, 1876-12-22

COUNTY FINANCES.

MORE BONDS WANTED.
Sone days ago it was noted In these column
| that the Finance Committee of the County Boar
had been dodsing around very mysteriously am
holdin. meetings under lock and key in the coun
| ty Attorneys Office. just what they were doin!
or trying TO do could not be gotten at, and tile re
portcrs. for the time being, had to take the e1
plantations and statements OF the Commissioner:
and present them for what they were worth
Yesterday, however, tue bottom fell ont OF thet
secrecy, and for the first time severn! members Of
the thieyiu. .'Ring' were brought to reallza.
tion OF the result Of their recklcssucss me pas
which their inta,nty had placed the County
Treasury. 1t all came OF conference
being held between the Finance Committee m and
the Treasurer in which it appeared that the secret
meeting had been held with view to reaching
conclusion on proposition made by fhc ~ y, k1.lg @
to iss,c coInty bonds to the amount Q! y. .oeo.
600. and place the same ON the market. the pro-
cceds to be used in tho construction OF the new
Court Housc. The secret meetings, it will be
marked, i,nd been held IN the Office of the County.
Attorney. the gentleman who evolved the brilliant
idea in :hr Court i{uuse Injunction proceedings
souc 1no,ths AGO, that it would not BE- necessary
to issuv bonds Or borrow money IL 60 on VIII 'le u
Court House, bnt tlAt the work wonld be
paid for from back taxes, etc. The confer
c1.rc was full and free, and while everybody
recognized the necessity OF replcnlshnH the Treas
ury 10 make future cxtrayagance possible. the
question TINT arose w1s The same one that ngured
~ prominently agains Walker in the Court House
stone contract. No member Of the Committee
failed to see tile need OF money to keep the county
machinery moving, hut
was tho great consideration. They were ready to
knew inli well that their ambition could not be
satia,ed in that way. They were ready. too, to
issue and sell bonds. but to this proposition some
vote OF the people and the idea Of the ueop!c hav
ps a aoxss Tsa they *'k bad " bsea es nSt
hendcd the fact thai The law was against them and
why they had met in the office Of the County At
tosncy was. doubtless, to drink inspiration from
his .:opinion, " and to have him co1lstrue the law
his former position in the injunction ease and
Ring" interest. wherein be- hootcd Ut the idea
in crease the county's Indebtedness in the con.
st1uction at the Court House. His ''opinion' in
writing had been promised to the conference on
the question Of the authority Of the Board to issue
the bonds, but it WAS NOT forthcoming for some
reason Or another, and for time the Gonterees
we're " sea- Mr.. Huck, however, finding that
''opihions' were scarce and prefercncce in the
matter under consideration numerous, laid before
tile Committee the following
LETTER PROM MR. sMALL,
which he said he had procured at his own expense:
my tcd time hs has Permitted 70 The QUESTION
tente1 M you yesterday 'nd cannot regard 1t as free
Sec 10 Of the act approved March 81. 1874. provides
that when the County Board Of any county shall
rro?rIey Of issuing such bonds shall u submitted
tne ssa votsrs u Eaeh eonnty and the Sae seet!on
s. tie M previous act Of Feb = ls: q, anlealci Iy
M 81 ct # sSe 81 n
sinners tn their discretion by two-rds vote IS
such bonus: and this set does not provide for sub
coa,rutaE lie ~ 2ets toEsthcr: and having due
Whenever the auhoft!ts d sny county sl.l desire
popular vote snust bc had.
Of liz, st the 9 s q y he net
he said that it was the intention Of the Legislature to
for popular Vote IN iii cases and makes reference
b hsd lat I Is not free fIom doubt a9d should
tion ot the question before taking the responsibility Of
5S Yyu. IL ,s nla' to the ff g. Of sMai aud
The reading OF the letter was followed BY
4 NEAT LITTLE sPEECH BR MIR. HCcK,
Ill which he informed the Committee that it might
do as it pleased in the matter OF issuing bonds. but
he would never sign them until their right to issue
the same had been judicialy determined. He said
he had no feeling III the matter one way or an
wanted 10 do it clear handed, hence he would not
attach his signature bonds that proposed to
be issued Under cloud and with doubt existing
sst he M had beard Of the % proposton ion was that bis
assistant, Mr.. Deye. had been some days
a*e authorized i{ by thu, Finance a >, Com; on;
Sonds 10 %tb View to syns s9 at FORM St o
the new bonus, and this droyc him to examine the
statutes and to ret the '|opinion' OF Mr.. Small,
his attorney, which he had dune for his own pro-
lection.
After Mr. Huck had so positively asserted him
sell, it was apparent Tint his remark had gone
ner of interrosatorics. lie replied to every ques
ti,n and the more be said the more uncomfortable
grew his auditors Said he. in answer to some of
The queries, ''the County Board
y -TPf. NJ
The 500. 00O borrowed few days. ago is all
gone, and orders are now ont and unpaid against
the building fund ''fou have, " he continued,
but how judiciouslv / will not say. for you can
see for yourselves. At the Insane Asylum you
have thrown @ ~ away money tn letting Jobs amount.
at the Hospital YOU spent $50, 900 for the amphi-
theatre, etc, when you did not have it, and when
it WIS unnehsary."
YES rcjoined Commissioner Fitzgerald, sit
is very evident to me that money has been thrown
away, and that many of the expenditures have been
e ea III ed ohSf N se
nothing else but light yoa.'
Tbs Conversation continued for some time in a
finally dispersed without doing anything. About
the last word Mr. lfuck saiu To the Committee
that he would not sign auy bonds until the courts
had passed upon the right of 1hc Board to issue the
same. and that between now and the time the
Treasury was rcp'cnished from the tax collections
OF 1876 he would need nearly $500, 000-and he did
not know where it was to come froin-to meet the
actual sunnngcxpensee Of the County Government.
On the whole. he did not take very hopeful view
Of the situation, and in 50 doing he did the public
4 great service, fur he frustrated the immediate
issuance Vi the proposed bonds, and has sent the
'' Ring" to tho courts to have the matter deter
mined whether it shall tpcnd another million dol
lars, and increase the county indebtedness that
much. without the people having something TO say
about 1t. ye' deserves the public thanks for his
conduct.