The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1902-04-24

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tied, shall te guilty Of a misdemeanor
and, upon conviction, be punished by
fine of not less than 500 nor more
than one thousand dollars, or impris
onment in the county Jail not less thar
one month not more than one year, OF
by both such fine and imprisonment. v
This law is plain. Its application
to the present case is equally plain.
The city council has to provide money
to run the city until January LIST,
1908. In addition to the amount Of
money needed for this purpose, II
has debts already contracted consist.
ing of about $4,000 borrowed from
the banks, and money spent from var
ious funds for which it was appro-
priated, amounting, it is said, to
about $50. 1000 all told. This money
must also be paid. How the city
came to get so deeply in debt the
Democrats who have been in charge Of
affairs will have to answer. But that
is neither here nor there. In the tax
levy ordinance the amount needed to
pay off these debts should be specified
in lump, and appropriated for that
purpose. instead of being distributed
around among the various appropria-
tions to cover mp the truth. Under
the above law, the council has no
right to spend a cent of city money
for any purpose except that for
which it is appropriated. Further
more, it has no right to appropriate q
cent more for the various departments
than it actually needed for those de.
partments for maintaining them dur
ing the time for which the levy Is
made. II it proceeds to violate the
law notwithstanding. the penalty may
be found above.
As to the application in the present
case, the ordinance as revised and pre-
sented at the called meeting Of the
council last Dight may be takeu. Sew
snty-five dollars is appropriated for
postage. This means $3.50 stamps
for use in six months. or 573 stamps
for each month. There IL not man
familiar with city business but who
knows that no such amount Of stamps
aver was used by the city in month.
We find $1,000 appropriated for
suits. There is one suit for $1,000,
md Judgment for about 81, 500.
total of ss,5 hence the appropria-
lion is $4,000 too much. We find
s17, 900 appropriated for interest. The
,ity books show that the exact amount
# interest that will have to be paid
,efore January LIST is sso2l. q, leaving
! surplus in this appropriation alone
4 sic, 900 in round numbers. The
treet appropriation is $1,000, in
ound numbers, about as much for sis
nonths as has been appropriated for
Whole year heretofore. The salary Of
,olice officers Is about 5000 a month
otal, or s1i, 600 for six months, and
We find si4,35o appropriated for shat
department., a surplus of over So, 600.
about $40, goo has been appropriated
for keeping tia fire depart
nent year, and We find that the APP
row is sIs,475 for six
a surplus of over $4,000. 1t
5 thus all the way down the line. IL
this much money is appropriated by
the city council for the various things
not cent OF it can be
spent for anything else. If $1,000 is
for interest, when only
IS, 02l. 90 is needed, and the nionsy is
spent for anything else, the members
of the council will be called to hc-
count for it later, before tne proper
authorities. 1t seems that the only
way to deal with such public officers,
who have on numerous occasions fully
demonstrated their contempt for the
law, is to have the law strictly en-
forced against them, and there is
now deep-rooted disposition to do
this in Paducah for the protection of
che tax-ridden public. A taste Of the
law may give the Indifferent officials
more respect for it, The people want
no money appropriated for any pur-
pose except that for which it is to
be used, and want no more than ID
necessary 10 use. II the council want.