Omaha daily bee., 1883-11-10
ANOTHER KICK.
Judge AylGSWOTth Wants to Change
the City'S Financial Policy,
He Asks for an Injunction Mt Judge
Reeds Hands.

Council BlulS WOulu IlaTuly hllOM iCseil
if IL did not have one or more injunction
suits on its hand. When there is moth
ing else to do the citizens always try and
get an injunction to stop something or
another. This time it is Judge Ayles-
worth who comes to the front and wants
to stop the city council from paying some
of its warrants in cash and others in
promises.
The city has a large number of general
warrants outstanding, and every month
the council transfers $500 or so from the
police fund to a sinking fund to take up
these old warrants in the order of their
issue.
At the same time the countil makes
more or less cash contracts. II pays its
street laborers, police, etc., in warrants,
but these warrants are marked on the
back, ''to be paid in cash." and the city
treasurer takes the money and pays them.
At the next meeting of the council there
is a sufficient amount transferred from
the police fund to the general fund to
make up for this overdraft. The policy
of the council seems to be to pay more
or less of its current expenses in cash, as
labor can be thus got for less, and the
city saves by it, at the same time the
policy has been to take up the old out
standing warrants as fast as possible.
Judge Aylesworth draws his salary in
general fund warrants, and he has want
ed the council to make his payable at
met in cash, but they have refused, as
they deem his salary q liberal one, and
that he can either afford to wait, or else
stand the shave of some broker.
He doesn't feel this way about it, and
claims that they ought not to make an
exception in favor of a few by paying
their warrants in cash, andlethimando 9TH
ers wait. He moved to have an i%njunc-
ton to stop such favoritism.
He claims that the law recognizes no
such fund as the police fund, and that
all monies from licenses, fines, ETC., shall
go into the general fund, and all warrants
for city expenses drawn upon the general
fund. These warrants shall then be
paid in the order Of their issue.
1t is claimed on the other hand that
the present policy is the only one which
will bring the city's finances into a
healthy condition, and that if allowed to
follow it out, that by next March war
rants will be at par, and in the meantime
the city will be saving money by paying
cash for labor and other expenses, in
stead of paying large wages in general
fund warrants, which they will have to
pay in full some day.
1t is claimed that the most of the out
standing warrants are held by men who
bought them Mt from z to II per cent dis
count, and as they are drawing 6 per
cent interest, these brokers would be the
ones who would gain largely by a change
of financial policy, while the city, by not
being able to pay cash for present SER
vices, would have to pay more for every
thing, thus increasing its expenses, for
the sake of beneftting Spectators, and
men abundantly able to carry the war
rants.
The petition for an injunction was to
be argued before Judge Reed, at Denison,
to-day, but as Judge Aylesworth has a
habeas corpus case coming before him to-
day an arrangement has been made be-
tween him and City Attorney Mayne by
which the matter will be presented to
Judge Reed this evening, if his honor
arrives home in time.
The mayor and city council propose to
fight the case to the bitter end, but it is
threatened that if an injunction is granted
the city will at once discharge its police,
cut down its fire department, stop all city
work on the streets, reduce all possible
running expenses and let the city stand
still and turn all the receipts over to pay
ing up old warrants. Such are the
threats made by some of the officials, but
it is doubtful whether any such desperate
move would be made, even if the %injunc-
ton restraining the issuing of tho cash
warrants be granted.