The Portland daily press., 1876-03-01
Official Responsibility.
Mayor Richardson's Responsibiiify.---
The Large Sheet of Expeudirures.--
The Sewer Department--The Mayors
inaugural vs., the Mayors management.
PORTLAND, Feb. %. 1876

,s--..-. PORTLAND, Feb, 20, 1876.
To the Editor of the Press: a...g ,t.e g..t
Last March when Mayor Richardson was in
ausurated, it was remarked on all sides, that,
although in the minority, his administration
would be carried forward on all established
business principles. Men of both parties came
to this conclusion because they knew that he
had applied to his own affairs sound Judge ment
and careful supervision. Now that the year is
near its close and the accounts are being m ade
up, it may be properly asked: "Have our ex-
pectations oeen realized? Has the Mayor to
all departments of the city expenditures under
the same care and control which he would
have given to his own private affairs Let us
lock at the record as it appears. 1-I..
-f -r STREET EXPENDITURE.
He accepted the responsible position of chair
man of the Committee on Streets. That COM
mittee through its chairman asked an appro-
pration for the year of $4,000. The city
council voted the sum, and Mayor Richardson
as chairman went on aud laid out his work.
At the end of the first ten months of the year,
he had expended over $4,000, and will re-
quire at least $1,000 to meet the expenses for
the balance of the year. Some party or parties
must be responsible for this S25 600 excess of
expenditures over its appropriations. Il is true
| that the street commissioner has large powers
given him by the ordinances of the city, Itis
right that he should have. But the same ordi- 20
nance gives the committee on streets the
larger power of directing what work except
ordinary repairs shall or shall not be done; and
before the street commissioner can exercise
the power conferred upon him, he must first
have his orders from the chairman OF the
street COMMITTEES designating the work that
shall be done The Mayor has the control of
both the committee and commissioners; hence
when he accepted the chairmanshp of the
street committee, he became the responsible
head of the street department, NTH t,ln and
complete authority to direct all its details If the
Mayor give the street commissioner orders aud
he dsobeyed them, or if he neglected to faith
| fully carry them out, then he should have been
suspended, and his case laid before the city
council, who would have promptly removed
| him from Office; but if the Mayor gave no
orders, but rested on his official dignity and
/ allowed the street commissioner to cut and
slash, up and down, through the town at his
VIII, then BY this neglect be assumes the en-
| tire responsibility of this excuse. rrrc.
In his inaugural address referring to streets
| Mayor Richardson says, that the ''amount ex-
| pended to March 1st, 1875 was So, ,864 "a,
being larger than any previous year. unless
| perhaps one l trust you will be able to
reduce the cost of this department. and that
| you will certainly watch it with great care, as
in it are great margins for judicous or inju-
dlcious expenditures" 1t is fair to presume
that he made these statements in good faith
and knew what he was talking about, and If ,
| the opportunity was given him, he was pre-
pared to watch the expenditure with great
care and cut off the great margins referred to
and aooald reduce the expenditures in the de-
/ partment below last years. The golden oppor-
tunity has been his, and the account when
made up will show that he has exceeded the
smoTnt s1o %nn expended last year by more than
than any other year in the history Of our city,
and at least $4,000 more than Mayor Wescott
did his first gear. -,s c1ir7 trr p
| ....g DRAINS AND SEWERS. 1.-r G.. no .tt
Mayor Richardson accepted the chairmanship
of the Drain and Sewerage Committee. Theap-
preparation asked and voted by the City Coun-
Gil was $4,000, the same as for the past few
years. No person except the chairman OF this
| committee, or one of its members. rs author
lied by ordinance, to order the expenditure of
one dollar Of this sum. After the work is or
| dered the Superintendent of Sewers is sup
posed to see that the work is faithfully done.
Fully appreciating the great blessings of
sewerage to our people he says in his address:
"The cost of sewers to March LIST, 1875, has
been S16,537 80. With the use of Sc
bago water this department must continue to
require considerable expenditure '.-. I'd -7.i,
Sewers have been constructed in ten differ
ent streets at a total cost of say So 3400-leav-
ing balance of $11 ,000-to be accounted for.
What has become of it? Some one says that
the committee-the Mayor being chairman
has built large number of new culverts and
+ II H. -
place each year; there was no necessity to ex-
| pend $11 900 on culverts this year. Indeed.
$4,000 expended with care and Judgment would
have done all required, including new culverts
| as it has in years past, If this excess of $1,000
had been spent for sewers, two-thirds Of it, or
| say 81, 600 would have been added to the in
come of the city in the way of assessments for
enteril sewers. Last year the sum expended
| for sewers ami culverts was SIS, ,537-this wear
$4,000. Last year there was assessed on
abnttors the sum of $780, this wear the
sum assessed is only S2,2l9-a difference of
almost $500 to the income account of the
city. This is large loss to the rev.
enue of the city, for which some Is re-
sponsibe, as it is a fact that large number of
petitions for sewers many OF them urgent
cases (like Cumberland and State street) we're
referred to the next city government.
| Is it not fair statement in view of all the
facts. that had the Mayor stood by his address
and done his duty as therein set forth, this
money would have been nearly all expended
Tor sewers, or 1t would have been kept in the
city treasury and used for payment Of the city
debt?
1t seems quite unnecessary to look further to
satisfy the average citizen that the present
Mayor has yet to learn what official responsi.
biity is. In fact judging from The nast year IL
is doubtful II ne can be taught that the people
require OF him responsibility for the care of, as
well as the expenditure of their money; that in
accepting office with minority or majority of
the city council at his back he must take the re-
sponsblity of the office, and settle the loss ac-
count with the people at the polls. T.
The daughters of Sir Edward Thornton, the
English Minister at Washington. wear thick
soled shoes, plain, unpinned. back dresses, and
old fashioned cloaks. And they are pictures