Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-04-10


Disbursements on mandamus Judg-
lU'oNI II
For general debt, in payment OF em-
plOyes and settling ledger balances
with citizens by receiving receipts
for ali ............. 42,7SO IS
Total. s58,79i "a
Balance to be accounted 81 ,12 y
OF this amount $50, $50 72 is required
on account of interest, leaving balance
over the interest fund of $771 56.
The above mentioned cash, $3l, ,352 2S,
is accounted for in this way: Held by
garnishment, by virtue Of an execution
from the supreme court, in the Emmet
bank, in favor of Messrs. Adams, Dixon
and Pike, $1,000; in the Union and Plant.
ers bank, once attached, but now re-
leased, so l am informed, Sl256 Il; cur
rency on hand, S25, ,096 IL total, S3l,-
352 % Thus, it will be seen, that the
treasurer has not loaned the interest fund
to me, nor has he paid 1T to anyone else,
as is intimated in the resolution Of the
committee; hence their can be no appli
cation of section fifty-siX of the charter.
The interest fund has been preserved in
tact, because there is an Injunction re-
strainlng the use of it except in payment
of interest. The existence of this sec.
tion of the charter was certainly known
to the finance committee when it passed
a resolution last year authorizing the
mayor to borrow from the treasurer
$47, 900 of the interest fund, which, how
ever was not done. What strange things
have been doing, in the meantime,
that causes those private caucuses and
secretly prepared resolutions to be pre-
sented to the general council and pub
lished to the world? Am / not a
member of the finance committee?
DR.. Hewitt-We don't want to hear
that.
Mr.. Loague-Hear what?
DR.. Hewitt-That about secret eau
cuses, etc. We havn't got anything to
do with what affects you.
The committee, however, did not agree
with DR.. Hewitt, and Mayor League
was permitted to continue the reading
Of his statement, which is as follows:
Then, why should intelligent gentle
men act toward me as this committee is
doing? Is such q course calculated to
tend to the public good? The smiles and
kind words Of the individual members
of that committee appreciate highly;
but nothing is as dear. TO me as my good
name, and hence hope to be pardoned
on this occaEioD for going further into
the history of the past to vindicate my
self than may appear necessary to the
casual reader. 1t would only require a
skip OF one section Of the charter from
the fifty-sixth, the one referred to, to
reach the fifty-eighth, which provides
for creating a sinking fund for the sole
purpose Of retiring the bonds of the city
as the same may become due. Yet the
finance committee Joined me in the act
as indorsers priyy to the fact of borrow
Jog, for thirty days, without interest,
Sl7, 900, being all of the available funds in
the hands of the commissioners on the
twenty-secOnd of last December, to have
it paid to the police and firemen, which
was done. l was and am certainly
obliged and truly grateful alike
to the committee and the COM
missioners, knowing the great want
and suffering among the city
employees at the times What has
caused the sudden change to literal con-
structiOns Of the charter? When during
the past year we were threatened with
contagious diseases, and felt q pressing
necessity to furnish means to the board
of health, there was nothing said about
the general fund: being Overdrawn; nor
later in the year, when used my tndi-
vidual credit in having the streets re-
paired to move the cotton crop of the
present season. No resolution of inquiry
was then offered, nor a charge made Of
q deficiency in the treasury, because the
general account would appear overpaid,
which the records show was often the
case. All! no; the words then were en-
couraging: "Do the best you can, Mr..
May or, and we will stand by you; re-
pair the streets, or we cannot move the
cotton crop; furnish the means to
the board of health, or, if
not, the city will never recover"
May not justly feel hurt to have OBJ
lection made to actions which would be
considered clever act before an cleo
ton, to be now construed into an offense.
Often in the past has it appeared from
the treasurer's report that the general
fund was overdrawn. or course, you
know it was frequently so, but then l
had not been placed in position where
felt it my duty to differ with some
gentlemen in the creation of an offense
and expending public money. It's GER
tainly well known to every member OF
the finance committee. and all other
members of the general council, that
the treasurer seldom has a dollar in his
hands on account of the general fund.
1t is paid out before he receives
the report Of the collections at
the end Of the week. Nor can it be al
ready forgotten by some gentlemen, the
effort / made In their behalf to redeem
pledges and take up the orders given by
some officers and employees of the
city, ranging from twenty-five dol
lars to one hundred dollars each
in order to have an election fund to ad-
vance the interest and chances of cer-
tain candidates. This is not q pleasant
subject for me to speak upon, but there
should be a time when gentlemen
would begin to do unto Others as they
would wish others to do unto them. l
have nothing l prize dearer than my
private character and the honor Of the
position fill, and neither will be tar
nlshed by my consent or indifference.
There Is not business man in the city
who would not be placed in the same
position in which the city is found in
under similar circumstances. The time
was drawing to close for the payment
oil taxes, the collector was receiving
from $4,000 to $1,000 each day, the em-
ployees and their families were suffer-
ing in many cases from want Of the ac-
tual necessaries Of life, and the money
was paid out before it reached the treas
urer in regular settlement. Had
it not been that a change took
place in the law we would
not have been through paying out
to the several departments until we
would be getting ready to pay again on
account Of the receipts coming in so
rapidly. AS to the part Of the resolu-
"The following is the Endorsement had by
and from the finance committee on the occA-
sion referred 10:
We,the undersigned members OF the finance
committee, request Messrs 1. NJ HilI and w
b, Bruce 70 lean TO the city OF Memphis the
money on thissnote, and pledge ourselves
oficiRlly 70 the payment thereof
OWEN DWYER
=. J., CAMP