Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-01-06
la,lcastcr fi,tell;genrer.
THURSDAY EVENING. JAN. Q, 1881.
A Sense!ess Quarrel.

A Sense!ess Quarrel.
This quarrel, that is going on between
the city treasurer and councils, is very
unnecessary and silly affair, especially un
dignified On the part of the city authori-
ties, who should sccrn to exhibit the pet
tiness and malice that has all along been
shown by them towards the treasurer, in
our opinion, as we have more than once
declared. They charge the treasurer
with obstinate and contemptuOus treat
ment of them, and no doubt, with JUS
tice; but they had no right to expect
better treatment from an officer whom
they hastened to charge with embezzle-
ment, on manifestty insufficient evil
dence, and without giving him an oppor-
tunity to present his side of the story to
them, to 60 to the public with their
charge against him.
II Mr.. Welchans has been guilty of
embezzlemen:. it certainly has not been
shown; and the fact that the finance
committee Of councils are willing to
swear to their belief that he has'done so,
does not prove it. We have read their
oath with great surprise, as it seems to
us to have been very ,asilly taken. Under
our understanding of the facts we
do not see how they could con
scientiously swear as they have
done. Yet they are reputable citizens,
whom we would not suspect OF Il willing
ness to state what they believed to he all
untruth. and they are entitled to our be
lief that they do believe What they have
sworn to. We 90 not. The whole mat
ter, so far as the cause Of the dispute is
made public, arises in ii difference re-
tween the finance committee and the
city treasurer as TO whether he should be
charged with tie whole duplicate of the
city tax, and obtain exemption from it
for such items rs are not collected. or
whether he shall only charge himself
with the amount OF money received by
him on the duplicate. Obviously this is a
difference of tweedledum and tweedle-
dee of course the treasurer can only lie
held liable for the taxes paid to him !:
and if he is charged with those not paid
he must he eXonerated from them. 1t
would seem that the simplest way would
be to keep the books as the treasurer
wishes for there is 40 propriety in
charging him with muuey he does not
get or undertake to get, aiiI compelling
him to ask the finance committee to re-
lieve him. He does not owe the taxes {;
why then charge them to him? He does
owe the money he collects: and that
only should lie he asked to account for.
There is Il small! matter OF some seven
hundred dollars uncoilected tax that ap-
parently has created all this hubbub. A
Thousand dollars of the alleged deficit has
been admitted by the treasurer us proper
ly c!largeahle to him, and he has charged
himself with it: which should settle the
trouble about that, although the finance
committee seem 20 cal! upon the treas
He can only Ee ci!le;. Il; for tie balance
in his shands at tie end of his tenn of Of
flee.
In suspendins the city treasurer last
law gives them. They could have done
nothing else under the affidavit of the
finance committee. l: they had then ar-
pointed a temporary successor, such Sue
cessor might have been entitled under
the law to claim possession Of the treas
urer's Office and books. Although there
is nothing in the law expressly warrant
ing such a demand Oh his part, yet it
would probably be an implied right
from his appointment as it is a well
recognized rule that When the law i'm
poses duty i; gives with it the needed
powers and facilities 20 discharge that
duty. But when councils put the finance
committee in charge of the treasurer S
Office they did what they do not seem to
have had any warrant for under the
terms of the statute, which only author
ICES them TO appoint /; {; SUCCESSOR" to
the removed treasurer; that is, another
treasurer. Obviously the four members
of the finance committee cannot bc 4
successor " or a treasurer" And as
the treasurer's properly appointed ''suc-
cessor r" only could demand possession of
his office and public books and property
even if he cou!d-the finance COM
mittee seems to be in the wrong
in attempting to take possession of
the Office, and the treasurer right
I'm resisting their assumption.
The advice of his counsel to him, how
ever, to protect his books with his pistol
was quite rash, because the game did not
justify the candle and a court and jury,
to say nothing Of public sentiment, would
have looked coldly upon the merits of a
defence for murder based upon an alleged
necessity for the defense of a safe which
wasn't in any danger at all, and whose
assailant was, i'm fact, its real owner. We
rejoice that milder cOunseis have soothed
the fiery spirits of the belligerent coun-
sci and that the city authorities are to be
hauled before the court on 4 bill of equi
ty instead of being sent to heaven out of
a revolver's mouth.
THE Easton Express assumes too muc!
when it declares that anything short OF
hanging would he condOnatiOH of the
legal offense of Snyder's lynchers. Nc
y L.