The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-10-07
and Reerencnaems
vAn&r Meaning.


have never known a Democratic poll
tician Who has been more loud mouth
ed in crying aloud for ECONOMY ami
retrenchment" for his party, than has
Mayor James Elder. Whilst editing !
that deleetible sheet, the jefferson
IAN scarcely an editorial appeared
therein, save and except when Isaac
H. Julian had the honor Of writing
his editorials, bat the words came
SOLDERING from his lips and dripping
from his pen. They. were the stand.
ing themes in almost every number!
Having his entire nature thus imbued
-sstarated--overshadowed--impreg
mated with those important and much
desired reforms in the body polite,
it would be supposed that whenever
opportunity offered, and he was placed
in position where they could be en-
grated thereon. he would be the great
practical exemplar of them. As Ex-
ecutive Of our city, the opportunity
was offered him to practice his long
preached doctrines, and the denoue'
inent shows that it was thus with him;
preaching, PL Us-example, INK" A
better TINE was never offered to put
these two cardinal principles in force,
than the commencement Of the pres
ent Council year. His partisan friends
in the City Council, composing MP.
iority Of the Finance Committee, tried
their level best to put them into prac-
teal use by Introducing an ordinance
cutting down ALL the salaries of the
city officers, including their own pay
as Couneilnien; but this same preach
er of economy and retrenchment" for
SO many years, faltered and fatty fail
ed to come up to the scratch. Know
ing the Council was tie on strict
party vote, he beseeched his party
friends to stand by bim and save his
salary from being cut down from $500
to $1,000. and they did. The vote was
taken and he 'Tetrepched' 500 into
his Own pocket Being printer and
never having owned a carriage, he
thought a Mayor of his size and heft
should put on airs hence he want
ed that 500 to invest in that direction,
of course!
This is not all In dispensing this
lover the left economy and retrcnch-
ment, this same old editor Of the JEFF
fersonian and present Mayor Of the
city Of Richmond, determined, it
would seem from his SWEARING to the
"extras" for his faithful partizan pa
trolmen, (whe have been so assiduous-
" engaged during the past ten days
polling the city to ascertain the Dem
ocratic status of our fellow citizens,
to practice oD Hugh O'Brien's motto
of Live and Let Live" that he kept
above the door of his liquor shop for
many years. This same ordinance, al
luded to above, and passed by the City
Council, fixes the following rates: Chief,
sixty FIVE dollars per month, and each
patroiman sixty dollars per month, for
their services. Not a word is said
about allowing either the Chief or his
subordinates any extras; but this
model exemplar Of economy and re.
trenchment,' has for the past three
months, at least, certified to extra
charges made by the police force
amounting in the aggregate to S79l7
to-wit: for the month of July $16l7
August 1904, and September $'3
In the payroll for August the pc
Chief Of the Mayor, had an extr;
charge OF $l0.S5 but THAT was larger
than usual and Elder was afraid t
make that swear, and declined. Ol
being reminded that be HAD hereto
fore certified to like charges made b.
Chief Atkinson, he said he {Atkin
sony should either refund OF he { Ell
der) would have to do it. The fac
that the pet Chief DID hand back t
the City Treasurer SOL, shows tina
His Honor, Mayor Elder, agrees wit
US, that each and every member, whe
he receives his stipulated pay pc
month, it is in full for his services
and they are not entitled to and shout
not receive extra pay. If the Mayor
opinion aud our own is correct, the
, Chief Atkinson still owes balance {
$2.66, and the balance of the patrol
f men owe the city 5000. If Elder
/ sensitivencss, prompted him to sa
that either his Chief Or himself woul
have to refund his certified EXTRA t
the city trca sury, isn't the same obi
CATION resting on him to see that thes
); patrolmen convey the so extras bac
y. from whence they were drawn cOntr:
Il ry to law; or that Mayor Elder, tf
y grand old ecopomizer and retrenche
cover" that "swag" back into tt
city treasury out Of his own pocket?
j. This little extra pay, just nov
e amounts to trifling sum; but tt
y reader will see that it is on the il
r crease each month. If Jet alone, Il
!. salaries Of the Chief and his subordil
l ates, is in fair way of soon bcll
: doubled; especially would We look fl
t the payroll of these VIGIL ANT qua
|. dians. for the month ending Oct. 81
!, to contain big extra, certified by Il
e Mayor, for polling the number Of Der
ocratic voters in each Ward of Il
: city, to be paid out of our city trea
: ury! Hence our timely expose Of Il
e theory and practice of economy al
t retrenchment," as practically illustr
d ted by Boss Elder