The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-03-07

sERvATTvE PARTY has DONE FOB RICH
MoND-IMPoRTANT RECoMMENDA-
TIoNs-CoNCLUsIoN, ETC, ETC.
As customary on the first Monday in
March, Mayor Kelley sent In his annual mes
sage to the City Council yesterday evening
| The full text of the document will be found
below. The message will be printed and
bound In the Annual Reports -
MAYOR OFFICE,
RICHMOND, March !, 1875. )
| To the City Council: ...
Gentlemen.-I have the honor to trans
nit herewith the reports OF the heads OF de-.
| partments of the city government for the
| fiscal year ending January 81, 1875; and,
| conforming to the requirements OF the char.
| ter. beg to add such recommendations as
seem to me of value. r -.
| r. ia a subject of great satisfaction that [
NAV renew my claim of exceptional honesty,
faithfuiness, and capacity for the general ad-
ministration of the city; and as it would be
INV duty to investigate and correct, If blame
| was imputable, it is no less my duty TO praise
| where truth requires it. We are passing
through season of universal suspiciousness
and universal criticism Of official conduct
a period unhappily, also, whose widespread
| corruption and dishonesty; juSti6es this dis
trust still. but in single instance has there
been even suggestion Of maladmfnistration
in Richmond, and an investigation, protract-
cd for weeks. TO which the whole commu-
pity was invited to contribute by public adj
yertisement, failed to fix upon any public
officer q solitary stain Of fraud, or warrant
the suspicion of the corrupt use OF a dollar
of the public funds by any party or for any
purpose. s-
/ The estimate of receipts for the year, ex.
elusive of the proceeds of bills payable and
the sale of bonds, was 1892 2,015; the actual
receipts, exclusive OF those items, were
se92.9 The total income from all sources
was one million FIVE hundred and twelve
| thousand three hundred and eighty.seyen
dollars (S1, ,512 1877 the total disbursements
0ncluding bills payable, $3.50, 100, and the
new reservoir, Sl9S,084) were one million
four hundred and eighty thousand i've hun
dred and eighty.eight dollars Sl,4S0, ,5S8j,
leaving treasury balance on band February
/, 1875, of S31, ,799, against which sundry un-
! expended appropriations and bills ayable,
amounting to ST, 1880. are chargeable, making
the actual surplus carried over to the next
wear s13,S89. The total bonded debt Feb.
ruary i, 1876, was S4,239, ,727.97 issued
during the year, s257,6o0; deduct bonds
paid and cancelled, S64,7s2.50; net increase,
1892 sl7.50; bonded debt February l. 1876
S4,432,545H. ,..,--yz -
1874. the city Is inhibited from increasing
its debt beyond eighteen per cent. OF the as
sessed value of its real estate, and all furtner
issues are declared void. The city assess;
ment of 1874 made the value OF the real
estate of Richmond S29, ,166 979. In the tall OF
last year an assessment was mace, unoea Stats
law. sfixinp the value at S29, ,093,546, and
the depreciation iu the value Of real property
has been such during the last two years, that
many well.informed persons belieye this
estimate to be at least million dollars too
high. But taking the State assessment to DC
correct, the utmost limit of bond-issue Will
be reached at S4,s76,s3s. 1t should be our
constant care 10 recede from, rather than
approach, this maximum. A few years ago
proposition to place mortgage OF eighteen
per cent. on all the realty Of any city in the
Union would be looked on as the most
greyious oppression; but Immediately after
the war an epidemic of municipal extrava.
eance broke out, and for the construction oil
costly parks, magnificent. public buildings
expensive paYements, and the like, a mu.
nicipsl debt was created whose amour!
ia simply appalling. The total munich.
pal (city, town. and county, indebted
ness of The United States in 1870 was
1928, S,244,520. To-day the aggregate debts OF
the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Bos.
ton, Brooklyn, and Baltimore alone, surpass
this enormous sum by three mIlllors o. DOL
lars, and the entire municipal indebtedness
of the country at this time ls over SIX num-
dred millions of dollars (S6OO, ,OO0.OO0l q sum
: more than three times the debt OF the cities
of Ergland. 1t has required all the frmness
aud conservatism of the best citizens OF
Richmond having charge of her interests to
save her from falling into this current, and
to restrict her expenditures to works of ne.
cessty. We have DO costly parks, and need
. none. We have the worst city hall In the
United States, and 1t serves its purpose, new
ertheless. We have no history Of rhinous
experiments with shoddy pavement to record
and regret, and pay for. In word, we
. have something of value to show for every
dollar of our debt, and, what is better, a
wholesome public sentiment that upholds
those who stand for economy and retrepch-
meut. Experience everywhere shows that
municipal extravaganza not only imposes
burdens, heavy now and to become lntoiera'
BILE, but that it breeds knaVery and enthrones
corruption. The public funds enrich lew
and debauch many. and the many are used
to maintain and enlarge the power OF the
few. 49,.
1 believe we have escaped these evils, and
hope we sbell continue TO avoid them.
| As president OF the Board of Commission.
ers of the Sinking Fund / forward my re-
port herewith. 1t will be seen that we have
paid off during the past year the interest on
the public debt promptly as 1t fell due, and
Maid up every matured bond Of the city, and
1 have on hand. in cash, S26, l2l.04 10 regis
tered bonds, 80, ,200-total, S46 .321.04.
| The unpaid matured debt OUTSTANDING &
February lst was 81, 100, and there will ma. ma.
tune during the fscsi year but SI2Iooo. ine
Beard hare advertised that they will pay nc
/ mcre interest on The matured obligation, ana
! / dtrected the Auditor TO give personal no.
tice on the 1st OF January to all hoiters Wao
| were accessible. Up to January, 1881, the
Sinking Fund will easily meet all maturing
obligations aud have surplus to help Ia re-
tiripg the large bonded debt which Win then
mature. ..-.-,~--.--.-. ..-.-,-n-
TIE only floating debt Of the city, strictly
90 called, IL represented By . note OF VI. sso ~
given for the enlargement ct seaofooks
warehouse, y hich will mature 10 Nay, and %
provided for out OF the Contingent suna.
Since The Sinking Fund was organized, 10