The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-01-11
FIFTH EDITION.


Democratic papers have frequently
been referring to the magnificent sur.
plus Of, as they said $4,000, that had
been left over for the Republican Coun.
ell to commence on when II came into
power the first Of July. As the Demo-
Gratis had all the books and the bills In
their,own hands the few RepublicRnsi
was surplus OF whether there was
none.
After the Republicans carried the
June election and assumed control of
Council they soon began to find out
what kind OF a surplus the Democrats
had left. The surplus consisted of
go, 600 OH paper in bank to the credit
of the city, but with bills payable,
some OF them over six months due,
that more than eat up the surplus and
placed the city In debt. Among the
largest Of these bills were those OF the
Delaware and Atlantic Telegraph and
ali been audited and ordered paid, but
for some reason, never yet explained,
they had been ''salted" away and never
paid The bills OF the Southern Eleo.
trio Company were Of such proportion
and OF such date that a man was sent
to Baltimore to investigate them. IL
was found that they had not been paid
and 30 orders were drawn for the
amounts. ALI the other bills were
also paid.
Added to all these It was soon found
that there were outstanding judgments
against the city OF $1,000, for which no
provision had been made to pay. The
creation of the police commission en-.
tailed more or less expense upon the
city. These expenses had to be met
and OF course made shortage In the
| police appropriations,
When the Democratic Council was
making out the appropriation for the
present fiscal year the chief object was
to keep down the appropriations SO
that the tax rate would not have to be
raised 1t was a foregone conclusion
that the next Council would be Repub-
lican, and it is believed by many that
1t was the deliberate intention to make
the next Council have q bad financial
showing.
Even the Street and Sewer Depart
ment agreed, in order to keep the tax
rate down, to waive its right to the
five percentum Increase allowed 1t by
law and received the same appropria.
tian that 1t dlu the year before HhIhs
| same department also agreed to pay
the interest on the loan made for I'm.
proving streets instead OF compelling
city Counoll TO pay the interest as 10
could have done under the law au-
thorizlng the loan.
Having secured these concessions
and having failed to provide for tho
unpaid bills and judgments the Demo.
cratic Council of course had no trou-
BILE III fixing the tax rate at the same
figures as before, and making 1t ap-
pear that there was a surplus of GEO..
900, when II everything had been paid
there would have been an overdraft Of
at least IS, 600.
Still the City Council expects to meet
all obligations without an increase OF
tho tax rate next:year. There may be
a little trouble In meeting tho police
expenses, but every honest effort will
be made to do 30, without any dis
credit TO the city. The surplus OF the
Water Department, which was $34. 600
instead of $4,000 as estimated, was a
good lift towards meeting the current
expenses. No doubt thers will be gen.
eral surprise at the boosted $40, 600
surplus being Democratic myth, and
instead an indebtedness of 81, 900 and
more when the present Council came
into power.