Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-08-05
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SATURDAY EVENING. AUG. s. iss2.
Is This "A SlenAer Record -
The Philadelphia Press makes the fatal
blunder of undertaking to maintain that
Nj. Pattison's record as controller is
"too slender /" for him to run upon for
governor. Itobjects to the credulous I"
rural Democratic press" giving him
credit for the reforms which have re-
suited in q decreased tax rate, a reduc-
ton of the debt and q decrease in the
annual expenses of the departments of
the city government. At the same time
it says:
Mr.. Pattison's duties rs controller are
those Of treasury Watchdog. 1t is his
business to see that no money is paid out
unless there is proper authority for the
payment. Our rural friends are mistaken
if they think 1t IL any part of his duty to
levy taxes or pay the debt, except as an
accountant he 10 called upon to ascertain
what the tax rate for each year must be,
and what amount, If any, will he avail
able for debt payment. How he is to de:
term,ue tho tax rate is specifically pointed
out by law; but its size depends not upon
the discretion of tho controller, but upon
the economy or the extravaganza Of the
city councils. Warrants upon the treas
ury are valueless without the signature of
the controller, And in the rejection of inn
proper claims consists the whole of Mr..
Pattison's political stock in trade.
II this is true the duties and response
bilities of the controller are a good deal
more than those of mere 6 city's book
keeper" The Office of controller existed
long before Mr.. Pattison filled it. The
difference between his administration of
it and that of his predecessors, and the
different results it brought to the city,
have thus been succinctly stated by that
conservative journal, the Ledger: He
has been attentive, vigilant and faithful
and since his installation in the Office the
ORGANIZED PLUMBER Bf THE DEPART
MENTs, ,ohict formerly passed unchecked
there, and in some instances was carried
on by collusiOn, has scholiy ceased SO far
as his official power extends" And the
Press itself has said His administra-
tion of his Office as controller adds to
his strength, but it makes conspicuous
his representative character as a Re-
former" 1t is nowhere pretended that
Mr.. Pattison's character as a refOrmer -
has been gained simply by improved
methods of bookkeeping" The fact
of the matter is that the Office of con-
trOller is by far the most important in
the municipal system of Philadelphia,
and Mr.. PattisOn's administration has
done more than any other circumstance
TO give success to the movement for
reform there. 1t is only the simple truth
that when he first entered upon its du
ties unparalleled municipal extravaganza
prevailed. There was reckless waste in
the appropriations, criminal neglect in
the collection of taxes and hideOus and
open corruption i'm its disbursement.
Who but the controller grappled with
those abuses ?
While the population Of Philadelphia
had increased only one-fifth and the
value Of its property scarcely One-tllird,
its debt was doubled and the interest on
its obligations required an annual
levy of one per cent. on the property.
On January I, 1878, the annual deficien
cies, counting the deficiency loan of So
I93, ,s77 had reached Sl7 ,OS7 ,6s7, a condi
tion of affairs which had been brought
about not SO much by bad book keeping
as by bad housekeeping. 1t cost the
city of Philadelphia hundreds of thou.
sands of dollars annual interest on its
unpaid and overdue warrants. At this
time there was no we'll organized Reform
movement and no Committee of Ono
Hundred. PattiSOn took his Office on Jan
uary l, 1878, and two years later, for the
first time in her history, Philadelphia
began the year without an unpaid war.
rant afloat, and on August 1, 1880 it WAS
found that the city debt had been low.
cred So, 753, ,32l.46.
These results were reached by Control.
ler PattisOn, with the aid of other Off
cials it is true: but by his direction
mainly, because he did not confine him
self to the view Of his office taken by the
Press. As has been said with entire &C.
curacy and truthfulness, ''he left unused
no privilege, he failed to exert no au
thority that could not contribute to this
result. 1t is notorious that his prede-
cessOrs regarded their duties as simply
ministerial. They countersigned war
rants without examination. Vouchers
were never called for. The legal re.
quirements were not exacted. Pattison's
immediate predecessor persistently re.
fused to furnish for publication amounts
of warrants countersigned by him, and
his annual statements could be compre.
hended by none but experts. The frauds
that Pattiso0 prevented, the leaks in the
treasury that he stopped, not only put
money in the city's purse, but constrain
ed carefulness and honesty on the part OF
ohlcials and claimants. He unearthed
frauds committed by means of bo-
gus jury lists and compelled q
detected officer of the court tc
fee the jurisdiction. He ascertained tha,
large sums of money had been paid fol
work never performed and materials
never furnished. BY stern and timely