Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-03-23

8. Delinquent land tickets. 1892 40
81, 674.01
A. Actual resources of 1887
over estimated res
| OurceS, o,1f4oo
SIS, 81
In answer, he knows very well that in order
to reduce the rate of taxation for the yea1
| l9S6-S7, and at the same time provide for al
appropriations, the old council put in the
! schednle of revenue to be derived by the city
| that year, the sum of $4,000 asserted to be
| due the city By its late Treasurer; acd he like
wise knows that in making up the tax bill for
| the same year, 81, 900 Of the above sum was
approl rated for q new pnmp and pump
| house, the remainder going to the credit OF
| other appropriations. He himself shows, that
the present council has never realized but say
| IS, coo from that source, leaving the app1opfl.
atoms account short by s., O00."
| find the council set aside in tie appro-
prnatlons of 'S6 and 'S7 S., 100 IS for con-
| tingensies (see tax ordinance of 'SG,)
which is larger amount than ever was
appropriated for contingencies before by
any council, and if only one half of the
amount estimated as du9 from John M.
| Carroll late Treasurer, I'd been collected,
|
| propriatio"e made under the said ordinance
! including the neeo pump and h0uSe, even if
! hone o. tEa other liens had "panned
| Dug," mere than their estimated value
| SO YOU cln see the old council did not put
| In The Carroll matter to enable them to
reduce rate Of taxation frcln ST % to ST 10
| On the hundred dollars Of property. But
instead OF being short on estimated re-
sources OF 'S6 and 81, enough Was collected
i'll excess Of estlm ted value TO about pay
for the electric light and carry over 50 GUO
| to the next years resources. (see tax or
! dinanca of ,S7). However | have nothing
| 10 do with the record of council of which
| [ was not member, but only mention
these facts, in passing, to show how utter
| " Inaccurate Mr.. Iams Is in his figures.
[ will also state right here that the people
of this CITY have been required to pay 10
per cent. more water tax than they did in
the year 1881 and '97, and by what author
ity have never been able to learn. And
the present council tried to further in
crease the license tao of our merchants, and
| at the same time exempted dU shocS Of ererQ
description, exc1pt clrcuSes aud menage-
lies from taxation. High prace erater and
free shotus mast hare been their motto.
Mr. Tams says:
"In regard to the item of SIS, 1880. if he
had taken the trouble to inform himself prop
eriy, he would have found that although the
revenues for the year 1887 foot up on the books,
an amount in excess of the estimated revenue,
equal to the sum named, still it is at this
writing standing on the Treasurer's books as
uncollected tax-tickets, and is included in the
sum of So, ITO. S9 uncollected taxes as of March
l, 'cS Why does he make it appear that this
sum of S. 174 SO has been spent IN Council
mans numerous enterprises, when 1t might
have been used tor reduction of the city's
debt when he knows full we'll, that it is sim
ply in the shape of uncollected tax tickets"
tlr. Tams failed to state that the March
and Al ri accounts of this year have to be
proviG ed for out of these taX-tic6ets on
hand, which after deducting amount al
lowed for delinquent taxes tor the year 'S7 :,
will not leaye enough to Iay the balance
of the appropriations for The year. which
will become due on the first Of April and
May. So. instead of there being surplus
of S., 174.50, as there should be, if the
council had confined itself to the limits of
the appropriation made at beginning Of
the fiscal year, there is likely to be a
deficit.
Mr. Tams has failed to answer the fol-
lowing questions, which l do not regard
as mere PERSONAL illusions: Should not
''an account allowed the Thompson
Houston people in August, 'S7, amounting
to $Z74 so, and charged to miscellaneous
account, b3 charged either against the
construction account, or the running ex-
pense account of the Electric Light :?
What amount of money Was spent imp1Ov-
lag the small park near the Pump House,
and when was it appropriated How
much CT the peoples money has been spent
IN the effort to annex West End 20
Hoao about the c0lored schools?
M. T, ms ssys:
Mr.. Cochran tells US he always favored the
market house lot as suitable location for the
colored schools; he Ibid not wish to drive the
colored children out into the suburbs like
rabbits as was recommended by Mr.. Tams
from speci1 committee, &c, &c" Did he
overlook the following action taken by the
council on April 10, 81, set out as follows:
''The Committee on Public Grounds and
Buildings, having been instructed to recon-
mend one lot in each ward as suitable loca-
tons for colored public schools, suggested
the lot on n W. co. ner of Caroline and Sun
nyside Sts and lot No. 81 S. Green ST., (the
latter about 800 feet from Main street., where
upon resolution empowering the Finance
Committee to purchase said lots for the pur-
pose named, was passed without dissenting
voice, " $50 far as the record shows), and Mr..
Cochran was present at said meeting.
I did not say | always favored the mar
ket house lot as a suitable place for the
colored schools. Primarily I was for
one colored school, and when | left the
council [ was still in favor OF one school
for the colored children. but by reason of
representations made to me, there was
period of perhaps month that l favored
a school In each ward. AS soon, however,
as | took time to carefully Investigate the
matter. and after an interview had with
Mr.. Robertson, Superintendent OF City
Schools, was satisfied that it was best to
have but one school for the colored chill
dren.
| cid not overlook the action of the
council on April 10, 'S7, | only quoted
from the VINDICAToR because the report
was little fuller. l know upon the occa-
sion referred to, that the Committee ex-
peeted to pay but little, if any more,
for the above described lots, than they
were appraised at by the appraisers of the
estate of the late Robert g. Bickle, ito
which estate the lots belonged). l also
felt satisfied that the lots could not be