Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-10-11
Personalities and Politics Disavowed by City
Ofacials-Say They Simply "Need
the Money
Fat EmoIuments May 60 AgIimmering il
Ctys Law Advisers Are Correct in
Contention.

~
the right of the County Treasurer to
retain either in part or In whole the
interests accruing on public funds In
his possession bids fair to be authOri-
tatively decided and settled once for
all.
Time ana again this paper has taken
the position that the interests on the
taxes collected by the County Treasurer
under his additional title of County
Collector belonged to the people and
not to the incumbent of the Office In
question. The Eagle still holds this
view. and IL does so from an honest
conviction and not because of the per-
sonality or the politics of the incumbent
of the office.
With Mr.. Raymond the Eagle has no
personal quarrel, but with any system
whereby public officials retain rs emol.
ument money which accrucs upon pub
liz fund It does. rs it always has done
In the past. take issue.
Hence II Is glad that the city has
determined upon taking this step and
II hopes that the result will he u ju-
dicial finding that will for ever set ut
rest the questions involved In the con-
trOversy.
During the week just past the subject
has been much discussed and the other
day Corporation Counsel Charles NJ.
Walker. acting for the City Of Chi.
cagO. filed three suits. aggregating
Sj21 600 against the County Treasurer
The suits are for the recovery Of In.
terest money alleged to have been with.
held by Mr.. Raymond. and each suit IL
supposed to represent years trans
actions In Mr.. RaymOnd's office.
4 fourth suit was iled for an ac-
counting with the city.
The amounts which the hills allege to
be due to the city are: 1893. $114.OOO;
1s00 S170.OOO: 1900. $l7+.OOO. Included
In each OF these sums Is 5000 which
1t Is alleged the County Treasurer has
withheld for himself rs County COllec
tor.
1t is alleged that under the statutes
Mr.. Raymond. as County Collector
should have turned his collections over
hut that instead Of doing 40 he retained
the money. sometimes as long ms six
months. and collected interest mt the
rate Of 3 per cent during that time.
There are seventeen counts in the
bills, covering all the points In which
II IL alleged that the law has not been
observed.
II have nothing against Mr.. Raymond
personally, but the city wants the
money" declared the Corporation Coun.
sci last evening. "The retention Of In.
terest on public funds is without au.
thOrity of law, ana the interest be-
longs to the public body owning the
taxes.
'Thc actions ! have begun originated
IN u request from the City Council fOr
an opinion rs to the legality Of retain
ing interest. held It illegal and went
cxhaustively into the subject. The City
Council directed the Finance Commit
lee To ask the County Board to bring
Mr.. Raymond 10 account
''rhe Board ignored the request and
the Finance Committee so reported tC
the Council, which ordered me TO tax,
such steps as may he necessary to get
the money"
Whatever may he the outcome of III,
litigation as regards the present COun
ty Treasurer, II Is to be hoped that tn,
matter in dispute will be settled IN
such fashion as that neither the Otiicia
nor the public will be mlslnf0rmed
misunderstood nor caused 10 suffer any
other Injustice In the future.
.\prOpos of the County Treasurer
ship business, the emOluments Of th'
office, and so forth, IL may be mention
cd the literature Of the week on th'
subject brought out considerable
amount Of food for thought.
Among the different editorial essay
on the subject which appeared In tn
columns Of our daily contemporaries
there was one which struck many peo
pie in Chicago as most remarkabl,
from comparison. Shakespeare ha
written that comparisons are odor
ous," and somebody else has writer
that they are "odiOus," but this com
parison we venture TO think will b,
red0lent OF that peculiar process Of po
Iitlcai cookery which makes tish %
one and flesh Of another" condition o
facts.
In the editorial columns Of the es
teemed Tribune there appeared tn,
other day an article which started GU
AZ follows;