The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-12
Truth About Charges Against
Port Townsend's Treasurer.
NOT REQUESTED TO RESIGN.
His Salary Reduced in Common With
Other Officers-His Standing in
the Community Good.


we're derogatory to his character as pub
4 lie officer and a gentleman. The state
ments made in the first publication were
In substances as follows:
That two bondsmen Of City Treasurer Walter
Bowen had applied to the city council to be re-
leved from that officers bonds; that the coun-
ell had not only granted the petition, but had
reduced his salary from s125 to SIS per month;
that Bowen had been ordered by the council to
furnish new bonds at once or his office would
be declared vacant; that Bowens actions while
in office had been such as to warrant his bonds
men in asking to be released from further re-
sponsibiity.
The second publication iterated several
Of the above statements and added the
following:
That the city has been differed by Democratic
aheelers" who have conducted affairs on an
extravsgant scale; that the favorite Demo-
icratic officeholders were voted exorbitant sala-
q ries: that the three Republican members had
won bitter fight for retrenchment; that on
account OF the manner in which Bowen had
conducted the Office of city treasurer the coun-
ell had appointed special committee to exam
ine his books; that prominent Democrats had
been trying to get Bowen to resign to
save the party from absolute dis
grace; that Bowen was the leader
OF the local Democracy and has the backing of
gamblers and prostitutes; that many Democrats
are demanding Bowen's resignation or substan-
tial assurances that his office will be properly
conducted and that Bowen has said he would
see the Democratic party in hades before he
would resign.
One of the editors of the PosT-INTELLI-
eEScER who was in Port Townsend yester-
day examined into the statements made
in the dispatches and found some of them
to be true and others to be inaccurate and
. misleading.
The statement that two of Mr.. Bowen's
Nbondsmen asked to be released from his
bonds at a meeting of the city council on
Z Tuesday night of last week is true. A. G.
Phillips and John Payne were the bonds
men who asked to be released; but John
Payne on the day following called on Mr..
Bowen and, without solicitation, affixed
his name to new bond. Mr.. Phillips has
never imputed any dishonesty to Mr.. Bow
en-, and asked to be released from the bond
because Charles A. Dyer, manager of the
bank of which he is cashier, and at whose
request, he and Mr.. Payne also, first signed
the bond, advised him to do so. 1t is
publicly stated in Port Townsend that the
reason for Mr.. Dyer asking the two bonds
men to withdraw was that Mr.. Bowen had
{ taken city funds from deposit in his bank
and deposited them in a rival institution.
The statement that the council had re-
duced Mr.. Bowen's salary is inaccurate.
At a meeting of the council held March
20 it was proposed by Councilman J. c.
Saunders to make a horizontal reduction of
10 per cent. in the salaries of city officials.
This motion was amended to read that the
salaries be reduced and the matter referred
to the finance committee to report what
the reductions should be. This mo-
ton was not aimed particularly
at Mr.. Bowen, as it contem-
plated a reduction in the salary
of every official of the city. In fact, Mr..
Bowen had stated to the committee that
he would consent to reduction in his sal
airy, as he recently moved from an office
where he had paid his own rent to an office
in the city hall where he had no expense
for rent, light or fuel. The finance COM
mittee at the meeting on April 5 reported
on this matter as follows:
PORT TOWNSEND. April 5, 1892
Your committee, to whom was referred the
matter of reducing the compensation of the
various city officials, would respectfully report
as follows We find that the salaries in most
cases are much larger than the present dull
, times and the duties of the officers warrant
After carefully investigating the matter We
recommend that au ordinance be adopted max
ing the salaries of the city employees as follows:
Chief of police. $780, instead of sl25 paid at
present
Captain OF police, $50, instead of 800 paid at
present
City engineer, $780, instead OF $50 paid at
present
City attorney. SIS, instead of 500 paid at
present
City clerk, ss5. instead of 500 paid at present
City treasurer, s75, instead OF sl25 paid at
present
Policemen, So instead of s75 paid at present
We also recommend that the Offices of street
commissioner aud poundmaster be consolidated
and that the salaries of the two offices be fixed
al SIS per month. The salary of the health
officer having recently been reduced from $3.50
800 per annum we can see no good reason for
any change in that amount. We also recon-
mend that the amount OF SIS, heretofore allowed
The mayor for clerical assistance be discontin-
ued. We would also call the chief of police 5
attention TO the necessity of retrenchment and
request that he reduces his force ii he thinks
such reduction can be made without ieopardiz-
Ing the safety OF the city. We would also recon-
mend that committee be appointed to examine
the books and accounts of the clerk and treasurer
and report upon the same. All of which is re-
fpectiuly submitted. CHARLES A DYER
Mr.. Saunders, the other member of the
committee submitted a minority report
recommending that the salaries be fixed
as follows: Chief of police. 800; captains,
$50; city engineer SIPS; city attorney, SIS;
city clerk, $50; city treasurer, 500; police
men, $40.
The vote on the adoption of the majority
report stood rs follows:
Aye-Dyer. Perkins, Kaiz, Hastings
Nay-Payne, Tucker, Saunders.
This is the only action taken on the re-
duction of salaries so far. An ordinance
VIII be reported by the city attorney a; the
next meeting; but il is thought that DYER
will vote against it, and that it will be de-
feated. Mr.. Bowen's salary has therefore
not yet suffered reduction.
1t will be noticed that the report nro.
vides for the examination by the
finance committee of the books of not only
the treasurer but of the city clerk as well
Therefore, the statement that ION account
OF the manner in which Bowen has con-
Quoted the office of city treasurer the
council has appointed a special committee
to examine his books" was misleading.
The finance committee. after examining
Mr. Bowen's books, caused the following
statement 10 he published:
We, the undersigned. members of the finance
Committee of the city OF Port Townsend. having
examined the books of the city treasurer, fad
the same correct and properly kept
CHARLES A. DYER.
JAMES c. SAUNDERS,
]. KATz
The PosT-INrELLIGENCER cannot find
nv 1. -