Omaha daily bee., 1888-02-16
Was It a False Alarm?

The speech Of the editor of the BEE
before the board of trade has created
quite sensation at the court house and
city hall. City Treasurer Rush attempts
to contradict the general charge OF ex-
fravagance and reckless disregard of
the charter, which is tending to bank
rupt the city treasury, and has raised
our city and county taxes to over per
cent. Mr.. Rush assures us that every
thing is going along smoothly, and
stoutly declares that Mr.. Rosewater has
sounded a false alarm.
We beg to differ with our amiable
city treasurer. Let us begin with his
own office. The charter provides that
"thc treasurer shall receive the sum Of
81 400 per annum and such further
compensation or fees as may be pro-
vided by law, which shall be in full for
his own services; and for the services Of
any deputy or assistant that may be
necessary for the proper transaction of
the business of his Office he shall re-
ceive the sum of 81 800"
The plain intent of this law is that
the treasurer, who gets two per cent
fees on all delinquent taxes, shall pay
out of his own pocket the excess over
81 500 for any assistants he may see fit
to employ. This may not be sufficient
compensation, but it is the law. City
Treasurer Rush has drawn over IS 900
for deputies and clerks in 1887, and ad-
mits that he expects the city to vote
him 81 600 for clerks and deputies in
1888. But Mr.. Rush kindly assures us
that the taxpayers know whether the city
treasurer and his assistants earn their
salaries or not. That is not the question.
| Nobody charges that Rush and his dep
uties are shirking work, but the ques-
tion is what right he has to draw more
than the charter allows him, what right
the council has to appropriate dollar
more than the law allows, and by what
authority the mayor approves these il
| legal appropriations? Mr.. Rush tells
us that our assessed valuation ought to
be fifty millions. We grant that cheer
fully. But the taxpayers of Omaha
cannot feel very safe when the council
rushes headlong into debt and expends
over one hundred thousand dollars
above the lawful limit. To be sure the
mayor has called attention to the over
lap way back in August, but in Febru-
ary he approved the ordinances appro-
priating money to pay the over
lap out Of this years levy.
How can our taxpayers feel safe in the
hands of a mayor who protests but has
1.-THE backbone to protect them? Only
a week ago Monday the council voted
to let Brennan out of the city basement
contract, which the mayor had refused
to cancel last fall because of the palpable
rascality of the contractor in using in
ferior materials and doing the work so
poorly that it has to be done over again.
The mayor went hand in hand with
the council boodlers and signed the
order to let Brennan out. He did this
on the spot within few minutes after
the council had passed the resolution,
regardless of the consequences. Now
Brennan presents claim for $52, 900 on
contract which calls for $4,000, and
on which there is still over $40, 900
worth of work to be done. This
is but the natural outcome OF tam
pering with the city hall contract,
abandoning plans and discharging the
architect that protested against the con-
tractors attempt to swindle the city.
With combination of contractors plum
dering the city. by trumping up extras
and pulling through enormous appro-
priatlons at every session, with an end
fess list of supernumeraries on the city
pay roll, the fast and loose management
in almost every department, with dis
regard of charter limitations, we sub
nit to an intelligent public whether or
not we have sOun ded false alarm.