The Portland daily press., 1884-02-02
No Statement Yet.


no authoritative statement of the condition
of the city's finances, by which alone tie
eulogies of the business management
OF Mayor behring's administration can be
ccnclusiVey justified. From time to time
for months past, the third page of the Ar
gus has contained the most confident and
positive assertions of the excellent results of
the present Mayors administration. His
close personal attention TO every department
OF the city's business has been lauded
without stin., sometimes anonymously, but
more frequently over the well-iden,itied sig
nature of 'Looker On" once in willie ov-
er some other signature. Now If all that is
SO loudly claimed be true il must have re-
suited in an important saving, surplus Of
appropriations which will make a handsome
addition to the sinking fund. Nothing
would contribute SO much to help the May
or realize his ambition to be reelected as
such showing, and this increases the sur
prise that it is not made when called for. or
without being called for.
IL Is all The more necessary. that this ex-
hibit should be made, if it can be done. be-
cause there are some facts and some rumors
winch tend to create contrary impression.
In these times people are inclined 10 be
somewhat suspicious of any business man
agement which vaunts itself as excellent.
but is careful to prevent anybody from get
ting sight of the balance sheet. Among
the facts that are known are these: That
some OF the matters upon which money has
been spent have far exceeded, in actual
cost, the amount originally appropriated.
for example, the Chestnut street school
house job, done by days work, at the in
stance of the Mayor, and costing several
Thousand dollars more than responsible par
ties offered to contract to do it for. Then
there is the unfinished job of the CONNER
cial street sewer, the appropriation for
which is believed to have been exhausted.
Ii it is not exhausted, such an exhibit is
we have urged would show it at once. Then
it is known that there are bills duly audited.
that are commonly paid much earlier in the
city's financial year, but are held back for
some reason. 1t is understood that the
contingent appropriation. which was suppos-
ed to be large enough to help out some Of
the other appropriations if necessary, has
no available surplus for that purpose. Tn
less our information is sadly at fault. sewers
al appropriations which might be expected
to show surplus, were practically exhaust
ed months ago. If there Is any mistake
about this, statement from the Auditor
would set the public right
Moreover,a few weeks ago an order which
passed the Common Council authorizing
the City Auditor to make :. report to the
City Council, at stated periods, of the cond-
ton of the several appropriations, was op-
posed and defeated by the Mayor and his
friends in the Board of Aldermen. They
acted In the matter az if the very thing they
were most anxious should not be done was
that which would justify beyond question
the praises bestowed on this administration
by It's friends, if they were, in fact, deserved
We believe the pretext which vas put for
ward as reason for not adopting this order
was that it would conflict with section II of
of the joint rules which is as follows:
Each committee having in charge the expenditure
of money, during this municipal year, shall report
to The City Council at the first meeting of each al
ternate month, or at the next meeting thereafter.
the amount of money expended during the preeed-
ing two months; also the amount of bills as nearly
as practicable, remaining unpaid.
Probably nobody, but our Mayor and his
partisan friends, viii be able to discover any
thing in the order proposed that is incon-
sistent with the enforcement of this rule.
In fact these two reports, one from the audi
tor, and one from each committee, would to
certain extent confirm each other, If both
were carefully and correctly made. Perhaps
it might be argued with some plausibilty
that report from the auditor would be SUI
perfuous if this rule were strictly enforced.
as it is not. If anybody should apply to
the city clerk foi the reports of the sew
eral committees that were made to the
City Council at the first meeting in May or
July, or September, or November, or Janua-
ry,he would probably be somewhat curiously
regarded.
The policy of this administration is to
conceal the facts until after the election and
to ask the taxpayers to take the certificate
OF LOCKER ON as to the success in an eco
nomical poin of view of the administration
of Mayor Deering.