The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-07-31

Situation.
Reports of interviews held with a numbe
OF prominent business men OF the city wer
given In our columns yesterday, hut the ex
pressions OF other gentlemen visited wer
nsce sariIy omitted till to-day, and are givel
below.
RUSH.
when he WAS appro tched upon the matter
said he regarded u a very delicate uestior
to talk about for the reason that an opinion
given to the pubic would, Of course, be sr'
garded as ad vice TO the county commission
ers in regard TO the proper manner in which
todischarge tb eir duty, and as these gentle.
men IA I'D been selected rom smong the peo-
pie OF ths county to do the work require Of
them, Il Is TO be presumed that they are com.
perent 10 attend to their own business. Said
he:
81 have no disposition to crIticise what
they have done, nor the way in which they
have done 1t They have doubtless studied
this question, and understand IL thoroughly.
Tney realize their responsibility TO their con-
stituents, and il is fair TO suppose do what
they think is right, ard for the hes interests
of the county. Bot can say frankly that If
were a member of the Board should re-
gard It as my duty to pursue very different
course. Idon't believe the debt can ever be
compromised In the way they are proceeding
at present. If II were my business / should
put IL at once in the hands of some response
bic firm OF bankers in the east. i would
have the new bonds prepared and put in
their hands, and then have them give notice
that they were prepared To take up the old
bonds and give new ones for them, at Il ~
cents on the dollar. / should entrust it to
bankers because IL is In their line of business,
and people who want TO buy sell bonds
always 20 TO the banks for that purpose.
When | want to buy wheat don't go 10 a
dry goods store 10 look Tor 1t, and the man
who wants To buy dry goods, or shoes. doesn't
expect 10 find than at my mill. Aud IT is
just SO with everything else; If We want TO
dispose Of our b nds We must put them
where those people who deal In bonds will
ind them. And this is not going to cost Us
such a great amount. Any responsible firm
In the east would be willing to attend to the
business for at less than one half what we
of TO pay now commission to lawyers.
A commission of two per cent. would be
amply sufficient to pay. IL could even be
done for less than that am confident that
we could have the business done by men who
would do II well, for a commission of one
and a half per cent, and that's very small
fraction of " hat II is costing to do the work
In the present way" |
RepOrfer.-It has been proposed to call a |
public mseting Of the citizens OF he town |
and county, and get an expression of public |
opinion on the question. WHAT do you think /
oil the suggestion?
Mr. RI don't approve of IL. If You could /
get the right kind OF me To attend IL would |
do good; but you would iud that while il
would be attended by a fe W men whose opin-
81
y would be persons VINO have no opinion |
upon THIS subject any other, and they |
would be the ones to do the most of the talk
ing. The TINES can give Us a great deal
better and more correct view of public opin-
ION than Eny We could obtain from n public
mass meeting II any thing OF that kind is
10 be done the best way would be to send
circular to fifteen or twenty men in the city,
aud equal number in the county, inviting
them TO meet aud tab the matter over. In |
this way some good might be accomplished
Reporter do you think of the prop |
ostioD to limit attorney fees
Mr.. RI don't think any extravsgant fees
sh sud he allowed. There is no object in |
trying TO compromise with our creditors #
We pay out ali We save IN fees and other eZ-
penses. Such bill IS that presented by the
county attorney should never be paid 1t is
l
are to be accompanied by such charges a.
that al every step, the sooner We q lit trying |
10 10 anything the better OFF We shau be
! was glad TO see THs TIMES ventilate this |
matte. And am glad 10 see you stirring |
up the bond business generally. IL is one of |
the best hing~ you can do. II is a matter of
great int rest TO every citizen of the county,
and hope,to Sc you keep .tup. The compro |
missing Of our debt Is matter of vit,I i'm
poIiance TO al! OF Us, and there is no better
Way To facilitate the work than to a2iiate it
in the paper. And another thing, which 1
regard almost equal in Importance To the
work Of compromising the debt, is the nee |
eSSiiy OF having Il law, so s'To < and 80 tight
that every man who owns property will be
compelled To pay bis taxes As IL has been
for years past a large number of our peopI-
shIrk their duty IN tnis regarh, and toe
rest OF the community have to carry them.
Ifevery man would pay his taxes as he oug ht
to, the burden would not he much more thar
half as heavy those who do pay. This is | I
an evil that ought TO b. remefied.
After leaving Mr.. Rush II reporter visited
the headqu arters Of the Kansas Msnuisc- |
turing Company and there fou Id the Pre,i- .
dent of the Company,
ALEXANDER CALDWELL.
Mr. Cald we'll said he n al nj Savs hesitsted ,
about expressing his opinion, publicly, upon
this question because. as was probably well
known, his vieus differed radically fIom
those of the publ at large. His position, be
said, could be stated in very few words:
THE county should conduct its business just
rs an individual is expected TO conduct his |
and when IL contracts d, bt IL should pay |
il. Ii make a bad bargain pocket the loss | .
and say nothing about IL, and think the |
community should do likewise. IL is very |
true that have not been benefited as we |
expected to be- when we issued those bonds |
our county and city have not increased in
wealth and population as We hoped
they would, but this has been owing
to many unfavorabie circumstances, some
of which were due To our own m stakes. But
the people who hold bonds now are in I
no wise to blame for our misfortunes. They ,
bought our bonds upon the streng' h OF our !
promise to pay. and they supposed when the !
bonds came due they would get their money |
OF course, their payment in cash was out Of
the question, but If we had stated our cir
cumstances TO our creditors, and offered
them other bonds on long time and at a low ,
rate of interest, won d have had no
trouble In refunding our debt. Iihavnr
doubt that all of our oil bonds could have | ,
been taken up with new ones due in thirty
or even fifty years, End drawing as Low
four per cent. interest. / think this was ,
the proper course for us 10 have pursued.
But IL is too late for that now: We have ,
given notice TO the world that we intend TO
repudiate one half of our obligations (for IL
isn't a comp promise, since the creditors have
never been consulted in the matter and in :
order TO make our condition appear Just as |
desperate possible, we have naenified our
misfortunes, and have told the world, ON
cially, In q pamphlet published by the Coun- |
~ Board, that We are hopelessly bankrupt, ,
that our town is being deserted, that ouI :
homes are all mortgaged for taxes, and have | 9
presented such q doleful pic ure of our condi | !
ton that no man in his senses could be ex-l y
pee ed to settle among US or invest q dollar !
with II We will md when We count up sttor- g
neys' fees, court costs, and all the otherex
penses, that We out about as much as We :
should have been If we had refunded our
bonds at par, and in addition to all that our !,
credit will be gone. Ii
But IL IL idle to talk about what should / 4
have been done. We have made the mis- .
take and the mischief is done. The question :
for us to consider now Is uhat course to pur | y
sne at present. And having declared that we y
will pay but fifty cents the only thing for us {
10 do is TO stick TO it. II / owned any o: the {
bonds should think the best thing could c
do under the circumstances would b, 10 &C. |;