Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-06-17
A CONFESSED FAILURE.

a dolorus tale Of heavy taxation and
hopeless lawsuits. We are not Of that
class always ready to say Il told you
So but the public will remember the
earnest protests of the LEDGER made
nearly q year and a half ago against
Mayor Leagues financial dictum, which
invited, yea, forced this expensive and
unnecessary litigation upon the city.
He had the sympathy and ardent sup.
port Of the Appeal and Avalanche, and
the I" little LEDGER alone made a square
issue on behalf of the people. 1t re-
quired no great foresight or financial sa-
gacity to see the evils following swift
on the heels of such an unwise
course, and now, after the city has be-
come involved in hundreds Of law suits
and thousands of dollars in costs, comes
day of reckoning. We spoke Of all this
out at the time in words that many may
have deemed too esrgest and pointed.
The result has justified all that was said
in these columns, for it was not hastily
written, but the picture painted by
Mr.. Hanson is not pleasant for tax-pay-
ers to contemplate. An administration
that confesses itself a failure is in a bad
way. For the first six months of Mayor
Leagues term he had full sway. He
chose the City Attorney and inaugurated
such measures as he saw fit. The first
bold step was to designate two millions
of city bonds as illegal, and he proposed
by a stroke Of the pen to wipe out that
much of the city debt. he has not to
this day, as far as we are aware,
retraced that step, ~although-in certain
settlements he has received large
amounts Of these bonds. The next bold
plunge into the mud was to
that he would pay up the psst-due cou-
pons on the remaining bonded debt at
the lowest price anybody would take.
The LEDGER denounced this as dishonest
and r~eprehensible, but the morning press
Landed him to the skies as the financial
savior of Memphis, aud it went on.
Under the reputation policy abort$9O,.
600 Of the interest fund accumulated in
a well known bank, of which the Mayor
had once been an officer, and this was
doled out to the lowest bidders. The
Mayor opened the sealed bids himselffor
a time, but finally the Finance Board
put in their appearance and de-
manded the right to see what was
going on. No action affecting the May
or's course was taken by the General
Council until, perhaps, sometime in
July. 1874, when a small majority was
discovered against him for the FIRST time.
The first Of July came in on Tuesday.
The papers Of that morning contained
a little notice from his Honor the Mayor
that he would pay the interest on a GER
tain series Of bonds at pdrl This was
an astonishing piece of information, in
view Of the fact that the last coupons
disposed of we're peddled out at sixty
two centsl Think OF that. 1t Happened,
too, although be had doubtless over
looked the fact, that the July coupons
were not due until the following Mon.
day; so he was several days ahead of
time. A member of the Finance Com
mittee fastened 10 the Office at an early
hour to enter his protest, and found
the Mayor busily engaged with heaps Of
bonds before him, taking up the coupons
dollar for dollar" How much he thus
paid out We are not apprised, but be was
induced to withhold further disburse.
meuts. When the General Council be.
came strong enough to cope with the
chief magistrate Of the city they found
that it would place them in a false posi-
ton before the public and lay them liza.
BILE to the charge Of putting up a job to
override that particular policy. Mean
while lawsuits accumulated, and ar
earnest appeal was made for help in tbs
way Of additional counsel, but wher
the Mayor found that no favoritt
of his would get in he opposed anC
vetoed the measure. Now, if Mr.. Han
son did not advise and heartily sustain
the Mayors stubborn and ill.judged pol
icy until very recently the fact should
have been made known. Litigation wa
invited and de6ed. It came thick ant
fast until now, when the city is plasterec
all over Elk inches deep with mandam
uses, the legal adviser Of the city cries
Hold enough enough give m,
a leave Of absence for sixty days" Thil
is not just the time to consider an ap
plication for so short q length Of time. A
committee was appointed to look into