San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-02-28
Tailor,
THEIR FIRST MEETING.
The New City Council Assemblies in
the Presence OF an I'M
mense GhrOnu

Never since the new city nall was
erected has there been such an immense
JhrOng cOngregated in the city council
Chamb as the one assembled there last
evening to witness the proceedings Of the
newly elected city council, the crowd be-
gan to fill the chamber at least an hour
before the time fixed for the meeting and
by the time that the meeting was called
10 order it was very difficult to obtain
standing room and the crowd pressed
close to the seats of the COuncilmen.
Among the crowd were many prominent
and influential citizens. who had not
heretofore been in the habit Of attending
the council meetings. Among them were
many public officers and recently retired
city cOunCilmen.
The members Of the city government
present were: Mayor George PaschaI,
Aldermen Albert and Joe Beckmann.
Erich Mengcr, Henry E)mendorf, Nelson
Mackey. William HOcfing Charles
Sinner. James H. French, q. w. Russ.
j. H. Daugherty, w. l.. Smith, and Henry
Limberger, City Attorney A. Levy. City
Clerk ClaudOn. his assistant. Andrew Ste.
vens. and Marshal Shardein.
The assistant city clerk distributed
number Of copies of the city ordinances
among the members and the latter spent
their time before the meeting in chatting
with the friends who crowded around TO
congratulate them.
As Mayor PaSChal entered the chamber
he was greeted with cheers and the crowd
uncovered their heads, The mayor was
very hOarSe. suffering from the colo he
caught in the campaign. When the cOun-
Gil was called to order all answered TO
their names and the minutes Of the pre-
Ceding meeting were read.
The minutes were adopted without OBJ
lection.
Various petitions were read and referred
TO appropriate committees.
A communication from the mayor was
read by him. 1t was as follows:
MAYOR PASCHAL'S MESSAGE.
To the Honorable CITY Council: Cen
tlemen-At this first meeting of your
honorable body, | am not prepared to
communicate with you as fully as |
would desire. / am unable to lay before
you an intelligent statement of the finan-
cial condition of the city's affairs, and
am therefore without a proper basis
upon which TO found recommendations
The books of the city fail TO disclose
what its financial statues is. No entry
has been made in the books of the and
itOr. No account has been kept of the
floating indebtedness of the city. there
fore there Is no present means of lay.
ing before you correct statement of
what our Indebtedness really is. To at
tempt TO state 1t in figures, would be
bare approximation or guess work,
method too much at varience with correct
business principles upon which to base
intelligent thought or faction. Until our
past due Indebtedness IS correctly ascer-
tanned no just estimate can be made of
the amount of the budget for the next
fiscal year.
1t Is my desire to lay before your honor
able body at as early a day practicable
the true and exact condition of the city's
financial affairs so that you may proceed
to deal with the same upon an exact and
intelligent basis.
The books of the city are in such a
backward condition and it's ac-
counts in such an unsatisfactory state.
that it will require time and the assist
ance OF skilled experts to arrive at lust
solution of the difficulty, satisfactorily
alike TO yourselves and the people. To
accomplish this end | respectfully recon-
mend that the mayor be Authorized 10
employ one or two skilled expert account
ants for such limited time and NAV be
necessary to assist the auditor and clerk
in revising the accounts of the CITY, and
bringing the books down to the present
time to fully and truly disclose our exact
financial condition in all of its ramifca-
tiOnS and detail. Until this is done il
cannot be expected that your labOrS will
be satisfactory to yourselves or the pub
lie.
The duties of the auditor should be fuI-
ly defined by ordinance so that he NAV be
held to a proper discharge of the hInc-
lions of his office. This important office
should no longer be left to the dangerous
practice of permitting this officer TO deal
with the accounts of the city as his iudg-
ment or lack Of judgment may dictate
and then excuse himself for derclicton on
= the ground that his duties are not defined