The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-04-02
GRAFTON GRAPHICS.
The New Council Practically EnfOTc-
Ing Economy and RcfOrm-ItemsO OF
Iuterest
GRAFTON, April |, 1878.

GRAFTON, April |, lSi6'
After reading Vo1 Populi's SANDER
Gus attack upon the Grafton Council in
the LateLLigeacer OF to-day, contempt
certainly must have been felt for him by
every reader of that paper who is, in the
least, acquainted with town affairs. But,
unfortunately, Councils have heretofore
been elected in Grafton an the No-license
ticket, and the councimen have imagined
that when,they said "no" to a petition for
license they had done their duty, and
could then go home and thank God that
they were not as other men. II any one
Of the Council were asked as TO the
Indebtedness of the town, or what be.
came of the revenue derived from
taxes, fines, etc, the inevitable answer
was, Il don't know" Even now, after
certain members have been working tor
year, 1t will be week yet before a
tabular statement OF the financial cOndi-
ton of the town will be published. This
much is certain, that, at the beginning OF
the past year, the Indebtedness was about
$4,000, and that the interest on the
money borrowed OF Mrs. j. g. Lexter
had not, for two years past, been paid
The Council during the past year has
paid the interest and attempted, in vari-
Gus ways, to reduce the expenses. At the
first meeting it was attempted TO make
the town sergeant collect the taxes,
as provided in the charter granted
February 28th, 1866, sec. Il. This, that
gentleman refused to do and, owing to
the support he received from the \ o.
license men, he WAS sustained and Col
lector WAS appointed by the Council.
The salary of the Town Sergeant was
fixed at forty-fve dollars per month; the
salary Of the Mayor at fifty dollars, and
the Tax Collector was allowed five per
cent. on the taxes collected. The Clerk
was paid fifty dollars per annum, and
fifty dollars wss paid for the use OF a
room.
At the first meeting of the present
Council, it was found that large reduc-
tion could be made in the ex-
penses, and the Council desiring
TO act pro bono pubLjco, and not
to put the town to great expense for the
benefit Of the clique to which VoE PopuLi
belongs, did away with the tax collector
and selected man for town sergeant ss
capable, as efficient, as temperate sni as
good ard well behaved q citizen as can
be found within the city limits, at q ssla.
~ lust three hundred dollars less than
the then incumbent was receiving. A
member of the Council, Mr. Henshaw,
offered to act as clerk for forty dollars
year and the Council accepted his offer,
as 1t was Just ten dollars less than they
had been paying. Mr.. Gruseman offered
the Council meeting room at
the same price which the
old Council had psid. 1t is for these
acts that our city council is maligned
by Vox Populi, and one or two more of
his ilk. But the secret Of their anger
lies in this perhaps more than in any.
thing else, that Mr., j. Il. NJ. johnson,
the Mayor, who is very worthy man,
good church member and q strictly tenn
perance man, has been unfortunate, and
his fellow. church members and friends
desired to give him pension OF from
one to three hundred dollars, and so it
was suggested 10 the council by the out
going Mayor. The council, however,
fixed his compensation at fifty dollars,
and Mr.. johnson expressed himself as
satisfied herewith.
BUSINESS CHANGES.
Mr.. j. f. Atkinson, the popular and
efficient manager OF the Graf