Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-09-25

SION III Tue lnatlei, lbblibb ~ ~ ~ OuN0
to the court of last resort to be decided
on its merits. An impeachment trial
having been determined on, all inte-
rested are surely concerned in pushing
very dissgreeable proceedings to a
speedy end.
The charges under which Mayor
Smith has bean impesched were brought
against him by local newspaper.
This journal about the lst Of July al
legged startling condition of affairs in
the Mayors office. asserting that mo-
neys which had been paid to Mayor
Smith for pawnbrokers' licenses had
been deposited in the Mayors bank
under an account styled William b.
Smith, treasurer" and which the
Mayor drew upon as his private &C.
count. 1t was further stated that the
checks which the pawnbrokers had
filled out to the order of the
City Treasurer had been altered in the
Mayors office so that they could be
deposited to the Mayors account; that
this account, which was made up of
moneys belonging to the city, had fire.
auently been oyerdrawn, and that on
more than one occasion the Mayors
checks drawn against this deposit had
gone to protest because there was no
money to the account. The County
Controller wrote a sharp letter to the
Mayor, stating the law on the question
of the receipt of money belonging to
the city by public officials. 1t provides
that money received by city officials
from such sources be turned in to the
city treasurer at the close Of each days
business. In his explanation Mayor
Smith took the ground that until GER
tain conditions had been complied with
by the pawnbrokers, the licenses were
not considered perfect, and the moneys
for them could be retained by him until
such proper action was taken. He fur
Their defended his course by claiming
that he had acted under the advice OF
his lawyers.
A committee of eight was appointed
by the Common Council to investigate
the charges against the Mayor, and was
empowered to summon witnesses and
take testimony. 1t was shown before
this committee that in 1885 the Mayor
did not pay into the city treasury the
licenses collected from pswnbrokers
and several other sources until some
time in December; that checks made
pay able to the city treasurer had
been altered and deposited to the
Mayors account as treasurer"
and the Mayors secretary, Major
John L. Linton, was proven to
have been culpably careless in the
handling of the moneys paid him for
licenses of various kinds. The Mayors
clerk, Howard March, said that he had
retained for over year sums paid for
licenses amounting to over $1,000.
March claimed that the money was
kept as fund for the purchase of
postage-stamps and other incidentals Of
office use. After testifying no went to
his Office and resigned, previously send
ing the city treasurer the money which
be had retained. Secretary Linton, it
was shown, had paid bis last months
house-rent with check which had been
given him by cosl-oil dealer for his
license. Mayor Smith, in his own de-
fence, testified before the committee,
and denied all intent to defraud the
city. This is generally believed by the
citizens Of Philadelphia, many of whom
are said to entertain the opinion that
Mayor Smith will retire from Office in
the Select Council-room when the case
is presented for trial. On the other
hand, some of his leading friends main
tain that the decision in the impeach-
ment trial will result in the failure to
convict him, and that the decision of
the Common Council is consequently
one which will prove 10 be favorable to
his interest.
Mayor Smith was elected on the Re-
publican ticket by about six thousand
majority. He was originally carpen-
ter. His personal appearance does not
suggest bis possession of extraordinary
ability. Red-haired and Aorid-fsced,
be Is . man easily remembered and
recognized. The term Of Office for
which he is elected will expire in about
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