The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-04-08

! Prcsent-lli. Honor, Mayor Wood and
Aldermen Halliday. McGaulcy, Mathuss
Morris, Saup. Walder and Wright.
ON motion Of Alderman YcGaulcy the
minutes OF last regular and intervening
special meetings were approved without
reading.
ORDINANCE.
An ordinance, entitled An ordinance
amending section - OF ordinance No. Z,
relating to runners. " wa read second
time by the clerk.
aldermen Nelli, and McEwcn APP
pcarcd in their seat.
Alderman Wright moved To adopt
said Ordnance. Alderman Halliday
moved, o. au amendment, TO lay on
table.
Amendment adopted.
VETO MESSAGE.
The following message from the
Mayor yrtoing the ordinance entitled
An ordinance prohibiting the doing Of
any work provided to be done by special
assessment, until the money has been
collected therefor, and prohibiting the
Issuance Of warrants, and contracting Of
debts, unless there be money in the
treasury To- meet them" was presented,
viz:
Gentlemen Of the City Council
! herewith return, without my ap-
proyal ordinance No.-,passed by your
honorable boiy March 18th, 1917 pro-
hibiting the doug of any work provided
to be done by special assessment, and
prohibiting the issuance OF warrants. and
contracting Of deus. unless there be
money in the treasury to meet them.
In stating my reason, for declining to
approve the ordinance, it Is but proper
for me to say that | approve entirely the
object sought 20 be accomplished by it.
adoption, and that it i with regret that
lind myself differing with the council as
10 the best or most suitable means TO reach
the end 50 much desired. IN the admins
tration Of our munic pal alta rs-namcly:
cash, instead OF a crcIt business. That
there are many difficulties surrounding
the questions involved no one will deny /.
aud while we may not be able To do the
b',t possible thing, or that which We
would like TO do. yet there can be- no
question but that We should do the best
we can under the cream stances. The
city goyeHlment must be carried on :any
theory or plan that leaves this as con-
tingency could ,rdly be accepted. This
ordinance. however, seems to be so very
stringent, in it, terms ami provisions. a.
To leave the city government absolutely
at the mercy OF circumstances, which
may occur or happen at almost any time.
The ordinance prohibits the mourning
of liabilities at any time. either for sup
plies or services, when til r. are no
funds in the Treasury appropriated for
the supplies or services in question.
No binding or valid contract can he
made unless there are funds in the city
treasury, at the time, sufficient to pay for
the work or improvement undertaken by
the city.
When the city buys a kcg Of nails. to
repair sidewalks, debt is contracted;
but the seller i. to get no order for his
moncy-no evidence OF his dcbt-no
written promises of the city to pay him,
until the money TO pay him has come
into the treasury; he will not make mo- e
than one sale, or he will wait until the
money is actually in the treasury before
the city gets his nails, and although the
city may have TO wait for nails, yet her
duty to keep the sidewalks in repair Is
not suspended, nor is she relieved from
Liabilities Tor injuries received by reason
OF defective sidewalks. simply because
the city could not procure the materials
to repair them. Iu.e this simple illustra-
ton TO show into what straits the city
must be driven, by what seems to
be the arbitrary provision OF this ordln-
anCe.
Take another illustrations When the
city employs policeman she ncurs
debt; the issuing TO him of his monthly
scrip is the creation of no debt whstever-
the scrip is simply the evidence OF the
debt, and not the debt Itself. and not atall
necessary to the cily's liability or to his
recovering of Judgment against the city
for his services rendered; the scrip may
be of convenience to him, for when the
city cannot pay his debt the scrip enables
him readily to transfer his evidence Of
Indebtedness to some one else who can
wait on the city for the payment OF the
debt. Hence. it can be easily seen that
the only way to stop tho mourning OF
debts, when there Is no money on hand,
e.. % and EIOn ON.