Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-04-22

On Wednesday, Mayor Marchetti
filed the following veto with the city
clerk, which treated the matter as 1t
deserved to be.
TUE MAYORS VETO.
To the Honorable the Common Council Of
The City Of Wausqu:
GentIenlen:-I return here with with
out my approval the resolution an
nexed hereto, which was passed by
the common council of this city at its
regular session on the 10Th day of
April, A. d., 1902, together with my
reasons for such action.
The obiectional parts of this instru-
ment are found in the second and
third preamble and in the resolve
thereof, which contain the malignant
poison which is barely sugar coated
by the first preamble.
The meaning and signitic6nce OF
this resolution with its inducements
cannot be misunderstood, when one
remembers the canvass made by the
majority party in this council in the
election just closed.
As grounds for this resolution the
council asserts the fact that there is
row no general system of keeping ac-
counts; that each officer keeps ac-
counts according to his own notions.
am not prepared to concede the
existence of such disgraceful state
of affairs, and before | concede such
fact. insist that at least some proof
be shown To justify the assertion.
The third preamble states that ''it
~
accounting will enable the officers OF
the city aud the Inhabitants to better
understand the financial situation OF
the city"
Here is an assertion that the officers
of the city aud the inhabitants do
not understand the financial situa-
tion OF the city.
| will not take it upon myself to
dispute the understanding or failure
of understanding of some of the Of
ficers of the city, especially OF those
who make the assertion, that they
do not understand the financial con-
dition OF the city; but there Is moth
ing shown as yet that Others, or the
inhabitants, or the officers, whose
duty it is to keep the accounts, do
not understand the financial cOndi-
tion; neither has iU been shown that
the majority OF the council has made
an effort to understand the same;
they having made no examination OF
either the clerks books. nor the books
OF the treasurer, nor the books OF the
water department. The officers in
whose keeping the books of these de-
partments are aud whose duty it is
Co keep them. are not to be adjudged
guilty OF incompetency, ii nothing
worse, without at least some founda-
tion being laid upon which to base
the resolve for the employment of an
expert and thereby indirectly and by
insinuation assail the reputation of
men, at least your peers in integrity
and competency.
The resolve directs the expert ac-
countant not only 10 devise asystem
of books, but also TO Estate the ac-
counts cf the various officers and
funds"
refuse to sanction an allowance
of money for the payment of an ex-
pert for doing the work which the Of
ticers are bound to do for their salary.
II anyone of the city officers has
not made "a statement of his account
as required by law, then they should
be required at once to do SO; II. from
incompetency anyone is unable to
perform this dut, properly he should
be impeached as once and removed
| from office. You may rest assured
that in so far as | am concerned, YOU
will have my aid to the full extent OF
my power TO remove any incompe-
tent official. whatever hi1 station
NAV be. On the other hand. | will
not ASST iIla. that an officer is incom-
petent an that he has neglected any
duty, until some proof Is offered. at
least tending to show that he de-
serves such censure as is implied in
this resolution. and | refuse to be-
come "a party to an action of this sort
by giving this resolution my ap-
proval. This resolution came up
without warning and in great haste:
| the council had hardly organized by
the election of its officers W hen it was
offered. In the absence of any rules
providing for reference to CON-
mittae, it was ordered upon its pass
age immediately; no reasons were
given for such "A course. III the ma
| jority OF the council had any know
ledge of facts which justified the in
/ PRODUCTION ana passage uI this resO-
| luton inifhis unseemly haste such in
formation was withheld from the
mayor and the council: not one word
was said in Justification for the ae-
tion of the majority of the council:
| it was passed with brute force OF
numbers without word being said
WHY ii should he passed. and If any
memher or members OF the majority
had any knowledge that heexigeney
existed which justified this course.
they carefully refrained from giving
their brethren OF the council includ-
/ ing the mayor any information.
Legislation of that kiud Is not pro-
ductive OF good results: it degrades
this. which should lre deliberative
body. down to the level of the worst
kind cf a eRacNs
am glad that the city council has
adopted at the same session reso-
luton. which has the approval oi the
mayor. giving n committee of its
own selection full power TO investi-
gate every officer, every department
and every transaction OF the council