The Leavenworth weekly times., 1879-03-20
MAYOR ,uuEVtyUN.s REPLY

the Beck pan will be abandoned are very
common.
MAYOR UMHEgHCN's REPLY.
After a delay Of three day. We have
Mayor Ummethun's reply to our article of
the llth. We had hoped the reply would
be full and satisfactory to all, and regret
that it is not 80.
The Mayor opens with grand flourish
saying, Il am charged in being interested
in what you call a syndicate. Now, / defy
you Mr.. Editor or any living soul 10 chow
one cent of interest that have ever had or
received one penny, etc"
Mr.. Mayor, why this denisl' Who hs.
charged you with having an Interest, or who
has charged you with even intentional
wrong? TIE TINES simply said that
"M,yor Ummetbun assumes the reaponsi-
bility Of The organization known as the
Syndicate" Now, why does the Mayor
defy" US or any other .living soul' to
prove the truth of the charges which have
never been made We confess it looks az
though the Msyor was rather sensitive.
We have no doubt, and will admit that the
Mayor has "tried his best to adjust our
bonded difficultIes," but the trouble il he
hasn't done it and he don't propose to do it
except upon the railroad bonds which
amount to only s2jO,OOO. On this he pro-
poses to pay fifty cents Of the principal and
fifty cents on the unpaid interest for the
past five years, and yet these bonds have
never been worth forty cents aud could
have been bonded at any tine within the past
five years at fifty cents.
Mr.. Mayor when the people elected you
to the office you now hold you were pledged
to favor settlement of our railroad bonded
debt at about thirty cents on the dollar and
you advocated the settlement Of all other
Indebtedness at about fifty cents. Why this
change Why has no statement OF this
Syndicate ever been made until now?
Why is there not an official statement
made now? Why is not your own statement
full and complete? Why have you not stat
Why 10 you not tell US who constitute the
Company OF John B. Hogan & &c? Why 90
you not explain why it is that no comprom-
ise Can be made, except through the SYndi-
cate? Why do you compromise through the
Syndicate at fifty cents, and refuse TO COM
promise directly with the bondholder, unless
that bondholder suffers shave Of ten per |
cen,? Why do you not state fully and fairly
the terms upon which you favor the settle
ment Of ali cur indebtedness?
Mr.. Mayor if settlement was effected
upon the terms which We understand you
now advocate, our debt would then be near
ly 100000, with an annual tax of $4,000
for Interest, our county debt if settled upon
the same terms would be nearly $500 900,
leaving grand total of 81 SOC. 600, which
you propose 10 fasten upon this people by
Issuing new bonds, under this new bond
law, law invented bv the Shylocks' attor-
ney with more cut throat and stronger iron-
clad clause. that was ever concocted by the
inventors of bogus insurance policies or the
manufacturer of the poor mans mortgage.
This j. exactly what the Mayor proposes,
and this il exactly what the people have
been opposing for the past five years. The
very fsct that the Mayor has forsaken the
position he occupied two years ago when
his views we're in harmony with the people
and now, not only by his silence, but by
open advocacy of the issuing of these vii
lainous new bonds seeks TO fssten the whole
of this enormous debt upon Us, and mort
gsging our last dollars worth of property to
pay them, Is sufficient to deter any man who
hopes to see cur people free, prosperous aId
happy from supporting such policy.
Mr. Mayor, why don't you tell us OF the
part you took in procuring the passage OF
these infamous bond laws?
Why don't you tell us of the effort You
made to legislate clerk into office until
1852
Why don't you tell US why it was ,
thought necessary 10 even attempt to do =,
an act so oaious TO the people? IL
Why did You attempt to have the sallry ,
Of the Treasurer increased?
Mn Mayor. it is no pleasant task to !
write tins, but cur convictions are made T
stronger than ever by your reply, that you g
are now wholly in the interest of The bond
holder There is not one word of symps-
.hy in your reply for the poor taxpayer.
Much Of our property is not worth 7
to-day one-tenth of what it was worth g
when these bonds were issued. Our Il
ability to pay has diminished in the same n
,stio. The Mayor who only two yesrs ago :
va. in sympathy with us, has in that short V
pace of time through the mysterious in Il
lnence of Office, power, bondholders and y
Gus" and lover jealous" advocate of the m
'hylock in his demand for the fultlIment oI
Z the bond. II
We frankly admit that the course pur. "
ued by the Mayor seems inconsistent with II
lis former professions. The air has been es
lied during the past six months with :,
nournful appeals to us for sympathy, for T.
ne who was hazarding HI. liberty, "a
lis property, his pesc,, his hap b,
'iness, in the interests of the people, "a
Nth assurances that when his term of Office h.
xpired he would only be too happy to return cl
o private life. Why that one, whose a,ten- Ar
ion to public interests has cost him SO y, .,
much, now seeks through his immediate =
fficials and devoted adherents, to be sgsiu Il
allied upon to assume for another term the &c
sme cares and the same troubles which III
ave so overwhelmed him in the past, is y,
lore than we can understand. h.
The ways of the politician are often mys- III
,rious and past finding out but all will m
dmit thst it is vain for US to learn the Sn Sn
ark ways OF the bondholders Syndicate. tb
Sc
A REBUkE. "a,