Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-02-08
decmablc with interest on or before

I
all elelitslsyns drawn by him. On pres
ctsaason Of said certificate to the mayor he
refused to sign the same, as tho amount
was In excess Of the amount named in the
ordinance. Afterwards, nj the meeting Of
the Park Commissioners on October Sd,
| 1888, certificate for $4,000 was presented
to the mayor for his signature, which he
refused.
While 1t has been abundantly shown
| that the price pad for the lots by tho
| present owners was fair and reasonable
one that is now q closed question. The
members OF the Council before the passage
| OF the ordinance OF June 10th, lS93, md
been fully Informed as to the price paid Tor
the property by the present owners and by
| said ordinance the Council expressly
agreed to purchase the came "at sum
equal to the price raid by the present
owner, with interest and taxes added
| The price paid by the present owners,
with interest TO January Sd, 1884, and
taxes, less all credits, amounted at that
date to Sl4,S7S.4i, but as the ordinance
limited the amount to $4,000 they are
willing to convey the property to the city
for that sum, trusting to the future action
of the Council to reimburse them for their
| loss in the matter.
With all the facts bearing upon the
transaction now fully disclosed to this
committee it would be all act Of bad faith.
and in violation of valid ordinance OF
tho city, TO refuse to accept deed of this
property and deliver said certificate Of in
debtedness for the same and / am unwill-
ing to believe that the committee, the
mayor or the Council will be disposed to
do so.
Mr.. Tyre said he did not believe there
had been any crookedness, The evil
dcnce showed that the price paid was
all right. He did not think il was
good stroke of financial work on the
part Of the late City Council to post
ponc the passage of the purchase ordi-
nance until after the appropriations for
this fiscal year had been made. II the
purchase of the lots had been provided
for in this years appropriations the
Council would have been required to
pay only or A. per cent interest,
whereas it will have to pay 6 per cent
interest. The committee ought to ex-
onerate Mlessrs. Candy and Mention
from the charges of unfair dealing, and
the Council ought to provide for the
payment Of the certificates Of indebted
ness.
The action of the late Council in re-
ducing the tax-rate short time proyi.
Gus to making the certificates of in
debtedness payable next August did not
strike Mr. Ratledge as doing as you'd
like to be done by. He was led to be-
lieve that $500 would be saved by buy
ing the lots when they were bought.
He was not consulted until no went out
to view the lots. The city's finances
are worse now than when the purchase
of the lots was first preached to him.
Mr.. O'Neill said there seemed to be
no irregularity on the part of Messrs
Candy and Mention. The price OF the
lots seemed TO be fair He saw no use
. Of investigating further. The sooner
tho matter was wound up the better.
Mr.. Bush said the investigation had
been thorough and fair and he agreed
with Mr.. O'Neill. Messrs. Candy and
Mention had taken risk for the puhlic's
good and they deserved high commenda.
! ton. He suggested that committee be
appointed to prepare report.
Mr.. O'Neill said the mayor had beer
prompted by sense of public justice
,, and the report ought to commend hin
, for his watchfulness over the city'i
affairs.
Mr.. Tyre thought the purchasers o.
the lots ought to have waited for offiea
! action.
!, Mr.. Canby-One apple out of tina
! basket; enough for me.
/ Mr.. Bates approved Mr.. Bush's sug
a gestion and concurred in what Mr.
! O'Neill had said. He was entirel,
satisfied.
Mayor Shortlidge said he had re
, marked at the outset that nobody who
was honest would be hurt. The inyes
tigation had been made and nobody haC
been proved to be dishonest. The com
mittee might summon nine-tonths Of tn,
, men in town but some would say the
lots are worth one price and the other
would say they are worth another price
!, lie believed the committee had acte(
4 honestly but lie still thought the prope
t thing to have done was to have ap
e pointed commission to condemn tn
y lots.
Mr.. Spruancp commended the com.
mittee tor its candid and careful in
Il vestigation.
4 The joint committee was constituted
q a committee on report and prepared tn,
r following, which was unanimouslI
5 adopted, and Clerk Lednum was in
y structed to communicate 1t to TIN
9 Council and Park Commission
d WuEREAs, In consequence of rumor
unfavorable to the action of some mem
q bers of the Board Of Park Commissioner
= u thorough investigation by a joint com
4 mittee oil the City Council ana the Purl
. Commission has been made as to the pun
u chase of two lots of land bordering u
"a Wawaset street from Adams to Va
q Buren,, it is
!. ReS0iged, That as the result of this In
q vestigatiOn 1t has been found that Messr.
o Candy and Mention were authorized b
q certain members of the City Council t
n purchase the said land for sum not G,
il ceeding fourteen thousand dollars (Sl4, 900
d that acting on these instructions the
bought from Mary Forman Day a part I
" said land for six thousand live hundre
l. dollars (s6,10Ol and from Il. Kirk rhomE
n son the remainder OF suid land for the sam
IF sum, aggregating thirteen thousand dollar
d (SlSOOO) that we find by testimony OF ea
n perts and by comparison with the price 1
IF other properties in the same nelghburhoo
that this price was not excessive and tina
A the committee din not receive one dullu
,e t.l) commission or profit, directly or il
N directly, in the transaction. That th
m money TO pay for the land was borrnwe
nj from the Equitable Guarantee and rru.
Company by Messrs. William NJ. Canb
If and Dennis Mention and with the interes
Il. thereon amounted on January ID, 1894 t
~ the sum OF Sl4, 3T3.44. 1t is the sense q
"a the investigating committee that it is i'm
portant for the completion of the par
nj road, which was laid out many years sine
70 that the said property should be owned b
the city, it being almost the only piece II
4 quired To open the road as far east as We.
. street. They would also bear testimony
IS the disinterested public spirit of Messr!
a Candy and Mention, who, without an
s. compensation, have spent much time an
Ill labor in the Improvement Of the publ
Or parks of this city, and also to that of tn
.a | uQVDr in his watch fll para Of tha intaro