Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-05-26

VIA NAlN NQ0H3 S4AUN
Mayor McSherry's Financial Report
Dissected and Its Fallacies Exposed.
After great prodding. and repeated
demands by the citizens Of the
town, two weeks behind time
and only a few days before
the election. the financial state
ment Of the city. has at last made it
appearance. 1t is a mutual admiration
statement, and its specieus political
purposes are manifest even to the
Democrats. Compared with reports
of other years it bears the finger prints
of political demagogy. tits a deliber-
ate play for Gilbert votes and a self
laudatory Endorsement of McSherry.
who goes way back to 1873 to praise
himself and foot his little tin horn.
Any sensible and impartial citizen
who will consult and compare last
years financial report with the pres
ent one, will readily see to what ends
the latter has been prostituted to com
pliment the two worthless above all
luded to and to smear over a
strictly business report with political
puffs and praises.
We have only been able. owing to
the late appearance of this remarka-
BILE report, to point out a few contra
dictions made in it.
by referring to the Treasurer's re-
port" says the Mayor, ''you will find
our bonded debt now to be $40, 100 at
S per cent interest. The bonds are
above par and none offered for sale.
All that we are able to obtain $4,000,
were taken up and the Council has
placed $1,000 in the National Bank
at 4 per cent as a sinking fund, until
bonds can be bought"
Turning to the Treasurer's report,
we read:
I'VE have o a sinking fund of
$1,000 fr the redemption of bonds in
the National Bank of Martinsburg at 4
per cent interest, and a balance of
s., aga IL subject to check and l would
recommend that the sinking fund be
raised to $4,000.
The Mayor says $4,000 has been
placed in the bank as a sinking fund.
The Treasurer says there is only ST.
400 in the sinking fund and advises the
Council to raise it TO S., 900.
Which is right?
Again says the Mayor:
''The bonds are above par and none
offered for sale. All that we were able 10
obtain $4,000 were taken up"
In the first place the bonds are not
above par. We defy the Mayor to
mention a single individual who ever
sold a bond above par. Then, there
is a deliberate Misrepresentation. The
Mayor knows as well as that he is liv-
ing that last December Mr.. Elias EN-
inert, of Hagerstown. offered to sell
$4,000 worth of city bonds and they
were not bought be1aNSe there "a not
enough money IN the trashy to pay
for them. We refer the Mayor to our
esteemed and honorable Democratic
friend, Mr.. G. P. Blessing, as to
whether bonds could have been pur-
chased. Why were not these Emmert
bonds purchased? Why was not the
$4,000 then applied to these bonds2 1t
was decidedly better to hold that
amount back to make a political show
ing, Ell?
Last years report MAY 1892 to
1889 shows a balance on hand of S.
ooo.oo, in bank, and the Mayor de-
clares there was sufficient money on
hand to pay the semi-annual July in
terest of $I,o25. How is it by the
present report? There is a balance of
but S3,652.I2 in bank, a decrease of
funds on hand of $~I,437.e7. Take
off the July interest of $1,000 and
there will be in the treasury now but
SI,752.I2. Then the sinking fund of
81, 400 off, leaves. S3s2.Ia actual availa-
BILE cash. A nice record indeed! What a
blessing the books have been opened.
For the year ending May "a, 1898,
and a full year at that, S4,27I.6o was
expended on the streets. This year
So, 52o.63 has been applied to that
purpose. And during January, Feb
ruary, March and April, little, if any
work was done. Even Mifin Pyles
could not be paid for broken stone,
and was not until the exigencies of
the political situation impressed the
council. with the fact that by asqueeze
the same could be taken up. In
the Second Ward but $3.50 of the &c.
52c:65 was used. Residents of the
Third Ward would like to know where
the balance was used. Echo answers,
where? 1t is one thing to strike bal
ances and report them correct; it is
another to inform the people in what
particular wards, and under whose
political pull, the money went.
But why probe deeper. The above
examples show just how the current
drifts. We need a change; we need
it now; we must have it; we will have
it this time. The books have been
opened.
City Force Bill.
Scene-Room in Baker building.
Time-Saturday night, 10 p. m, May
II. jennie Willie Dodd Chairman
n.-,norot,o C,t,. C1+..N - a..