The morning call., 1892-08-06
City Hall, Oakland.

It has not much stamina save In one dlrec-
tion-its wonderful ability to reach out for
and grasp Doodle.
It has by its successful operations In diff
feTent kinds of schemes made the city treas
ury look very sick
Mofitt, Dargis and the Doodle Council
men now have an unpaid claim against the
city for nearly SO, 900.
The claim stands in the name Of the
Oakland Times Publishing Company" but
that deceives nobody.
When it is paid it Will be divided among
Mofitt, Dargie and the Doodle members of
the Council.
THE CALL showed this plainly enough In
previous article, which the people of Oak
land read with much interest.
What most Disguised the Oaklanders is
not that Moffitt and Dargie should have put
up such a job on the taxpayers, but that the
City Council should have shown itself so
clearly in partnership with them.
Full proof Of this Is not wanting
On June 20 last the Council passed an or
dinance appTOpristing 1925 to pay the bill
of the Times for doing city printing, al
though the City Attorney advised that the
action was illegal and that no such appro-
priatiOn could be made Auditor Snow re-
fused to issue warrants for the payment of
the bill AMI the ordinance was again pre-
sented TO the Council and again passed. Il
is now in the Mayors hands.
And now comes the queer part Of the
whole proceeding.
The appropriation by the Council TO nav
the outrageous printing bill stands In the
way OF the payment OF other bills that are
just and legal.
II City Treasurer Gipin had mind to do
SO be could 60 ahead and pay the legal
claims now registered or coming in, but
there would then not be any money left In
the treasury 10 settle the claim of the
Times.
The other bills are all regular. Warrant.
have been drawn for their payment and
registered with the City Treasurer. But 40
warrant has been drawn for the Times
bill. and consequently no registry has been
made.
There can be no question about 1.-THE
just claims should be settled and the unjust
and illegal claim thrown out. That is the
way 1t should be done, and Ii would settle
the whole matter.
But that is not the way they do In Oak
land
If City Treasurer Gilpin's hand. were
loose he might stand ready to pay the Just
claims.
Unfortunately for Mr.. GIlpiu and unfor-
tnnately for the city his hands ara not
loose. nor are they likely to be while be re-
mains in Office.
The trouble all lies In the fact that the
Times bill, which lie divided into 100 pieces,
has been scattered around town among the
bankers, who have accepted 1t just as il
IL really were of any value, which 1t is not
unless Mayor Chapman and the courts
should uphold the Doodle Councilmen in
their outrageous appropriation.
NOW good many Of the bankers who
have taken the bills hypothecated to them
by the Moftitt- Darge combination are
trends OF Gllpin, and more than that they
are his bondsmen.
These are V. -. Moody and T. z, Shat
tuck of the First National Bank, q. E.
Palmer and Edison Adams of the Union
Bank. and a number of others who 90 to
make up the best list of bondsmen that any
City Treasurer Of Oakland ever had.
now the unfortunate Mr.. GilpIn. Cjtv
treasurer OF Oakland, cannot AFFORD to run
counter 10 the wishes of his bondsmen and
II ne should pay all the legal and Just claims
ano leave no money tor the payment OF ina
pIlhlng Dill ne would certainly be flying in
their faces In way that would make them
treat him very coOlly the next time he
might want TO have them sign a bond for
him.
In other words he Is at the mercy of the
bankers.
His explanation of his course In not nav
Ing the just claims against the city is that
the appropriation by the City Council for
10000 to pay Illegal printing bills consti-
lutes prior claim. II takes precedence he
says, OF any Of the others. That's the rec
ognized rule-the way they do 1t In Oakland
when the peoples backs are turned.
MIR. Gilpin stated EN- phatically to a CALL
reporter yesterday that he would paw no
warrant now registered in his Office with.
out an order of court In case the printing
DIS were audited he declared he would
treat them In the same way.
There Is no danger though that they will
De audited, and Mr.. GilpIn knows ii. for
Whatever else Oakland may lack she has an
honest Auditor, aud his name is Snow.
II VIII be well for the taxpayers of Oak
Iano 10 study This printing ring steal little
more closely than they have been doing.
frooI OF the existence of the ring ia not
wanting. and evidence of Its rapacity ia
easily obtained. "
For example. take the following pub-
iisheo rates OF advertising in the Times.
found under the banner labeled "Proeress'
I've and Truthful" at the head OF Mnfitps
editorial column:
TERMS OF ADVERTISING:
sB- Hall an inch constitutes a SQUARE
flret INSERTION IL
DccoDu inbcEIiOh...
MIRO Insertion.
Additional insertions, each "a
One week. seven times. Q so
one MONTH every day. ............ OO
one month. every other day three times
"ecA .........s.s. .s,.....s... 20