Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-04-06

The Record Of the Present
Council.
Editor ViaadicGt0r.
1 am sorry Mr.. Tams has forgotten the
only conversation had with him, lasting
as long as Que minute, on any subject,
since the present council went into Office.
AS Mr.. Tams, Captain F. B. Berkeley and
myself were the only three members of the
present council elected by the democrats,
| had expected cooperation from them
[ soon, however, found that Mr.. Tams
who had run as a Primary Democrat was
proposing to ally himself with the Inde-
pendent and Republican members of that
body, and hence our conversations were
limited to the one have referred to, and
in which discovered that Mr.. Tams was
more extravagant and wild in his ideas of
public expenditures, than any member of
the body that I knew of. With Captain
Berkeley talked freely whenever occa-
sion arose. Whether we agreed or differed
as to the matters under consideration, |
always found him perfectly willing to
discuss freely and frankly all questions in
which the citizens of this city were inter
ested.
Noao for the Sinking Fund that Mr.. Tams
harpS on.
Mr.. Tams says:
What remarkable state of afairs city,
whose six per cent. bonds aoere selling at q
premium, not being able except with some
difficulty" to borrow money on such security
Well it does seem that city ought to
haxy xr,hn do
even if it was likely they would decline,
but l am sure l had more difficulty in
negotiating this loan than any l ever ar
ranged in my life. Could 1t be possible
that the bank officials had no idea of the
latent genius that had heretofore laid
dormant in some of these gentlemen, nor
did they know that such record would
bs made by this council in the two years
following that the citizens of our city
would be absolutely dazzled thereby?
In referring to the amount borrowed
from National Valley Bank to make up
amount necessary to take up the $40. 500
of per cent. non taxable bonds, NIT.
Tams says:
$50 far as the Treasurer and Committee
knew, Mr.. Cochran aoas not k7aoaon IN that
transaction, still he may have paved the way
for all this, without their knowledge''
Oh, of course not; no one but the Com
mittee and Treasurer eyer heard of it.
Well, suppose you enquire of Mr.. Bledsoe,
the Cashier of the National Valley Bank,
whether 1 had anything to do with the
matter or not; | think he will not only
tell you that l arranged the whole matter,
but think you will perhaps find that it is
matter of record that did so. turned
over the Sinking Fund to the Treasurer
on 21st OF October, just ten days before
the time the city had the privilege of re-
deeming these s per cent. bonds, and as |
did not know when the Council would
change the ordinance relieving me of
the custody of the Sinking Fund, I did
not think it prudent to wait for the 'last
train,'' 80 [ arranged the matter, 80 that
either myself. or successor, by putting up
city bonds as collateral, could get the S.
682 57-the balance necessary to take up
the SIS, 500-of bonds above referred to.
The Electric Liqht.
Mr.. Tams gave the operating expense of
the electric light to the city at 81 ,590-for
1887. While that may be the current
operating expense for the light, pointed
out heretofore, that in addition to the
operating expenses, you must charge the
annual interest on cost of plant and the
wear and tear of the machinery, in order to
ascertain the annual cost of the light to
the city. In Mr.. Tams' last piece, he in
sisJs that the cost of the plant, &C., should
not be considered, as 1t was paid tor in
cash. Now, if he had applied the cost of
that plant to the debt Of the city, which he
has increased $14, 900, instead of that figure,
we would only have an increase of SIS, 630-
which would have saved US Annually the
interest upon SO ,270, and as all machinery
wears out. you must allow for the annual
wear and tear of this plant. Experts say
that among people who operate machinery
the wear and tear, and interest upon cost
of it, is always estimated at not less than
20 per cent, and some as high as 25 per
cent. annually, Now put 1t at 20 per cent,
this is 6 per cent. more than l estimated
it at. Surely in. this way alone can you
get the annual cost of the light to the
city; to deny it. seems to me an insult to
the intelligence of the people of this city.
Cashier, south of Canada, who WoUl Id have
disputed the principles upon which esti-
mated the cost of this light
Nou for The poor man s aoater tao.
This horny listed and sun bronzed son
of toll. who | suppose never broke a sweat,
slept out Of feather bed. missed a meal i,
Or hit the ground hard enough to kill a
snake, In his life, wants to pose as the
lllCuu VI LILO Wolh1bS vi SCDs Oc
are the people. Well now Mr.. Tams if you
really wished to help the poor man who
you say has no ready money, or bank &C
count to draw on, why in the name of
heaven, did you not take off the penalty
of 10 per cent. which is to be added to his
water tax unless he pays it in IS days?
Who is going to get hurt by that 10 per
cent. to be added for non-payment Ger
talnly not the rich man with bis ready
cash and bank account to draw on. but
evidently this poor man that Mr.. Tams
loves so we'll, who he says has not the
ready cash.
In reply to my question, Mr.. Tams
says:
Mr. Cochran wants to know whether an &C.
count allowed the Thomson Houston Electric
Company for $274,50 and charged to the mis-
cellaneous account, should not be charged
either against construction account" or run
running expense of the street light plant. I
will say for his enlightenment, this sum is in
cluded in the So, 270, which stated as being
the cost of said street plant, and consequently
should. not he added thereto second time,
las he did in his last article).
l have the written statement Of Mr..
Newton Argenhright, Clerk Of the City
Council, that this is not true, and that
the account 1,oop stands charged to naiscelSa-
1aeous account, and has not been charged
nm tO either construction Or running AK.