Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-03-29
CITY COUNCILS.
Special Meeting Last Evening.

Special Meeting Last Evening.
As announced yesterday, the select and
common councils met last evening for the
purpose Of taking action that might meet
the views of those bidders for the new
city loan who objected to that clause Of
the ordinance which says the bonds shall
be exempt from local taxation" and the
bids Of most Of whom were conditioned
upon their being free from all taxation. The
following named members were present ::
Messrs. Albert, Barnes, Boos, Berger,
Brown, Cormeny, Davis, Downey. Hays,
Johnson, McMullen, Ostermayer, Smsych,
Springer, White, Yackly, Leversood,
president.
President Levergood stated the object of
the meeting. whereupon the following
message from the mayor was laid before
council.
The clerk read
" To tho Honorable the Select and Common
Councils Of the City of Lancaster.
"GENrLEMEN The ordinance refunding
5000, 900 Of the existing indebtedness Of
the city Of Lancaster, passed finally by
councils March 2, 1881, contains for bid
ders one very Objectionable word. In the
first section, last sentence, the ordinance
reads Said certificates shall not be liable
to local taxation. This word local should
be stricken out, otherwise the bonds will
be liable to a four.mill state tax, which
virtually makes the bonds bear only 6-10
per cent. a large proportion of the
amount bid for on Saturday is conditioned
upon the exemption of the bonds from all
taxation.
81 should be obliged to councils if they
would indicate in what way the balance of
tho amount to be refunded should be dis
posed of. Shall proposals be readvertised
for or shall the FOLDERS of the six per
cent. bonds which the four per cents are
issued to redeem be allowed to exchange
at par or shall I dispose of them at par
to the first comerS ? believe premium
may be obtained very easily on the
balance Of the bonds remaining unsOid
after the Objectionable word above referred
to shall have been stricken out il the city
shall advertise.
every respectfully,
"JNo. T. MAcGoNIeLE,
mayor.
Mayors Office, March %, 1884,
Mr.. McMullen offered an ordinance sup
Elemental to the recently adopted four per
cent. funding ordinance, with which it is
identical in language and meaning with the
exception that in the section alluded to
in the mayors communication the
words " exempt from local taxation are
changed so as to read " free from all tax
alton" The ordinance was read once,
and referred to the finance committee,
who, being given leave to retire. shortly
returned the ordinance with an affirmative
recommendation.
Mr.. johnson offered resolution that
when councils adjourn it be to meet this
tuesday, evening ut Z o'clock, which
was adopted. Select council cOncurred.
Mr.. Barnes offered the following:
Res0lred, That the mayor of the city of
Lancaster be and is hereby instructed to
advertise for two days for takers of the
balance of the two hundred thousand four
per cent. lOan.''
The resolution was unanimously agreed
to, but in select council was So amended
as to direct the mayor to re advertise for
the whole amount of the loan except thOs.,
bids that were unconditional.
Mr.. McNIullen opposed the amendment
of select council, taking the position that
those bidders who had inserted cOndi-
tiOn in their offers, had bid in good faith,
and should be SO met by tho city. COun-
ellis have signified their readiness to meet
the condition contained in those bids by
the proposed supplemental ordinance ill.,
trOduced this evening and favOrably re
ported, and he did not think that bidders
who had asked for that condition should
be thrown out and compelled to bid Il
second time. Besides, Mr.. McMullen
argued, if this action of select council
stands it will leave but 4 very small frac-
tiOn Of the loan taken, the great proper
tion Of the bids having contained the very
condition it is proposed to meet with 4
supplementary ordinance, and the specta-
Gle Of the city of Lancaster advertising a
second time for the bulk of its new loan
will not be at all complimentary to our
credit. He moved to non concur in select
council amendment.
Mr.. Brown expressed views similar to
those Of Mr.. McMullcn, and thought that
common council should refuse to concur
in the amendment proposed by select
counsel.
The motion to nou-concur was agree
to, and Messrs. McMullen and Brown were
appointed committee of conference
on the part of common council.
In select council Messrs. Eberly and
Zecher were appointed to meet them, and
the conferees retired. After somewhat
prOtracted discussion the common council
conferees yielded to the persuasive argu-
ments Of the gentlemen from the other
side of the house, and reported in favor Of
concurrinS in select councils amendment,
which was agreed to.
Common council adjourned to meet this
evening, when final action will he taken
upon the supplementary ordinance.
Select Council.
In select council the following named
members were present !: Messrs. Barr,
DOerr, Eberly, Franklin, Judith, Zecher,
and Evans, president.
President Evans stated that the meet
ing had been called at the request Of the
finance committee, to consider 4 proposed
amendment to the ordinance to refund the
city debt.
Mr.. Eberly presented the following veto
message from the mayor, which was read {:
To the Honorable the Select and Common
Councils Of the city Of Lancaster:
GENTLEMEN herewith return to your
honorable bodies, without my approval,
the ordinance entitled "An ordinance for
the appointment of clerk of the market
committee"
Fully appreciating the efforts Of councils
to secure strict accountability f. ON all city
officers of the moneys belonging to the
city which may pass into their hands, l
regret to say that, in my opinion, the ortii-
nance under consideration fails to effect
this object. Amy city officer receiving
thousands of dollars of the city's moneys
should he obliged to enter into bonds of a
sufficient amount to secure the city against
loss. In this respect the ordinance before
mo affords less protection than the
one it proposes to supersede.