Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-28

money. Money. is the prime necessity
at the City Hall, just now, and it will
be more than ever a necessity next
year.
Mr.. Forgey says in his letter of to-
day
In making up the aggregate Of loans
new ordnance | say plainly, these bal
ahces are all credited with payments made
upon them during the present year, yet
Anti Loan says | deduct nothing for cash
on hand. My dear Mr.. Anti Loan, the
amounts appropriated to be paid upon the
several loans were placed in the several
ing the case, only the net balance of loans
as they will appear al January l, 1885, are
counted
Why beg the question, equivocate
and dodge? You made up a debt
statement for 1894, and deducted from
1t balances on hand at the end of that
year. Then you made up debt state
ment for January 1, 1897, and made no
allowances for balances which may be
on hand at that time. OF course, you
had to deduct bond payments made
during this year. You could not get
an 1898 debt statement if you had not
But surely there will be something
left over in the various departments
and funds at that time. OF late years
the credits have averaged something
like $4,000. Why did you not make
some such allowance in your table?
Or do you anticipate that the last dol
lar in the city treasury will be ex-
hausted by December 31st?
Again, you insist that the city debt
has only been reduced $4,000 per year,
for the last fourteen years. Will you
kindly print table land you have
access to the books showing the re-
duction of principal of public debt for
that time? Give it by years. Follow
this with table of new bonds issued
during that time, and then candidly
say to the people how soon, if no more
bonds are issued, the debt will be sub
stantially wiped out, or at least re-
duced to so small figure as to be no
burden upon the city. You know, Mr..
Forgey, that the city debt was reduced
something like $4,000 last year, Ct
haven't the exact figures, but you
haYe), for Instance. You know by how
much it will be reduced, under the
various ordinances, in 1898 and 1899,
and 1900. And you also know that if
there was an economical administra-
ton and the debt payments were kept
up, that nearly 100000 would be lop-
ped off of principal in the next three
years and approximately $4,000 saved
in interest in that short time. To be
| sure, if the city pays say $4,000 per
year of principal, and once in three or
five years makes a new loan Gas it has
| been doing) the net amount of the debt
will ho rnd1JonJ I,,+ foi
and refuse to explain this point to the
| people in your discussion of the pro-
posed ordinance, and seek to create the
impression in the public mind, instead,
that only $4,000 of principal is being
paid every year. Such a course mis-
leads the voter, and just now the voter
is seeking honest information. Why
not give it to him, Mr.. Forgey, for this
| is a great public question, which in
wolves a very large amount of the
peoples money. | do not criticise you
in anger, but rather in sorrow. Let
us have the TRUTH the whole truth, and
| nothing but the truth. If the refund
ing ordinance is good thing, |, as we'll
as many others, want to know it; but
a sound judgment cannot be formed
| from such letters as you have been
printing.
The fact is, Mr. Forgey, the sole
question at issue is: Will it be better
to administer the city government
| economically for a few years and go
on paying off debt until we get relief,
with the assurance that every dollar
| so paid means more money in the
treasury and no extra burden on the
people; or, to refund portion only of
| the debt in such a manner that it will
require million dollars to settle a
| bill for S525,000 Let's get down to
business, and perhaps, between us, we
can present a clear and clean issue to
| the taxpayers.
| await your pleasure.
ANTI-LOAN.