The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-10-01
Over the Chop Which Duty
Forced Him to Make
in Clerk Ger
mans Pay.
TO lMpEACH THE FINANcIERs.
That is Said to Re the Political
Milk in the Cocoanut-
Appeal to the Courts.


when he issued the little notice to the ef-
more city employees were largely indebted
to the city, because Of the alleged failure
of the Board of Finance to pass resolu-
tions authorizing increases in their sal
aries with which they were credited. l
saw Mayor Wanser last night. sSEI con-
versed with him on the subject. He
talked tor some time. and when he
neared that portion of his tale that bears
upon the indebtedness of the clerks to The
city, real old fashioned Orestes Cleve-
land tear trickled down his face and fell
with the stereotyped thud on the side
walk. The Mayor felt badly. wanted
| to let him STOP but he hadn't made his
| speech for publication YET. Finally IL
| came when l remarked. "Well, they have
the money now. what are you going TO
do abouti iIf'
"Those gentlemen are indebted to the
| city. must see to it that the amount OF
the indebtedness is collected. There is
| but one way to it and that is by conns-
eating their warrants"
"Will you withhold their warrants un-
| til their accounts are settledY' | asked.
"Mosu assuredIy l will.n was the reply.
| Il have stopped the September warrants
and all others will be withheld until
| the matter is amicably adjusted.
II felt sorry for the boys. but had to
| do it. knew of it and ic was my duty
to see that the city was repaid. know
| nothing but duty"
HOW DID HE FIND OUT?
ibid you make this discovery or was
your attention called TO ita" interrupted.
IA short time after entered upon the
duties of Mayor, / noticed in glancing
over the payroils that in some cases mes
| sengers were receiving more salary than
men whom knew to be competent clerks.
| | could not attend to 1t just at that Time,
but directed Mr.. Weart to look the mat
| ter up. He went back over the minutes
| of the Board of Finance and discovered
| that increases had been made from time
| to time, but no resolution of authorization
seemed to be in existence. When the
whole matter had been sifted down, de-
| termined to make the clerks settle up
| feel sorry for the poys, aud am grieved
| to know that the Finance Commissioners
permitted any such transaction"
SIS this action taken in retaliation for
| the action of the Finance Commissioners
| in reducing certain salaries this week?' |
asked.
Not bit of it. doubt very much if
| the Finance Commissioners can reduce
| the salaries of the men they named. A
| law passed in the interests of Comptrol-
| Ter covers the cases. Comptroller Hough
selects his own clerks and the Finance
| Board confirms the appointments. I
| think the same rule applies to the Col
| lector When the Finance Board resolved
| to dismiss two of the Collectors best
| clerks, Egan and HalseY, think the Col
lector could have had quite as much to
say in the matter as they did. But this IS
another matter to be settled later. I will
content myself now by seeing TO it that
the city is repaid by the overpaid and IL
| legally paid clerks"
| THE ALLEGED DEBTS.
| The claim made by Mayor Wanser is
| that various clerks under the Finance
| Board have been receiving for various
| periods increased rates of pay authorized
| by law but not ordered by any resolution
| of the Board of Finance, and therefore,
| he claims, illegal. The clerks aud the
sums in which, it is alleged. they are in
debted tn the city.as are as follows:-Wil-
| liam 6. German, 1888; Thomas McKeon,
| $500; James Clark, $500; Henry Poynton,
S166; E. P. Croke. $133; Charles B. Me-
Nally, $120; E. j. Hewitt, Sl2O. and John
| O'Neill, S240.
E. P Croke died on Thursday evening.
HIS POWER TO BE TESTED.
| Mayor Wanser's power to withhold the
salaries of these gentlemen until the al
| legged Indebtedness Is paid is TO be tested
in The courts. Assist Mt District Attor-
ney Joseph Noonan will conduct the case
| for the clerks.
A demand was made upon the Mayor
this morning for the payment of the sal
aries. but he declined. The matter will
be taken into cou.t on Monday
CLERK German declines to discuss the
situation. He remarked this morning,
however, that he had not drawn one
cent illegally, and that all increases in
his salary aud those OF the others were
authorized by the knowledge and consent
of the Finance Commissioners.
Clerk German originally received 81, 500
| year. He then received $500 per year
as Clerk to the Committee OF the Whole
In December. 1890. the Board, while in
caucus, discussed the advisability of in
creasing Mr.. Germans salary. 1t was
finally decided to increase it TO 81. 600 No
resolution was adopted, but q report au-
thoriZing such increase WAS made to the
Committee or Salaries. The report was
signed by Commissioners Hitler and AL
len. The vote on the report was unani-
| nous. Since that time Mr.. German has
been paid $1666e per month. Mayor
| Wanser has signed several warrants for
| MIN for this amount. In this manner the
salaries of all the Clerks included in the
| Mayors leJ6er of political buncombe were
| increased.
CLERKS ALL RIGHT.
Secretary Weart. in speaking of the
| matter, said:-.1here was nothing
| wrong in the clerks taking the salary
| given them. don't believe there was
! one of them who did not believe that his
salary was being paid him in a perfectly
| legal manner. The only trouble is that
| the Board did not pass the
proper resol utions. It is not
/ the clerks who are at fault
it is the Commissioners. They have
| increased these salaries all over and now
there is a shortage and reductions have to
| be made to keep the account from being
| oyerdrawn. The Commissioners should
! have passed upon the increases by resolu-
tfon. because the reports of committees do
not show in the minutes / IMAGINE a.
SET lement of the trouble will be effected
shortly"
THE POLITICS IN IT.
Mayor Wanser is playing for big game.
It was whispered about City Hall this
| morning that His Honor intended trying
to secure the removal of the members of
the Board of Finance for malfeasance in
4 Office. The malfeasance is said to consist
| in having ordered the salaries of gem
tlemen increased in an irregular
and illegal manner. The Finance Com
missioners are the only officials under
1 the City Go vernment who are not under
i bonds This puts q stop to the theory
that the Finance Comms sioners could
4 be made to pay the amour of alleged ex-
cessive salary paid TO the clerks His
Honor cited yesterday as being indebted
to the city.
4 Warrant for the Dog.
ERNST Sph7msnchf of No Q6 Rcaorvo;r