Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-01-24
INFRINGEMENT.

hkIhkNCnMENT.
The action Of the committee and
General Council Saturday night in fix
ing the pay Of tie Treasurer at fifty
cents per annum may prove a commend
able piece Of retrenchmeBt, but we doubt
ii. OF course no one is expected to give
q 6fy thousand dollar bond and assume
the duties Of the Office without pay or
benefit. There is an intinstion given
out hat some bank or bank officer is to
be elected ,nOlens UOlens, we presume, and
give the required bond, handle the
funds, keep the various accounts, and
be in every way responsible at half q
dollar q year. Let us see how this would
work. In the first place some person
must give the bond; it ia not competent
for a corporation to undertake such a
job. If a bank officer gives the bond as
Treasurer he expects to keep the funds
in his OWE bank. But for what purposef
Of course the object would be to have
the use Of the funds as other money on
deposit. The laws Of the State strictly
prohibit thu use Of public funds in any
such manner. In fact it is made a felony
for any officer to use public funds, to
shave notes, discount any kind of paper,
speculate in bonds or use for any private
purpose. Would any bank officer as
sumo the Office Of Treasurer and agree
to keep the funds in other banksp The
idea Of making a bank a public officer is
contrary to the spirit Of our fundamental
laws and is impossible under our stat
utes. The President of the Board Of
Health is also expected to work for
nothing, and he, poor fellow, will
have no perquisites and no other way
of getting pay for bis services. The
doctors, professionally, do more work
for nothing than any other class, and are
poorly paid when paid at all. 1t would
have been simple justice to have allowed
the President of the Board a triAe for his
services. The work tskes up some OF
his time, and in case of an epidemic or
general sickness his labors would be
severe and Of great responsibility. The
pay Of the important Offices Of Comp
%troller, Register and City Attorney are
cut down considerably from figures that
we're not regarded as too high before.
There is reason in all things and no true
economy in parsimony. But while these
various reductions are proposed there is
81 increase in the police and FIRE depart
ments Of at least $1,000. Was there a
necessity fer thisP We have not heard
a word of complaint from our gallant
iremen or our efficient police force about
smallness Of pay. If they complained
at all it was because they we're not paid
promptly at the end Of each month.
We happen to know that some Of the
officers Of these departments appre-
hended q reduction and asked nothing
better than to be let alone. The increase
Of their pay, we feel authorized to say,
was unssked and unexpected. Mem
phis has as good policemen and 6remen
as any city in the world, but We have
never heard Of them making demands
on the treasury inconsistent with the
ability Of the people to pay. Here is a
General Council elected upon the idea
Of retrenchment and reform which pro-
posed at n jump to make a net in
crease Of between four and FIVE thousand
dollars in cur annual expenditures. We
question no mans motives; all are
doubtless animated by proper intentions
and q desire to promote the best int.
rests Of their constituents, but it would
be we'll, we think, to 60 slow. Restino
leSte is an cid proverb~hich may always
be remembered with profit by new legis.
iators.