Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-02-18
The Collectors Re sp onse to

Ia our Proceedings of Council" on
another page we report as fully and accur-
ate1y as our space will admit, the import
ant proceedings of Council Tuesday even
ing last. The really important feature of
the proceedings is the Collectors response
to the request of Council to the subject
matter of the report of the Finance Com
mittee, charging him with having collected
taxes to the amount of $401 28, during the
years 1898 and 1894, and which the COM
mlttee alleged he had Lot placed to the
credit of the city.
That he acknowledges all the committee
alleged, and to a further amount of $92
collected in 1894 (Which the committee
located since their report), is all the vindi-
cation the Committee need, and had the
Collector closed his report at that very
point compassionate ard fOrgiYing public
might have reserved their own opinion OF
his official methods and almost criminal
neglect of plain duty, and avoided express
sion of opinion as to the motive that actu-
ated himself in failing to report an unex-
planned balance OF $493 Is that he kept Oh
hand, not knowing to which account it
belonged.
But when George Evans Reading, Col
lector and Treasurer, seeks 10 make Il
martyr of himself by charging political
,,,ot;1a y 70 ona mn, bar of the Efnanca
Committee, he himself opens the way and
invites discussion as to his motiye in
secretly keeping city money until detected
in the act.
Mr.. Reading has the reputation OF being
a good financier, he conducts his own bust
ness at a profit, aud those with whom he
does business can testify TO his good per-
sonal business methods How comes it,
then, that he is such a dummy when it
comes to city business? and why is he too
basbful to ask some city official to strike a
balance of his various accounts and tell to
which one the $493. 2S that he passed over
to Council Tuesday night, under stress of
an investigation, belonged And how did
he learn in the space of few minutes that
it all belonged to Woodbury's general
account and that no Council! bad ever
appropriated it =?
As to the question of motive, of what
interest to the people is political motive,
compared with accuracy, aye honesty, in
handling the public moneys. Granting to
be true, for the sake of argument, all the
Collector alleges about Mr.. Henderson, that
don't disturb the public bit, nor weigh
an ounce in the scale as against his own
official malfeasance The first is game
the Collector himself plays every day in
the year, the latter he has played only
four years to the injury of every taxpayer
of the city-and the sad thing of it all is
that he seems not to be ashamed of it,
And what, pray, is his motive for rot
demanding an expert accountant to go over
his hooks when a majority of Council re-
fused to order it? Again, what is his
motive for Withholding his bank books and
failing to prove by the bank officials that
his unaccounted balance amounts to Just
$493.2 Is? Again, what was his motive one
year ago in not asking the Finance Com
mittee of Council to strike trial balance
of his various accounts and tell him Just
where that mysterious 1892 % belonged :?
And what is his motive in branding Messrs.
Laid and Best Mr. Henderson's colleagues
on the Finance Committee, mere tools and
pigmies of Goliah Henderson.
These are Just a few thoughts that occur
to US in the rush that precedes press day
in our Office. Oar columns are open to the
pablo to discuss this question of shortage
and motive in all their forms personal,
political and financial.