, 1875-04-04
SETTLING ACCOUNTS.
Cheerfnl@ Meeting Of tho West Town
Board.
4 PAIRING Down Of Ellis All
Around.
Hox NaaJ Hen Are Required to Co1sct
S135,000.


The Board OF Auditors Of the Town OF west
Chicago met yesterday afternoon It the town
ofscaa On the south west corner OF Despiaanes
and Washington streets. PFeaent--SuperVlsof
Hatez, IN the Chair; Justices scully, Vsn't Would
Htu1tevant, and Walsh, and Town Clerk t1szger~
ald. The minutes Of tho preceding meeting WAS
read. and Justice 17alsh rnised some questions
Is to tkeir accuracy, At the same tne making
soue structures uptJn the manner in which the
minutes were kept They wero passed over
without approval.
A communication WAS received from LIT. U.
". Stanford, Presidont Of the West Chicago
PARK Commission, setting forth that
NO MONEYS HAD 1yKR BEEN RECEIVED
By the Commission. out Of levy Of $3o, 600
made in 1873, for the reGremeut Of certain ohli-
CATIONS. On motion, Justices Srurterant, Walsh,
and Want Woud were. appointed to investigate
Tho accounts OF the Park Commission and Super
visor, to trace up the amount
While this business Was being transacted, ths
room had become crowded with town employees
and creditors waiting tor their money with
hungry looks
Supervisor Baker suggested that something
should be done about the compensation OF
THE nEPUrY-co-I4cTo1s.
The men had done their work snd needed their
pay: c,o.,. r;..uo.o,, n,o..a+.a T.. =, ~, -
Collectors employees III follows: Three real
estate clerks, throo personal property clerks,
four copyiets, fifteen collectors. enc entry
clerk, and one Assistant collector aud cashier
twenty-ssren IN all
p1oyed last year aud their compensation. Tho
Town Clerk, whose papers vere IN An awful
noees, hnd great difficulty In finding out, but At
Lest said thirty were then employed and their
compensation amounted to S., $50. Is
1ns11ce Walsh asked il the verified list theu
presented was At hand.
TIE TOWN CLKRK DIDN'T Know ANYTHING
about it, and Justice Walsh sharply reminded
hiza that all the documents Of hia office should
ba kept in such order that II any citizen should
tn;tted to hs inspection
M1 Glussbrook, the Assistant Collector,
searched through his books, the Board mean
whlle Whiting impatiently, and foand that only
eighteen 1nen had been employed last year, and
tho collections amounted to $17o,o 900 tits year
with twouty-sevan the collections we're $l35, ,000
Tho discrepancy set the Board to thinking, and
there was cessation Of business until Super
visor Baker suggested that time vas on the
wing. Justice Walsh spoke up sharply, mud said
the Board Uas waiting for aone data. They
wanted to know for how long thess men
had been Notwithstanding that they could
act upon. Tho Town Clerk sad that hs hadn't
ANYTHING Of the kind.
"
Sec. Of Art u Of the code, as follows:
"Tho Town Clerk aball hive tho custody Of all
records, books, aud papers Of the town. Ard be
ahall day file all certificates ot oaths
ssd ss s Sssf' ii p'pss Ell. esG:sd o X. x ':T us 70
said he did not know they would be
able to ret along unless thero Was some way Of
Furnishing officials lor eross dezellchon OF duty
Town Clerk Fitzgerald wiped tho pelapiration
from his brow. aud axi3 that be could tell the
e,r. ~ hf1f mt Nfrg IF1Y1A f1aY
worked.
Willie he wss 1umbling over his papers, JUS
bee Walsh asked him If ha had 61od his certi6-
este OF election With him ~ required BY Inv.
epraag up, Justice Walsh demanding that the
document should be produced. II Collector
O'Brieo had flied this affidavit with the Town
Clerk, Is required by law, he WIZ not properly
quatittcd4 and no right TO employ single man,
and hs you'd not vots cent until be found
out
Collector O'Brien and Tonu-Clerk Fitzgerald
both atoquent1y protested that they had acted
fair and square, but were at Loss to know what
to do to show they had
Finally the discussion, which WA pfot1acted |
oue was Terminated 1T G. o'clock by q motion to |
take = recess uoti 8, to allow the Clark time to
hunt up his records |
Before the time Of the recess h.d expired, |
Town-Cierk Ftzargald wss on hand with
- uRKAT MAss OF DOCUMENTS |
TipiDg the perspiration from his forehead with |
the air of man who had struck ponapza in |
the line Of official records. Ho whispered IN the
ear Of the reporter, i've gos 'eu, at the Same |
tl-no tziumphAutly displaying the required iii !
davits, J1dsins from the appearance Of the
lcg The official documents Of West
Chicago is simpls in tho extreme. |
Coupons we're kept in paper bags, the mouths OF
Rhich were tied up. The other documents were
IN loose bundles tied up with string.
Nm Hcat 81 hafF ats
s:uteyant being ebsent. Justice Austin, Who /
Eas absent in the afternoon, waa present +
Justice Walsh renewed his demand for tho /
lhidavits. which we1p produced and found in dus
form. The subject Of fixing the
ooKPEEsAT1oN or THE COLLECTORS ENpLoYKs
VAS again taken up, and the Town Clerk WA
hen able to furnish the length Of timo for which
hey bad respectively been eo1ploTed-
Justice Walsh then inquired whether those
aeins were properly Te:ified By Affidavit, - re-
1uired By resolution adopted by the Board.
Town-Clerk Fitzgerald aaid that Ill the man |
Fere around there, and Tidy would b. wiling to
mako oath
Jas.ice Walsh (aharply)-That should have
.ssn done before. For instance, the bond OF
hs Collector is dated jan 2. jus. three months
go yesterday, md yet notice that three and
lAlf months time is charged By scMe.
Collector O'Erien explained that hs began
Fork before bis bond Was approved
:, Justice ScullT then suggested that tho men
night be nudited. Tho crowd then trooped of
Q make ont their afidsvits.
R0ME MISCELLANEOUS ACCOUNTS
Fefe thon taken up. a bill Of Sl1.75 for ice was
alowod- L bill Of BIS from P. n. Kelly for
ervaces as Judge ct election year ago. for two
ays and one night, WAS then presented.
n motion Of Justice Scul1Y, e10 was allowed.
The next Dill Vas that Of c. B. Bartlett for $40,
OF sarriccs rs Moderator OF tbs Town Meeting
or dve'days and three nights, Some surprise
7ss expressed at the length Of time, aud Bart
DIT Waa required to mako affidavit a to it's cor !
ectnees On motion Of Justice Scnily, SH vas
loxed, the compensation 81 in the former case
eins reckoned It So per day, and "a per
3sht The ncxt bill Was one from james |
ester, fo- scruhbing, amounting to $3.50.
'tdered to be paid. 4 bull for 5000 from Jo-
aph Hogan, plumber, 1nade last year, was ]all
q the table until Monday, so thas examination
ltght be made to discover whether It might not
ave- been previously allowed
A. this stage nf the proceedings Collector
FN11hu's force returned with their accounts I
aads out and af6davits affixed. Thair phraseol- .
ey Vac found to be irregular, 60 that they were
eas buck for now sst, Justices Scullv and Fan't
food going With tta1n into tbs naxt roono, whore
10 matter Was
FINALLY GKr R.aH1. | I
olector 0'B1,cn now becams uneasy, and {
o3ooted to lhs statement Of the afhaas1ts that