Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-03-24
Tremendous Awakening
and Bright Prospects
Of Victory.
Read the Addresses Candidly
and then Vote as your
Conscience Dictates.

tax payers at Turner Hall last Thursday
E7ening, giving expression to the sense OF
this community relative to the condition OF
our municipal affairs and the present mis-
government of the city. In point of num-
Der and enthusiasm it exceeded the gather
i ng of the week previous, and the utmost
confidence prevail ed among those present OF
being able 10 achieve victory over the Union
League conspirators at the coming munich
pal election. We herewith append the full
proceedings of the meeting:
Proceedings of the meeting of the "Cit-
zens Association of the city of Weterto wn"
held at Turner Hall, Thursday evening,
March Is, 1875.
Meeting called to order by President
Moak, who on taking the chair made the
following remarks:
Felloac Citizens:
| am glad to meet so many of you here
upon this occasion. 1t is an auspicious
omen when the merchants, the mechanics,
the manufacturers, and the taxpayers OF
Watertown come together as they have to.
night, and as they did one week ago, to
consider the situation, and to devise ways
and means for rescuing the management of
our city affairs from the hands of the un-
scrupulous men who are now in the ascend
ancy. 1t shows there is limit to the en-
durance of the people, and that a year, such
as the last has been, of reckless extrava-
gance-of unblushing lawlessnsss-o of bare
faced theving-and of high handed rascal
ba ~ IF tba o. ~
| the Board of Street Commissioners, is all
| that is wanted of that kind of Government
do not propose to detain YOU with eny
| lengthy remarks at this time, but deem it
proper to notice briefly some of The actions
of the Board to which, in my judgment, all
good citizens have right to take excep-
ton. Let me first allude to the doings of
that body in directing its cerk-who was
ready and anxious 10 do lis bidding-to not
place In the tax rolls, the amount necessary
to be raised to pay the interest on our
compromise railroad bonds. You all un-
derstand the circumstances under which
those bonds were issued. A public meeting
| attended by all classes, was held at Music
Hall, and after a general consultation, 3
| plan of settlement was unanimously agreed
| upon and bill.ntroduced in the legislature
| which became law, under which these
| bonds were issued. Mr.. Patrick Devy-one
of the leaders of the opposition, who per-
haps is responsible as much as any other
man for the present condition of affairs
was one Of the Commissioners named in the
law, and party to the issue of nearly
half OF the bonds. With what grace, then
can be and the men acting with him, now
/ repudlate those bonds, and with them their
former official acts? The city having issued
the bonds with full understanding that
| they were to be paid-the holders of the old
/ bonds having surrendered them in exchange
| for the new at q heavy discount-in good
/ faith and also with the understanding that
they were to be paid-how can the city
now honorably avoid their payment And
| yet these men de6antly and wilfully violat-
| ed the law and their solemn obligations,
casting blight upon the good name and
credit of the city from which there would
have been no recovery, except for the inter
vention of the Legislature, which passed a
| law to meet the emergency created by this
faithless board and its faithless clerk.
/ But this is not all. AS you are well
aware, the city years ago issued certain i'm
/ provement bonds for the building of bridges
1 and school houses These bonds are mostly
held by our citizens, and the amount out
standing is small. Every body expects to
pay Them The interest has been promptly
| paid until this year the board made no pro
! vision whatever for this purpose. 1t may
have been stupidity and thoughtlessness, Oh
it may have been a part of their geHera
plan of reputation, which induced the
members of the Board to overlook this i'm.
portant matter. Whatever the explanation
of their conduct may be, the fact is estab.
lished that they are unfit to govern, and
that the Legislature did not come to oul
l aid one moment too soon, by deposng them
from Office. f@*I4
But it is not alone these acts of omis
sion of which we complain; there
are acts of commission also. Look at the
illegal accounts which are constantly be-
ing passed by the board under suspen
SIGN of the rules. | referred to some of
these at our last meeting. There was +
little item of S25 to the city clerk for max.
ing the assessment roll-a clear steal for he
is paid $500 year for doing precisely this
kind OF labor-$90 to Missegades for SUI
experimenting of Cady Street bridge an
| other steal, for he was never employed by
competent authority to do any such work
and besides was paid by the contractor fol
! what he did, if indeed be did anything
at all--$3O to Ae1tzke for the same kind O
service, which is another steal-$33 tc
city clerk Devy for going to Madison as a
representative of the Union League to de-
feat necessary and salutary legislation
$3.50 for lumber which has been stolen
and innumerabie other populations, which
had | time to name them, would pre-
sent formidable array. | have sale
enough, however, to sustain the charge O
fraud and corruption laid at the door o.
these men, and will pass to the eonsidera
| ton of other matters.
Thecity charter expressly declares that thu
expenditures in any one year shall not ex
coed the appropriations OF that year--that
no orders shall be issued exceeding th'
amount of cash in the treasury-and tina
the board shall not create floating deb
against the city. Now what has tbs pres