The daily gazette., 1882-05-31
MR.. GUTHRIE'S ANSWER
HIS REPLY THE CITIZENS
REFORM COMMITTEE.
HIS VIEWS ON FINANCIAL POLICY
He Tells What His Views are ON Munici:
pal Reform and the Tax Rate-An In
teresting Letter.

City Treasurer Guthrie makes the follow
| ing reply to the letter of the Citizens
Reform Associations committee
WILMINGTON, DEL, May 80, 1882
| Thomas McCorkIe and Others Committee of
the Workingnen's Reform Association
GENTLEMEN Yours of the Goth inst. is
just received. / take your questions and in
quiries to apply more directly TO candidates
| for City Council than to myself / have
been the candidate OF my party for several
weeks past for the office OF City Treasurer
and II you seriously thought it necessary to
ask my views on the questions you pro-
pound l think you should have done so
earlier. ! received your communication to-
day and you ask for an answer by to-
morrow.
The first question Is, "What is your bust
| ness?'
Answer-"City Treasurer, at present."
second-"How long have you been a resi-
dent of Wilmingtonl"
In answer will state, % years.
Third-"What is the assessed value of
| your real estate 7"
As nearly as l know at this present time,
without looking at this years assessment,
between 81, 900 and 5000.
Your fourth and fifth questions, gentle
men, are nearly alike, and take it that an
| answer to one will be answer to both The
| fourth question Is, "If elected will you
oppose any further addition to the public
debt of Wilmington 2" My past record, If
not forgotten, is the best answer to these
questions If you had watched my course
while member of City Council and in
quired, you would have no need to ask me
| the two last questions. | have, as all
| sensitive men, a delicacy in speak
ing of myself, but on this occasion
/ must be pardoned If call your attention
to few facts concerning myself. / have
| lived in Wilmington, as ! said before, %
years, ever since / came of age, and voter.
paid all county, poor, city and school taxes
long before / owned any real estate, and no
tax collector ever had to call on me for
those taxes. have been in business for
myself since I was 10 years of age and
handled hundreds of thousands, if not mil
| lions, of dollars, and no person ever had to
present me with bill or ask me for money
| that / owed second time. have been the
public's servant the last four years and
| say to you that have never in that time for
one moment, whenever the occasion oc-
Cured, failed TO denounce extravaganza and
stop it wherever could. The closing up of
| the city hospital and my opposition
to the grand banquet on the event of
the completion of the new reservoir
are matters of public record. During my
| official connection with the city there has
been two sessions of the Legislature. 1t has
fell to my lot to have business to Dover fire.
quently, concerning city affairs, during
the sessions of these two Legislatures, and
also in connection with the Court House re-
moval, and ut no time did 1t cost the city or
| the taxpayers one cent for my fare or
expenses. This will surprise some persons
who have been connected with city affairs
heretofore. But there are tax collectors
and ex-tax collectors living in Wilmington,
there are city officials and eX-city officials,
there are business men and ex-business men
of both parties, and If they or any of them
find in this my answers to your questions,
any thing that is not strictly true they are at
liberty to contradict them but should any
one undertake to do so, let them give their
names.
Your sixth question is;
''If elected please state especially what
reduction in the number Of public employees
and what reduction in public expenses will
YOU support with the view of extinguishing
the debt of Wilmington ~
This question requires more time and
space than / have at present, and it is not
clear whether it is intended for city officials
or outdoor employees or both. will say,
however, that if all the city officials were
located in one building one or two might be
dispensed with.
To the seventh question, "What are your
views in regard to the present rate of taxa
tion and the proposition to raise the same ~
answer that do not believe twill be neces-
sary to raise the tax rate. In the estimates
presented to the City Council last week for
next year there are two whole loans falling
due next year, to wit: Loans No. 6 and No.
z. 1t is not necessary and it would not be
wise to pay off two whole loans by taxation
in one year, for loan No. is also due and
payable the following year, that is 1884, and
the next Legislature no doubt will be asked
for authority to refund those loans at a low
rate of interest. The refunding of loans as
they become due, will not, as you under
stand, add anything to the funded debt 1t
would be a good thing for the city If all the
funded debt was due now, so that it could
be refunded at low rate of interest. The
most important matter is to keep from in
creasing the funded debt As it stands now
tits not burdensome, nor is it very large for
a city like ours. The net funded debt OF
the city at this present time is 81 ,5S5, 100.
The people must not think that the funded
debt is being always piled up and nothing
being paid off. Such is not the case. Six
loans have been entirely paid off. Nos. l,
2, 3, 4, 5 and 8. OF all the loans issued
J since 1855, 1884, $50 have been paid off.
Finally, am opposed to funding any more
debt.
Your eighth question is, "Give your views
I'm the matter of municipal reform" This
question, gentlemen, seems short and perti-
nent, but at the same time one that would
require small volume to answer fully. The
first and most important quality for reform
is honesty the second is good common
sense and good judgment, and the third il
good business qualifications 1t does moi
require every man to be lawyer like Solon
or an orator like Demosthenes, to govern q
small city like ours, but it does require
honesty, good common sense and bust
, ness qualifications, and until the people
find these qualities, which every one ought
: to possess, there will be need of reform.
t Your ninth question about my views or
the salary of Councilmen will answer by
saying that believe the salary of Council II
now right. Most respectfully,
JOHN GUTHRIE.
, A Horrible Crime.