The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-03
Brought Up at the Council Commit
tee Meeting.
TALK OF CRIMINAL ACTION
THREAT MADE BY MULVEY AT
THE CLOSE.
His Honor's Veto of the Warm Spring
Lease Believed to Have Some
thing to DO With the Matter
Statement That the Fund Is Safe
and That Glendinning Will Ac-
count For Every Dollar of It.

Councilman Mulvey will compel Coun-
Gilman ROmney to cause the arrest and
prosecution of Mayor Glendinning for
neglecting, failing and refusing to ac-
count Cor the disbursements from the
contingent fund. At least that is the
essence of what the doughty council
man emphatically announced to the
chairman of the finance committee last
evening, as parting shot after an ami
mated exchange of words on the subject
of councilmanic duty.
Several of the city dads assembled in
the council chamber last evening to
hold the regular weekly committee
meetings. The deliberations of the
committees were unusually common
place until Mulvey came in and asked
Councilman RomneV what the finance
committee intended doing in the mat
ter OF compelling the mayor to render
a satisfactory accounting of the con-
tingent fund. In an instant all interest
was centered upon the dialogue.
THE WORDY COMBAT.
Romney, as chairman OF the finance
committee which has under consider
alton the councils resolution calling for
a showdown" by the mayor in the
matter of the contingent fund, replied
that he was not prepared to say what
recommendation the committee would
decide to make toward compelling an
accounting.
Mulvey waxed warm and declared
that it was about time the committee
brought in q report recommending some
decisive action, and if something were
not done soon to stir the mayor UP, a
few Of Romney's colleagues would be
nursing large amount of regret.
Romney retained his self-composure
and informed his adversary that he did
not conceive it to be his duty to COM
mence criminal proceedings against
the mayor, and, further. that if it is a
councilman's duty, then it was as in
cumbent on the dissatisfied member to
present the facts to the public prose-
cutOr. Councilman ROmney also stated
that he believed the council as a body
would yet take proper action in the
premises.
Then Councilman Bfulvey made the
declaration that he would compel the
chairman of the finance committee to
cause the mayor to be made the defend
ant in a proceeding brought under the
criminal code.
THE MOVING CAUSE.
Around the council chamber it is no
secret that since last Monday, when
the mayor vetoed the new lease of the
Warm Springs, Councilman Mulvey
and some of his colleagues have been
sharpening a poniard for his honOr's
entertainment at an early date. Even
the rotund councilman does not deny
that he has promised a fulfillment of
his ready-mad dream, as related at
Tuesday nights council session. and
which depicted two of his fellow couU-
cilmen making a deal with the mayor
to veto the lease in consideration OF Z
backdown from the demand for an ac-
counting of the contingent fund. Last
evenings incident was but an i'm
promptu rehearsal of the first part. of
Councilman Mulvey's, programme, but,
to quote the aggressive official, the
most sensational and exciting parts of
the entertainment will come later, pos
lively
Speaking of the contingent fund,
member of the finance committee as
serts that about $4,000 is in question;
that warrants to this amount, approx
imately, have been drawn to the
mayors order for purposes that were
not strictly municipal in nature. The
fund was long since exhausted.
WHAT THE ORDINANCE RE-
QUIRES.
1t was related by a certain council
man early this week to a Herald man
that he had made the discovery that
under the ordinance there is no such
thing as the mayors contingent fund.
The ordinance provides for "contin-
gent expense fund" BY custom it has
been dubbed and officially recognized as
the mayors contingent fund.-
When Auditor Swans attention was
called to the ordinance which requires
that both he and the mayor shall
faithfully account for the disburSe-
ments from this fund, the auditor, it
is related, was so overcome with sur
prise that he swooned away. When he
came back to things material he said:
"Show me the ordinance" After read
ing it he continued: My worthy and
respected friend, how should / know?
The mayor rendered his vouchers and
l drew the warrants. He spent the
money; l did not It's too bad"
The fund in question was never ap-
propriated to Mayor Glendinning's
credit. 1t was ex-Mayor Basl.in's I'M
expended balance which should have
been covered back into the general
fund, but Auditor Swans predecessor
carried it to the credit of the succeed
ing mayor. This was not Auditor
Swans act at all.
SAID TO BE SAFE.
Undoubtedly Mayor Glendinning will
y
bursements from the fund or show
Good-sized balance returned to his
credit. However. as a legal proposition
it is freely stated by not q few coun-
cilmen that the mayor cannot be re-
Quired to render an account until the
eve of his retirement from Office, and
even then his failure or refusal to
SHOW down" would not be basis for
either criminal or civil charge that
could be successfully maintained.
One of the mayors close official
friends is authority for the statement
that his honor will not take advantage
OF any technicalities that would operate
to his pecuniary benefit and that he
will cease his stubbornness when the
council by the expiration of the tenure
of office, quits its contentious.
Meanwhile the friction between the
mayor and council will likely throw
off. some hot sparks to either the de-
light OF regret of those who will OBJ
serve the contest in