Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-08
A CARD FROM MAYOR TURNER,

the ley of city taxes, in which it is stated
that sat secret meeting of the Board of
Trustees " it was agreed to levy certain taxes,
etc. Permit me to say that since 1 have
been member of the Board of City Trus.
tees no secret meeting has ever been held
At public meeting, at which James Nc
CATCHY was present, with Others, the Trus-
tees entered into an agreement to levy taxes
IN conformity with the law under which the
funded debt of the city was created. This
agreement was made to prevent suits being
brought against the city for the payment of the
unpaid coupons, amounting 60 $500, 600, One
suit for $40 600 had already been commenced
by George Cadwalader. The agreement
does not imply an increase in the
rate of taxation or special tax.
The holders of unpaid coupons had deter.
mined to bring suit to save their claims from
being barred by statutory limitation. They
agreed to relinquish all claim for the delin-
quent interest of 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876
and 1877, if the Trustees would hereafter act
IN accordance with the statute under which
the debt was created. The holders of the
city debt can by mandamus force the Trus-
tees to do this anyhow. Now, as to refund
ing the debt that proposition came from the
hondholders. 1t was refused by the Trustees.
hS DD-lt-4J4e-Sis kItt'oSSd 10 nave us 16IQlu
the coupons in four-per-cent. bonds, and re-
fund the bonds at four per cent. AS to re-
funding the coupons and paying interest
upon them, | am unalterably opposed to
any such scheme. AS to refundirg
bonds at fifty cents on the dollar at a
lower rate of interest, I for one stand ready
| to accept at once. IT any bondholder, or any
other public creditor, desires to reduce his
| old claim against the city, for new one in
half the amount and at reduced interest. thew
can be accommodated without delay. The
! bondholders proposed to refund at par that
Is, they proposed to convert non-interest.
! bearing debt into an interest-bearing debt.
thereby increasing the interest bill of the city
| 81, QUO year. We have been discharging
the city bonded debt at 80 cents on the dollar.
The bondholders admit that their refundiug
scheme would place the new bonds at par
The refunding proposition is device of the
bondholders. They have not proposed to re-
| fund at anything less than par, and their
! proposition included refunding the delinquent
interest. 1t is but justice to myself to say
that since the agreement referred TO was
made the Supreme Court of the United States
| has decided that municipal property, such
as water works, city halls, public
parks, ETC., cannot be taken to satisfy
Judgment against municipality. If that
decision had been rendered prior TO the COM
promise alluded to, the then impending Isuits
would have appeared less formidable.
shall embrace an early occasion to ex-
plain to this public the whole status of the
city debt My object in writing this was
| simply to deny that the administration of the
matter had been by "secret meetings or by
any other than upon open ordinary public and
fair methods. Respectfully,
JABEz Turner.
WATER AND WEATHER river was
shown yesterday, by the gauge at the foot of
K street, to be steadily falling an average of
about half an inch an hour, and last evening
had so far receded as to considerably relieve
the high water in many places along the river
front where sipage water was in lower stories.
At the Police Station the water has nearly
disappeared from the lower floor, where there
was nearly foot of water two or three DAYS
ago, and similar results are noticed in many
places along Front street. The river has now
fallen about two feet, and the high water has
ceased to be considered as menacing the
levees. The water in the southern part
of the city raised about three inches
yesterday, and will probably continue to
rise until effective pumping is commenced |
A visit to Eighteenth and Il streets was
made at late hour last night, when the
water from Burns slough was found to be |
passing through to the south with a very
good current. The Board of Supervisors
made an official visit yesterday afternoon to
the Sanborn artesian wells, which have been
copiously adding to the food of water in
Burns slough. They took with them NJ R. |
Rose, who formerly bored the wells, and who |
it was believed could solve the long, much |
talked-of problem as to whether they could |
be stopped, and thus prevent their volume |
pouring into the city faster than a gang of |
pumps at Y street could raise it over the |
levee again. Mr. Rose took with him an |
armful of gunny-sacks, and with a few
minutes work effectually closed them. |
There we're five wells flowing their full vol |
ume, enough to make quite a river of them
selves. So this long perplexing question |
about closing these wells-which have con-
tinued to help food the upper part of the |
city, because the Board of Trustees had no |
authority to close them-has at last been |
solved with an expense of PROBABLY less than
five dollars. It commenced raining again |
yesterday morning at about / o'clock, and |
continued at times throughout the day. The |
rainfall to o'clock last evening for the |
month was 2.70 inches for the season to |
date, 20 20 inches TO corresponding date in |
1880, 7.9S, and in 1879, inches. At midnight |
the river marked twenty-four feet and three |
inches. At l o'clock this morning the |
clouds were broken and the moon shining, |
but the wind was still in the southeast. At |
Blue Canyon it was cloudy; at Emigrant
Gap, raining, and showing at Summit and |
Truckee. The barometer was rising at Sum-
NIT, and marked % 10.
ExEMPTs' BANQUET.-The Exempt Fire
mems Association held its annual banquet |
last evening At the hall the following Off |
GERS were installed: President, P. S. Law
son; First Vice-President, Grove L. John
son; Second Vice President j. c. Devine /;
Treasurer, George a. Putnam; Secretary, |
John Domingos. The company then marched |
to Fishers banquet-rooms, where an excel !
lent table was spread. creditable in all re-
spects to the caterer, and which won |
compliments from the entire party. After
the supper was discussed to salts
faction toasts were in order, and |
were given and responded to as follows:
The Exempt Firemen's Association of |
Sacramento, responded to by Senator Grove |
L. johnson City of Sacramento" re-
sponded to by Judge W. A. Henry; "The |
Sacramento Paid Fire Department." re-
sponded to by Daniel Brown 1.-THE County |
of Sacramento" responded to by Supervisor |
J. ". Wilson; The Old Volunteer Fire |
Department of Sacramento" responded to
by Martin Steinmetz California" re-
sponded to by Supervisor J. +. brennan !;
The National Guard, responded to by Z. |
II. Mckee The Press, responded to by |
A. Black: The Old Boys" responded to |
by B. Kozminsky: ''Our Treasury-guard |
it well, responded TO by George A. Putnam. |
Volunteer toasts then followed and the fes-
tivities were continued until late hour.
SUICIDE WITH LAUDANUM.-Night before
last Max Bechtel, a German, aged about %
years, and formerly in the employ of L.
Gruhler YVES found in his room at No. S27 J |
street under the influence of hudanum !
poison. A physician was called, and every |
effort made to revive him, but he remained |
unconscious until about o'clock last |
evening, when he died. His remains were |
removed to the Coroner's rooms, and an in |
quest will be held at o'clock this evening. |
The deceased is said to have been drinking |
heavily for few days past, and was in |
very desp ondent state of mind. This is the |!
same young man who stabbed and killed |
George Martin in this city ON the 18th day of |
June, 1879, and who was acquitted upon trial |
upon the ground that he committed the act |
in self-defense. Mr.. Bechtel was a single |
man, and his parents are said to reside in |
Milwaukee, Wis.
METROPOLITAN THEATER.-Taylor, the ma
gician, had good house last night and gave
good performance, showing improvement |