Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-02-08
CITY COUNCILS,
WELCHAas' sERETIES NoT ACU',M-
MUDATED.

NectiD. os Councils.
Both branches ot the city council neld 4
regular monthly lnee,ing last night, the
las. that will be held before the election
Of new councils. The report of the pro-
ceejinss is given below
IN SELECT COUNCIL.
The following named members We're |
present
Messrs. Baker, Baldwin, Brown, Evans,
Wise, Wolf, Zscher, and Borgcr-presi
dent.
Mr.. Evans presented the monthly report
of the city treasurer and receiver OF taxes,
from which it appeared that the amount
in the city treasury ON the 1St of February
was $IS 62145.
The Welchaus DsfalcatiOn.
Mr.. Evans presented also tho monthly
repors of the finance committee, from
which it appeared that city bonds to the
amount OF $14, 700 had been cancelled. The
report signed by ma jority of the COM
mittee contained 4 proposition tavocing
settlement with the sureties of Edward
WelchauS, late city treasurer, on the
basis proposed by the sureties-,arieiy,
Orecaise from them 81, 900 as payment i'll
full for all claims Of the city against Ed
ward Welchans as city treasurer, in lieu
Of the amount claimed by the city,
Si,OO4 4S.
Mr.. Baker moved ;ho adoption of the
majority report, and, ut some length gave
the reasons which induced him to favor the
compromise.
MIR. Evans presented minority report,
il which was set forth at length facts oI
the difficulties resulting i'll 1890 and 1881
between the late treasurer and the finance
committee his financial suspension from
Office the legal proceedings taken by the
city against his sureties and the judgment
of $4, O04 49 obtained by tue city through
the cOusts. Following is the gist of Mr..
Evans report
"The acceptance of this proposition,
made by the suretieS Of Edward Welchans
| VINO was proven to be defaulter in the
| sum of $4, ,O04 4S, would not meet the ap
| proval of the taxpayers who are the suE-
| ferers by his doiacatiOn, and moreover 1T
| would be an act of great injustice to the
! city of Lancaster. IL would be an ;.ssump
| tion of unwarranted power on the part
! of councils to cancel a part of an adjudi-
Gated claim-a Judgment which is good
| and can be collected, aud ON which large
amount of counsel fees aud costs (aOout
$500 have been expended by the city and
| if the offer We're accepted the city would
have to pay ali additional bill OF costs
amounting to at least $500"
Mr.. Baker said his understanding of
the proposition of Welchans' suretics was
that they were to pay all costs that had
occurred in addition to tho $1,000 offered
by them.
Mr.. Evans read from their proposed
| compromise to show that they offered
only 81, 600 as payment in full. Their pc
| tition for relief bears Il lie on the face of
| it they know they have no case they
| did not even go before the referee BECAUSE
| they had nothing To present !; the figures
| from which the defalcation was made out
were in Welchans' own handwriting and
could not be gainsaid. Besides, the sure
ties were notified OF the defa!cation lonl,
investigating the facts took every means
| to throw obstacles in the way of the
finance committee to :hwart its action and
to secure WechaDs' re- election.
Mr.. Wolf said he heard the surctes
were not aware that Welchans was be-
hind in his accounts. Besides, several of
them are now worth nothing, and it
would be hard TO make one or two pay a
| loss that all were responsible for.
| Mr.. Baker, III view of all the facts, saisi
ne would withdraw his motion to adopt
the majority report. But be would vote
for proposition to accept 81, 600 as pay
ment in full provided Welchans' sureties
pay all costs incurred by the city III lis
prosecution Of tie case.
Mr.. Evans moved the adoption of til,
minority report, and on that motion
called for the yeas AMI nays. A vote was
taken and resulted as follows
| Yeas-Messrs Evans, Wise, Zecller ant
BOrger, PRESIDENT.
Nays-Messrs. Baker, Baldwin, Brown
aud Wolff.
So the motion W - los5 By q tie vote.
Mr.. Baker then moved tho adoption OF
the majority report with pr,'viso added
that the Welch ans siretios 81 ould pay all.
costs. A vote being taken resulted a.
follows:
Yeas-Messrs. Baker, Baldwin, Brown
and Wolff.
Nays-Messrs. Evans, Wise, Zscher ;.nd
Berger, president-4.
So the motion was lost by q tie vote and
the case remains in statu quo.
The Water COMMITTEES.
| Mr.. Wolfe presented the monthly re
port Of the water committee which Was
accompanied by q preamble reciting the
fact that by the erection of a standpipe il
| the western reservoir, al extraordinary
| expense had been incurred which WAS moi
contemplated when the appropriation foi
water works was made that consequently
| the appropriation was nearly exhausted
and a resolution asking councils to trans
fer from the contingent fund to the water
appropriation the sum of $4,000. The
resolution was unanimously adopted
Common council eOncurred.
Suspended Policemen.
A message from the mayor Was read
announcing his suspension of two police
men for misbehavior and his appointing
of substitutes to take their places.
On motion the action of the mayor was
approved.
| The Mayors Fees.
The following preamble and resolution
were presented and unanimously adopted
in both bodies:
WHEREAS, The mayor of the city o
Lancaster receives salary wholly from
the revenues of the city, and not in any
part from those in the county and
WHEREAS, The act of 1860 deprives tht
said mayor in certain cases of any fees,
and in other cases of a larger portion Of
the fees paid other committing magis
trates,
Therefore, be it resolved that we, the
members of the select and common coun
Gil, in council assembled, respectfully ask
the Legislature of Pennsylvania, that the
said act of 1869 be repealed, by putting al
committing magistrates of said city on tht