Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-08-31
6bk faifaster Jntflii9tnfer.
LAHcAsrRR AUGUST 81. 1855.
Net wide Awake Yet.

Mr.. johnson yesterday paid to the city
treasurer its moneys collected by him, less
the sum he claims for fees. He tells us
that the chairman Of the finance COM
mittee has had his statement for two
months and he thought it was satisfactory
until he was wakened up one evening by
IN INTELLIeENCER editorial"
1t is the function of the INTELLIGEN-
GER to waken up people of the johnson
kind, and its experience with him is that
he needs pretty heavy shock to waken
and steady shaking to keep awake. And
now that under the pressure of
resolution by committee of councils,
instructing the city solicitor to in
stitute a criminal action for en-
bezzlement against the ex-city solicitor,
Mr.. johnson pays over part of the city's
money, we think 1t possible that a steady
holding by the collar, and some further
strong words in the ex-city solicitors ear
may induce him to see that he should
send a further check to the city treasurer.
He has by no means as yet cleared his
skirts. The impression he says he was un-
der, that the finance committee was com
pletely satisfied with his retention of the
moneys he held, was so baseless as to
strikingly exhibit the wonderful imagi-
nation of Mr.. johnson.
That imagination, he confesses, misled
him into keeping sl,479.9l of the city's
funds to which he had no claim, because
he thought the finance committee was sat
isfied, and delighted perhaps, to have him
take care of it. He found out otherwise
only when We told him; and when the
councils resolved that he was an embezzler
he concluded that it was time to waken up
to the fact that he had better pay over
what he had no claim to.
Mr.. johnson will shortly see that he has
no claim to the s3s6.65 which he still holds
The ordinance distinctly states that the
city solicitor shall have no other compen-
sation than his salary. Therefore,
MIR. johnson has no legal claim to
the extra fees he charges. That is
perfectly clear. But, he says, it has been
the practice to pay extra fees to the solicit
tor; if that was 50, it still would not give
them to him as right 1t would be good
ground upon which to ash councils for ad-
ditional fees. This was done by his prede-
cessor in office, we understand. If coun-
ellis choose to make an additional grant to
the solicitor there is no one to say them
nay. They have the power; but, until they
make it, evidently there is no lawful claim
to it; and there is no justification for hold
ing city moneys in hand to pay it.
There has been good deal of talk about
embezzlers Of late about this town. Young
Lawyer Evans was disbarred and is to 60
to jail because he borrowed client s money
and lost it in speculation, and could not re-
pay it; and had no friends to pay it for
him. He did not intend to steal the money;
he only wanted to use it and replace it;
and fly dropped in and he couldn't.
Now Mr.. johnson takes the city IS money,
and uses it and does not pay it over on de-
mand and when the thing gets hot enough
to burn, he finds friends to raise the most
of it. He had better find the rest; and
speedily. He is just making donkey of
himself and risking jail by claiming to
hold moneys for fees which he has no posi-
BILE lawful claim to.