
THE CITY TREASURY.
A Special Committee Says IL Must and
Shall be Protected.

snail De Protected
Two weeks ago, the Mayor sent to the
Board of Common Council his veto Of a
certain bill in relation TO the funds of the
city. The message was referred to a spe-
cial joint committee, which committee pre-
sented the following report at the last meet
ing Of the Common Council:
To the Honorable City Council:
Your committee to whom was referred
the bill entitled "a bill { o protect the pub
lie treasury which reads as follows: Thai
no money shall be drawn from the treasury
but in consequence of appropriations made
by law, and a regular statement and ae-
count Of the receipts and expenditures OF
all public money shall be published from
time to time, say, quarterly" aud the May
or's veto Of the bill, with his reasons thereto
attached, would most respectfully offer the
following as their report:
There are but two points in the Mayors
objections to the bill, these are: The law
and the facts, and those two points we have
examined carefully.
In the examination of the law we had
the assistance Of the Honorable City AttOr.
ney, who gave us his opinion in writing,
which we attach hereto.
1t will be observed that the Mayor saws
the bill provides that no money, not one
cent, can be drawn for anything, until the
City Council shall have enacted a law to
cover the case or authorized the payment Of
the amount, whatever it may be.
We regard this as
AN EXTRAORDINARY STATEMENT,
and wholly without foundation. Especial
ly so, when it is remembered that the law
expressly provides how all legal payments
shall be made, and provides forthem. The
law also provides certain rules by which
all of its officers shall be governed in max
ing debts against the city, and We hold
that those rules have not been complied
with in many instances, and that the debts
thus irTegularly made have been frequently
paid, without the necessary appropriation
for that purpose, and wholly without the
knowledge or consent of the Council, and,
in many instances, we feel satisfied, would
have been objected to by the Council had
it have had an opportunity of doing so be-
so before the money IA paid, and at that
late day the remedywas at IN end, unless the
Council, or some member, saw 6t to resort
to extreme measures.
For instance, on the first meeting
night in February, for the Common Council
when the allowance of accounts came up
some members desired that said accounts
should be read item by item, and during
the course of the reading, there were Sever
al accounts objected to and were d~isallOWed
by the Council as being illegal and having
been created without authority of law.
Those accounts were as follows:
Private watchman for hacks, per
W
Private Waterman for wharf, per
month. % w
Private Waterman for upper island,
per month";. 81 w
Private Waterman for springs, per
month";. 30 w
And some others We cannot just at present
call to mind.
UponexaminatiOn it was found that those
offices had been created and the salaries af-
fixed thereto by the Mayor and
WITHOUT ANY AUTHORITY IN LAW.
or precedent. But when the truth came
out, the money had been paid(before the al
lOwance of accounts came before the Coun-
ell.
1t was fair to presume that after what had
taken place that those acCJunts wOuldcOme
before the Council no more. But 10 and
behold, on the first meeting night in March
those same accounts were sent back for al
lowance; and now, in April, those same
accounts will be up for allowance again,
and we hold they are in direct violation of
law. "Let us see the result"
Now what is the remedy? 1t is to pass
that bill, which does not allow any such
money to be paid.
Tho Mayor says that if this bill should
become a law, that the Waterworks and
Fire Department which he makes such a
scare-crow about, would be left entirely
without protection, as it would repeal the
law that grants the committees on those
departments extraordinary powers in cases
of emergency. If such was the case We
would be opposed to the law ourselves.
But that's too thin.
Let us see what the law officer of the
corporation says upon the subject:
'In answer to your inquiries relative to
the bill which you have under considera-
ton, l hereto say-1st, that l am clearly
of the opinion that the enactment of said
bill would in no manner interfere with
existing laws or come in conflict Herewith.
The WOrkhOuse, Fire and Waterworks
Committees would still continue to possess
the same powers they now have under the
law. The bill as | understand it is a bill
providing that
NO MONEY SHALL BE DRAWN
from the Treasury, except by or under an
ordinance. Certainly the powers of the
Workhouse, Fire and Waterworks Depart
ments are established by ordinance, and
how this bill will take away or abridge any
of the rights, powers or privileges conferred
already upon those departments by law, ]
am at a loss to see.
Il would suggest that it would be easy to
provide by law for any emergency in all
the various departments of the govern
ment."
Ii will be seen by this that the Mayors
objections to this bill, so far as the law i:
concerned, are totally without foundation
and frivolous.
Again the Mayor illustrates the case, by
the workhouse stables, and proceeds in the
following way:
"There is a great deal of corn, hay, etc,
that is absolutely necessary to be had for
the corporations work stock. The greater
quantity of this is purchased upon the
Public Square from farmers, as they from
day to day bring it to market; and | will
say that by purchasing it in this way it is
obtained cheaper by One-third than it could
be had in the city market. And when
load of corn or hay is thus purchased it /;
paid for Immediately by the Treasurer,
upon proper certificate, and in one years
time it saves to the city several thousand
dollars"
Now let US examine the facts: Upon ex
animation ofthe weigher's certificate wefind
the city's economist pays upon the public
square for Hungarian hay $40 per ton and
the full market price for corn. When the
farmers (for whom the Mayors sympathie:
are aroused) are willing to deliyerthe SAME
kind of hay for SIS per ton, and corn in the
same propOftion-ssO much for so much
Now, who buys this proyender at such &
great SAVING to the city, and gives the prop
er certificate to draw the cash? If we an
correctly informed the
CHAIRMAN OF II STATE COMMITTEE
has been doing the buying and, as we pre-
sumo, has done the best he knew how
But is he the one the law says shall do tn
buying and give the proper certificate. w
/ think not. and when or how the Mayor o
| the chairman of the Street Committee eve
learned, or even thought they, or either o
them, had the power to make such, or an,
other purchases is more than we can tell.
From the fact the laws says that theC Com
mittee on Work House, (chap. 5S,~ sec.5,p-20
of Lellyett digest), shall contract 70
corn, hay and other proyender necessar.