Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-12-17

MONDAY svErrNa, DEC. II, 1888.
Concerning M MCinp Tran

The Ncto IRA assumes that when
Mayor MacGonigle's bump of economy
swells so big as TO demand a rap from
Select Councilman Evans, his honor
would do well to pause and revise his
reckonings." This assumption does no
credit to the intelligence or fairness of
our esteemed contemporary. IL 1t will
examine the facts and figures of the
issue between the mayor and the chair
man Of the street committee, arising out
OF the vetoed proposition to transfer
1880 more from the contingent fund to
the street appropriation, 1t will discover
that Select Councilman Evans has been
favoring most flagrant " misappropria
tion and indulging in clap trap" in
defense of 1t.
In opposition to this resolution of
councils, the mayor presented as an in
vlncible reason against it q statement of
expenditures amounting to more than
twice as much as the present balance
OF the contingent fund, which he says
are due and payable this year. Mr..
Evans says that certain of them are not
Let US see. The items of 5000 for asses
sors' pay, $50 for ice, &c, are singled
out by Mr.. Evans as expend which
can properly be met out Of next years
appropriations. Nobody knows better
than Mr.. Evans that the assessors pay
for the services they are now rendering
comes out Of this years receipts. 1t has
been customary at the closing Of the
appeals, held always in April, for the f.
nance committee to approve the asses
sors' bills for 500 each, and these bills
have invariably been paid Immediately
when there was money in the contingent
fund. If they were not paid it was be
cause there were too many raids on the
contingent fund, as there were this year.
But these bills were due, and will be
again next April, when the assessors con.
clude their work and hand over their
books to the treasurer. So with the
item for ice which the station house,
treasurer's aud mayors offices received
last summer and up to this time.
And nothing is palmer than that the mu
nicipal management should provide for
each yelr's expenses out of that years
receipts. Much of the confusion and
frequent embarrassment Of the fiscal
affairs OF our city government result
from the impruient and unbusineSslike
system We have fallen into Of taking the
money out of the next years receipts to
meet this years appropriations. This
is particularly the case with the water
rents, and If the zeal Of the chairman OF
the street committee did not blind his
judgment as chairman of the finance
committee. Mr.. Evans would try to
reform rather than to extend this system
Of robbmg Peter to pay Paul.
Bat, shifting his ground, Mr.. Evans
maintained also that the contingent
fund would be swelled before the end of
the fiscal year to meet the extraordinary
drains upon it, by moneys coming in
from the payment Of the Welchans de
falcatiOn. Mr. Evans knows as we'll as
Z the mayor that Of the s. 600 received
from this source, or of the balance yet
to be paid in, not dollar can be touched
for contingent or any other expense ex.
cept by appropriation. There was a
specific sum given the contingent .
at the beginning of the fiscal year, aud
no more than that amount can be spent
il there were millions in the treasury, GX
cept by appropriation and when the
chairmar Gays to the contrary he is using
" the veIiest clap trap" 4" that was ever
heard from 80 astute flnancier. Besides
the entire amount of this defalcatiOn
was appropriated two years ago, and in
the year that the defalcation occurred
every dollar of the city's receipts was
divided among the various appropra-
tions. III the late treasurer failed to
return the city over 81, 600 is it not true
that our appropriations are that much
short yet, unless made up from some other
source?
The NetO Era's assumption Of the in
fallibility Of Mr.. Evans judgment Is sad.
ly disturbed by the fact that in 1877,
when the mayor pointed out that the
system OF anticipating appropriations
with expenditures, would result in large
deficiencies, Mr., Evans sturdily denied
it and pronounced those apprehensions
as "clap trap" And yet in the succeed.
ing July an ordinance had to be passed
adding 900 to the city debt to meet
these defciences-whicho occurred by the
very same plan as Mr.. Evans now advo-
Gates, robbing the contingent fund TO
swell the street appropriations and then
carrying over the contingent expenses
of this year to be met out of next years
appropriations.
Getting Together.