Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1881-08-27

committee was compelled to guess
at the amount. | demanded that
the Sergeant be responsible or cen
sured for such gross incompetency
orneglect. The majority refused to
do this and passed the matter over
lightly. Now / submit that this is
not the way to conduct the business
of the Corporation.
The taxpayers expect the officers
OF the Corporation to keep their
books in such way that it
would not be necessary to guess at
amounts in settlement. Again,
the Finance Committee submitted
a majority report, to which | OBJ
jected, and which contained the fol-
lowing: Gin the charges to the
Sergeant of market revenues, fines
and sundry licences, amounting in
all to $5S7,75, the Sergeant has re-
turned to the Corporation $11.73
more than the Clerk has him charg-
ed with. The committee in making
up their statement took the amount
furnished by the Sergeant, believing
his statement from his books cor
rect.'
refused to sign this report for
the following reasons, stated at the
time:
LIST. A report showing differ
ence in the balance of accounts be-
tween the books of the Clerk, which
are the only check on the Sergeant,
and those of the Sergeant is no re.
port at all, unless the causes of the
difference are shown.
End. The committee had no right
to take the Sergean's books in set
Element with himself, instead of
! the Clerks, which are the only
check on the Sergeant.
3rd. How did the committee ar
rive at the conclusion that the Ser
geant's books were correct, and the
| Clerks not, and what right had they
| to inject into their report such a
palpable reflection upon the compe-
tency of the clerk, without stating
their reasons for it, or backing it up
with proof.
4th. The Clerk is the only check
on the Sergeant and yet the commit
tee submitted report in which they
stated that they settled with the Ser
geant by his own books.
Whoever before heard of such q
thing :?
This report was submitted and
forced through by the council by 9
yea and nay vote, of 5 to 2.
| Further, the committee haG
knowledge of several errors in the
Sergeant's books before they sub
mitted the report in which they stat
ed that his books were correct, and
that the Clerks were not. They
knew that on a fine bill against
M.-T.-returned by the Ser
geant, there ought to have been Q
credit of SIS, and credit OF So or
another against Mag Burke. Tht
credits were made when brought tC
the Sergeant's attention, but thi.
fact ought to have made the com
mittee careful about their state
ment, that they had settled by hi'
books instead of the Clerk s, "be-
lieving them to be correct"
Now let us see how their report
tallies with the facts. Let us SEE
whether or not the report which
they submitted and rushed through
ought not to he eXpunged from tn,
records.
At the last meeting the committee
submitted another repOrt-tne iiua
summing up-and asked to hav,
it passed. | objected to this report
and gave as reason, that two q
the bills in the hands OF the com
mittee, turned over by the Sergeant
and for which they had given hin
credit, had been paid, one for Sc 81
he had collected the money on, anC
on the other he held a watch as col
lateral. Now these two bills will
about wipe out the discrepancy O.
$ll.73 which the committee stated
in a former report to exist between
the books of the Clerk and those O.
the Sergeant, and ought to wip,
from the records the reflection which
that report cast upon the efficiency
of the Clerk.
But according to this report Of
the committee showing difference
of $l1.73 between the books of the
Clerk and the Sergeant, the cast
is still worse. The committee must
stand to their report, because it was
adopted by their own votes, and
stands on the records. Now let u:
examine it in the light of facts
There is a matter of $40, rent from
Mr.. e. Lambert's room in the mar
ket house, which according to this
report Of the committee, is nowhere
accounted for. The Clerk has ne
control over this rent and has no &C
count of it on his books. The re
port shows a difference of Sl173 be
! tween the books of the Clerk anC
the Sergeant, whereas the Sergeant:
books ought to show $Sl.73 more
than the Clerk has him charged
with.
On these grounds | objected t
thn tinal ralAArt of tLn nNnAlnil tan N.