The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-14
ANOTHER GUN FIRED
Alderman ShoVlin Replies to City
Treasurer McNulty.
The Municipal Controversy Getting
Rather Personal-Remarks and
Criticisms on the Methods
OF Collecting Taxes.
To The Editor oT the Standard:

which i VIII relate as II Will better IMAM
anything can say, give the writer OF that
windy article an idea Of the In
which IL imprcsses the average reader.
Once upon n time the lion and the ASS
entered into an agreement to hunt to-
ucthcr; the lion in order To make the ass
more useful instructed him To hide him
self in n thicket and then 10 bray in the
most terrible and frightful ann that
he could possibly contrivc. by this means,
says the lion, you will arouse and brighten
all the beasts within hearing of you, while
| will stand at the outlets and take them
as they are making of. This was done
and the stratagem tool effect accordingly.
The ass brayed most hidcously. and the
timorous hosts not knowing what To make
of il began to scare of as fast as they
could, when the lion, who was posted at
a proper avenue, seized and dcvoured
them as he pleased. The lop-eared
brute thinking he ought corrective some
praise for his services came out OF his
ambush and approaching the lion. asked
him, with an air OF conceit, how he liked
his performance. prodigiously! says the
lion, you did SO well that, ! protest, had j
not known your nature and temper l
might have been frightened myself.
Evidently midget McNulty'' imagined
from the length of his article and the ter
rible u big manne in which lac express
cd himself, that the public would take the
same view of him thai lac does of himself
and think him IA perfect lion. But l think
the public will take the pains,if they have
not already one SO, Ia inquire into the
true nature of this animal that is braying
so loud and long before making up their
minds 10 be frightened at or believe in
this noise he is making. l will endeavor
to be as brief as possible i'm answering the
exceedingly windy and bilious article
which appeared over his signature.
He tells MS that the matter Of salaries
was definitely settled for the current year
by the council at its meeting held May &,
and that il then became n dead issue, n
that he is not Interested In my opinion on
this question. IL il became a dead issue,
why did he disturb il by bringing il out
for the public Ia gaze upon IN his articles
of the sth and Huh inst? While he may
not be interested i'm my opinion Oh this
question the public are Interested In know
ing why mike continues To draw SD
per month out of the city treasury, To
which he is no more legally entitled than
any other citizen. To he sure there is AN
ordinance allowing him this sum but, as
every one knows who has taken the
pains To inquire, this ordnance, 81 far
as il affects the increase IN his salary is
invalid.
sitivc n hc must certainly sec that an
officer who benefits by the result Of an
act, the evil of which the law il expressly
framed Ia prevent, stands upon the same
moral level will m who secures illegal
fees. This is n lead issue, he says, but
will he explain why he takes from the
taxpayers Of this city 500 per year to
which he has no legal right?
As, To the report of A. Dickey upon the
t~rcasurcr's books, ! ave this to say: |
have never at any i'm asserted that they
were no correct, but Mike" seems To
have had his sensitive nature? y wounded
by the suggestion OF some n hat an ex-
animation Of the trcasurcr's books he
made, and revels in ''ghoulish glec' over
the result of that examination and the
"ilat refusal of the ouncil To pay Mr..
Dickcy's bill of $40" Is il SO strange a
thing that n city treasurer's books should
he examined by the proper officers? IL
seems much Stranger that an AN honest
official should TAX exception To such a
procedure. As To the "iiat REFUSAL mem
toned, il was in the shape of a tie vote,
which the mayor decided by voting to dis
allow the bill. Not very fiat SO il seems.
II was not necessary that the mayor
should ave had an inkling In the matter.
IL is thcd duty of the finance committee to
report oil the trcasurcr's books and they
had "A perfect right tn employ assistance
in making this report. This they did, and
il so offended mike" that he has been
bilious and colicy cvcr since, and must
Utttts riu niitlStlt III spUnt OF Ills Dile bN
abusing the supposed author of the exam
nation.
He continues Ia ring the changes on the
paint job. though the bill for the same
was audited and paid several months
since and has become "a dead ISSUE" but
being musty and antiquated like himself
he proposes To keep il ON hand and ex-
hibit IL with himself as his credentials
when the dime museum collector comes
around in search of subjects. The matter
Of the painting Of the hose house has been
explained by mc To the satisfaction of
every reasonable n unbiased mind.
He denies that he ever solicited or influ-
enced, either directly or indirectly, any
member of the council Ia raise his salary.
In answer To this denial | have this To say,
that l have the word of a member of the
council that he did approach him and ask
him Ia help raise his salary. Why was
his salary raised II he did not suggest il?
Does he believe 81 thoroughly in the ere
dulity Of the public as To think il will he
lieyc that the council IF its own motive
raised his salary" When the question of
the raising Of his salary came up in the
council, IL was proposed Ia give him back
pay. but il was quickly discovered that
took the iioor ia his owl behalf aud stat
cd that he did not ask for back pay, there
by admitting that he did want and ask for
an increase in the future.
lie requests that the public stick a pin
until a few figures are added regarding
salaries. | say by all means let il do so.
He tells us hat the city attorneys docket
fees for the past carapproximated 81 900.
and that the police judges docket
fees Tor the same time approached Sl,oO.
Evidently he grew so bilious AT this
point hat lie lost his bearings. The city
attorney gets a docket fee of $3.50 in each
ease and the police Judge So IL the city
attorneys docket fees approximatcd
$1,000 last year, then how much
did the police judges fees approach
during the same time, surprising
of course that they received their fees in
the same eases, which is no doubt the
fact: II is "a vcry simple problem in
arithmetic, and Is answered as follows?
lily ATTORNEY; sl'co; police judge, sSis