The Leavenworth weekly times., 1879-03-13
THE PETITION OF WAYOR UuuE
THIN

ultni hlSbco, a. II II, ps eo hianyp hio1t ".
them good men is a very strong one, and
will carry great weight with if to the voters
OF our city.
The administration Of Mayor Ummethun
has been marked by close personal at
tention paid by the Mayor to the duties Of
the Office, particularly in the minute details
OF the administration of every department
'nnected with the city government. The
administration deserves credit for great
economy. 1t has been pleasure to THE
TINES to be able during the first eighteen
months to ssy-many good words for the
Mayor and his policy, and it may seem
somew hat strange to our readers that We do
not now in the face OF an endorsement by 80
many of our best citizens Join in general
hurrah for his retention in office. We
acknowledge that it would be much easier
and more pleasant for us TO do SO, were it
consistent with our ideas of right and
wrong and for the best interests OF this tax
ridden city.
For Mayor Ummethum personally we
entertain the highest opinion, and have al
ways been and are now on terms OF the
warmest friendship with him. Any criti-
cism therefore which We make will be only
that of one who has greater regard for the
material interests and future prosperity OF
Leavenworth Than he has for any one indi
b,u
friend he may be.
Mayor Cmmethun assumes the rysponsi-
bility Of the organization, known as the Syn
dicate, which was originated for the pur
pose Of buying up and compromising our
bonded indebtedness. The operations OF
this Syndicate are of a private character,
no public statement of its authority or
power has ever been made. No one knows
who constitutes its members, its officers. Its
plans Of operation, or the per centage which
is paid them. We do know that they only
compromise railroad Indebtedness st ffty
cents on the dollar, We do know that all
bonds must be compromised through this
Syndicate. We do know that parties from
the East were here and tried to compromise
bonds at fifty cents on the dollar, and they
could not effect a compromise unless it was
done through the Syndicate, at forty-ive
cents, thus giving the Syndicate five dollars
on every fifty, or ten dollars on every hun |
dred dollars. This same Syndicate offer |
twenty-seven cents in cash for these came
bonds and thin hold them or bond them |
at fifty cents on the dollar.
TEE TINES has regarded this Syndicate
from the first as a sort of secret credit |
mobilier, BY which the favored few whom |
Mayor Ummethun has trusted, might en-
rich themselves al the expense of the labor
ing interests Gf our city, who bear the bur
den of taxation.
There is no question of the right OF the |
bond holder to comprr mise his bonds with |
the city without the intermediate agency |
of the de:estable syndicate and its remorse |
less Shylock per centage, which in the end |
is wrung from the hard earnings Of the tax |
payer.
The people of Republican Leavenworth |
have an sbhorance Of these secret ar ange- |
ments. particularly when made by a |
municipality professedly in the interests OF
the people, but in reality in the interest of
the money changers and Shylocks of our |
community.
We say then that before TIE TrNEs can
endorse Mr.. Ummethun for Mayor, We
must know ALL about this infamous syndi- |
cate and IFS workings
The tax payers Of our city will not for
get that Mr.. Umme:hun has taken
wonderful interest in the passage
Of a Law TO enable US to COM
promise our our Indebtedness. 1t will also |
be remembered that this law only enabled |
u. to compromise railroad Indebtedness at
fifty cents on the dollar; all other indebted |
ness at par.
The fact that Mr.. Ummethun favors such !
policy is enough to satisfy us that he is
in the interest Of the bondholders With |
such a settlement We would have for all |
time to come an annual tax of six TO seven |
per cent. saddled upon us. The present ad |
ministration levied a tax of three sixty lone |
hundredths per cent for city taxes alone in !
1873. The levying of this enormous tax at
this time was nothing less than robbery Of |
the people and an absolute bar to any set |
tlement of the bonds for which such tax
was levied,
Mayor Ummethun personally went to
Topeka and advocated sn amendment 10 |
the city charter, by which the city clerk |
should have a salary of twelve hundred |
dollars per annum and be legi-lated into
Office until 1881, and also to increase the
salary of the City Treasurer.
The Syndicate evidently demanded this
legislation, and the people, the voters of
Leavenworth, will demand TO know why |
they demand such unusual legislation in
the interest of secret syndicate, which has |
the authority and the power TO control the |
compromising of eight hundred thousand
dollars of our Indebtedness.
These interests are of too great imp7r:sre'
to the city OF Leavenworth, and The TINES |
feels that no greater, higher or nobler duty |
can be performed by any journal than TO
sound the note of alarm, particularly when |
this new law enabling us TO compromise
and re-bond our Indebtedness, contains
clauses which make that bond more infam-
ous than Shylock dared dream of. The
new bond which the Syndicate demanded,
which Mr.. Ummethun favored, and which !
has become law viii sell the house, the
home, the mechanics tools, everything
which is not exempt from taxation to psy
this bond.
We say then, to the PEOPLE of Iesyen
worth, if they are prepared for lie time
devoted to work for the sole purpose of fpsy-
ing the Syndicate enormous profits on COM
promising our railroad bonds, and making
more binding than ever our already odious
debt, support tie present policy. No
stronger proof is required for US than the
fact that every bondholder in the land Ia
vors the re election Of Mayor Umme;hun.
In conclusion, we desire TO cay that We
have no personal feeling in this election,
that we have not a dollar interest except
in common with every citizers who has the