The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-05-05
CITY COUNCIL.
The Mayors Message and the Election
of Officers under the new Charter.

leShl representatives VI tils WV uupluS luNl
the sole motive which may prompt every Oil.
cial action will be to promote the vital inter
ests of her people in finances, morals and her
future prosperity and grandeur. need not
recapitulate the financial status of the
city, which is clearly exhibited ia the re-
ports of the secretary, treasurer, assessor and
collector. BY reference to these reports, it
will be seen that while we have greatly inn
proved our financial condition, reducing our
funded Indebtedness as rapidly as the char
ter of the city will permit, five one thousand
dollar bonds have been redeemed and ara
here presented for cancellation since the an
nual rports ofthe oti1ers above referred TOY,
that we haze diminished the outstanding in
debtedness of former administration several
| thousand dollars. In consequence of the
healthy financial policy of the present ad-
ministration her bonds have adyan ed
in the money markets, until they
rate higher than the bonds OF any other city
in Texas. While we have made wonderful
progress during the past year in the perma-
nent financial condition of our city and the
| further reduction in the running expenses of
the city government, at, py W Sc legislation,
rendering it impossible any tiicer to de.
fault with more than one 4 MI s revenue in
his possession, and in that event the city is
secured by doubly approved security.
Yet, grand as these results have been to the
city, as any intelligent and impartial inyesti-
CATION will show, we have not more than
half redeemed our pledges to the people, and
should we make Nlrlher reductions in our
expenses and no ,u'.e reforms in our city
government, we will be Justly branded ms UNI
worthy servants.
Gentlemen, with the credit of the city
firmly establish with appropriate legisl"-
ton, there is no doubt bu' we
| will be able to find our
entire bonded debt in six per cent thirty year
~ Us, redeemNble at the will of the city Of
J Dallas, Thus making .-our bonds OF
Jpilorm character, provided that the interest
be made payable in the city of New York,
which will serve ms u powerful ,Aver in iacll-
itatng the negotiations, and il Is matter OF
unconcern TO us whether the interest Is pay
able to New Yorker in Austin or New
Yorker in York city.
was of opinion that we might be able to
avail ourselves of the benefit of the act OF
the Legislature, which went into operation
July a, 1879, and fund our bonded indebt-
edness in six per cent bonds, but this cannot
be effected by virtue of said act.
Section . of this net provides as follows ;
mo compromise shall bu made under the
provisions Of this act by which any debt
now barred by the statute of limi'
tation shall be received, nor
shall such new bond to be used in fund.
ing principal of such old bends be / ued
to greater amount than three-fourths otthe
principal of the old bonds cut landing, pro-
vided that when the rate OF interest Of such
new bond is not more than five per cent pei
annum, then new bonds may be issued to the
full amount outstanding"
Section . of this act provides such new
bonds may be exchanged for the old bonds "a
the rate specified in the second section %
this act, or they may be sold and the pro
, ceeds applied to the purchase OF such ole
bonds AT the rate specified in said seconC
section; provided that no bonds issued IN
der this act shall be sold at less than par
, each bond sold shall be made to bear the low
est interest that will give it o par value"
This "act' of the Legislature doe. not nj
, ford the necessary relief, because under 1T
provisions we must scale our bonded deb
rs per cent, which cannot be done legally IL
any instance perhaps but which, If possible
ought to be done wi h the bonds OF the Dial
las & Wichita Railroad company, A gre,te
fraud from commencement 10 end was neve
perpetrated upon a perhaps too credulou
b. people) or the alternative, which is TO Gel
!. bonds bearing 5 per ent. interest at par
}. Neither of the provisions are practicable o
q available.
now recommend that the grave duty Q
! preparing an act TO be pre-
4 sented to TIE next Legislator
o for its consideration, giving this city the pow
y err to thus fund her Indebtedness be reterre
q to the City Attorney for consideration.
i REVENUES.
+ TIE depreciation of all real and persons
o property, necessarily render theamount @
$ our taxes for the presentyear, much less tina
- last year. This problem can only be succe's
fully solved by reduction in the curren
expenses of the city government To thi
end, recommend dismissal of at least iw
J drivers in the Fire department, whose place
can be filled by some gallent fireman, larg
d number Of whom are always on hand to &C
il company the various wagons to the fir
alarms thus saving the city $50 per ar
: mum. Two policemen with the City deteC
:, tive can easily be dispensed with now sine
! during the past year, we hay
4 broken up one Of the most formid
/, able and dangerous bands.ot petty burglar
q md thieves that ever infested any city, viz
i Muldoon, Mike Daily, Jim Carney and Other
It of their ilk, they having left for parts III
n known.
~ | recommend the enactment of an ord
il nance atfixing heavy penalty upon citizen
!. who refuse to obey the summons of an
"a policeman or peace officer to aid in the ARE
v of offenders. This will render one policema
. able to make any arrest, however desperat
70 the parties may be. This reduction Of tw
"a policemen from the force, which | solemn
a declare to you, ms chief of the Executive d.
4 psr.ment, can be dispensed with and leave
v most efficient force to patrol the city.
~ recommend that an ordinance be passe
il prohibiting our city officers from il
is vading the duties of the county ri
h State officers, and especially in devoting to
10 much Of their time in making arrests of Sta
N and county criminals, thus reglecting the
! duties as special guardians of the city. Til
>. salaries of the two policemen and the eli
70 detective will save the city near two thou
al and doll 7rs.
# recommend the discharge Of all emplo,
ia ees in the city upon the street force. exec
IN the special in charge of the prisoners, an
v two carts for hauling gravel and other mat
N rial Cor repairing the streets. The loss
IL this force can be supplied by the better util
in zing the city prisoners in their labor on Il
IA streets.
~ At least two thousand dollars can be save