The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1904-04-20

the temporary loan. Where 1t becomes ncCcS-
Sary TO build an expensive bridge which it
would be burdensome to pay Tor in a single
year the board may issue bonds to meet this
deficiency In 1901 the board was authorized
to issue temporary loan bonds to RAISE money
to pay the deficiency where the expenses OF an
election, or OF the courts Ter the year, cN-
coed the amount appropriated; but tins stat
ute also provided that these bonds should not
run Tor more than two years, and that they
should be paid by addin" sufficient amount
to the tax levy for the ensuing fiscal year and
a similar act was passed in 1903. Other similar
statutes have been passed from time 10 time,
to which | need not now refer. All OF these
statutes. except those which provide tor the
building OF very expensive bridges, OF IN some
counties for expensive public buildings, con
template that the money necessary to meet
the expenses shall he raised within the wear III
which the expenses are incurred, or within a
year OF two thereafter. The object OF the leg
stature is obviously 10 have county affairs 80
conducted that taxpayers may know as nearly
| rs possible each yeat the cost ot running the
county government for that year; and SO i'm
purtant has the provision against exceeding
appropriations been thought To he that the
legislature has made It criminal otfense to
dlsburse order vote for the disbursement
OF public moneys III excess ot the appropra
ton, regardless OF the TACT that the treeholders
voting were innocent of criminal intent.
The report which has been made to me shows
that IN the NCdf ending May Il. 1903. the board
OF rVthuldcrs disburscd, or voted tor the dis
hursemcut ui. more than 100000 III excess ut
| the appropriations Tor that year, and that the
Ih, b,,;nnns "5 ,t, n,>t t5sgai lsar nv The
succeeding board of feeholders 1t has been
suggested IA brief prepared by counsel for
/ the board oi ffecholders Tor the use of Judge
| Sh,nman thai The board oi fftehoIdcrs arc e<-
| cusabIe Tor The reason that prior boards had IN
! CURED Indebtedness To about tins amount
! Thar however ~ no t>eus, fnr thr late hoard
| They had the RIGHT and II was their duty
| when they tooR Office, III Nay, 100, to approz
pirate and raise bV taxation a sufficient sum to
| discharge the Indebtedness of the county
! Such was their plain ,lui, under me statute
! IIaa= they done 50 the 6nInra1 situation of the
| county would have been disclosed 10 the cit
! lens al the comfy, IT is ufubablt. that tins
| Indebtedness had been the growth af several
| wears and that it had arisen from the failure
/ of the boards OF frceholdrrs m previous wears
Ia ahsery,. th Inv and t, tursuf the. nolt.v nj
! they should pursue The report OF lu,lee
| Sh1pman moreover shows that aside from the
! priof floating debt the buatd fet the year 100
| loot spent Sf.{6{.u- ia excess uf the appropr
! tions. and that the heard Tor the term begin
mig IN MAY, root and ending in January. looi
| appropriated more than had been appropriated
! bv any hoard even for a full year except toot.
| and having made this augmentation spent IN
tho, eiphi months thcV#wcrt# IN office So ~ IN
! excess of the approximations These excessive
| disbursements we're met nv balances from
! otkff wears ar lv loans or tic nrocer,ls of the
| 50 called sinking fund or Inv balances from
| loans made on account Of sudden destruction
| Of bridges In thus exceeding the appropri.
atinns the frccholders clearly violated the
! law. II your Investigation indicates that the
| f,cts are as iic exDfff has found tbcinZ and I
| have no douht he rs rorrr,t=it wifi he vout
/ MAN duty 10 present indictments Whether
| ar moi tins Illegal eontu,t al the (reeholdrrs
! involves moral obli0ttffv also may he a matter
to be considered hereafter by the court
| hive sDokrn of moneys borrowed 10 meet
disbursements caused nv sudden destruction of
! br,dees In each Of lie five Years last past a
considerable sum u mou,, was raised for this
pnrp5st
Tn statute To which | have referred autIlar=
izinp the borrowing of money in case OF the
sudden destruction of BRIDGES which was in
! ,end.a 10 meet ,tn4Vprrtg1 fmerognrirs bnt
I II r. be.,, fes,rtad l., ,np.alI,, 10 meet ,Nz
| nenz,s which The rxncricnre al The hoard ought
! Ia have suggested as likely 10 occur. So that
| Inc, shofid INV, bfen moi Inv tho rrgtl,r an.
| nrof,fi.,ti,,ts f,,adc n the annual meeting
| lrhrrr Is however nothing in the renort 10
- T. ,,,.. -, .,,;n, tt,,t tbere ,,,e not e,cb
| 5snldrr ei9rrect,,g Zach year az ire statute
,,,ts,,,ri,t,s. L,,t IN. rrrgrt disrlosr. tbc fact
,t,t IA r,,rf, ,vc,,, ,r,, MN, nome, was nor.
| ro,.,d tian was needed Tor the nurnoscs oil
| r,eating The emerpcncv for which the statute
,ltl,ri. ed In. loan and that in one case this
| G,rd y.,. ,,cd f,t Lu,lding or ,cna,riuo n
| bridpt in the ORDINARY course of affairs. Ne
srnaIaf, .,ecopnt was kent ~ the balances from
| tbrse. loans They seen, Ia have hcen treated
NJ, ?, ,,.rt 80 no general f,nd ,f tt,e county
although Mt the end of The veg iooi5loo3. there
| was am me- nrndcd ba1anc, IN this account al
| l. oos M ,vli,rb should have been annlied
| c;tbcr 10 the nav,nenf Of tile indrbtcdnrss nj
| ready incurred on This account or held 10 meet
| a similar emergency in ensuing wears The
| baard Of frerholdcTS was authDriyCd tn altar
from time 10 time the amounts apDropriatcd To
| e,ch encci6r ohieci In, i had no nufboritv to
| annlv moneys secured by loans to meet sud
| den emergencies. for the ordinary purposes for
| which was renuired TO he apnropriatcd and
| raised bv tavation Tho far, thar his balance
| from MONEYS raised bv loans has d,sanpeared
| in the general balance of the county empha-
| Sizes he fact that the concentrations have Lcen
| exceeded contrary 10 law II is nossible that
| The hoard for The wear from NAV ioot to NAV
! 100, NAV also have been guilty of the same
| offence In order however 10 warrant an in
| dictmeni against that board YOU would have
| 10 find that the offence had been committed
| within two vearq LAST mast that is since the
| twelftb d,y ~ ADrl ,no,
| A. have already sad there has been prrat
cxtravaponce in MANY WAYS hut in cascs Of
! ,I,;s I;nd r,,,b ,,,f,t ,,c-,ss,tiI, he Ion to
! The Judgment and discretion of the board OF
| frceholdcrs and for mere errors OF Judgment
! ar eoru Tor Disbursements which YOU or /
! might consider t<tt.fvapant- no Indictment
| Sbauld be found unless there is something
NOR. ,p he ca.r tIau t,cre rvttavap9nt ,x
| nrnditirr The r,ncd, f,, a fault Of that kind
| rcs,a not VIII tb,. e55rt and The grand Jury
vybn d,,I onl,, with criminal Offences h,, rests
| ,vtb In, voters az The r,li- who nl1y If they
| cboosr cIert ,nare carehl ar more economical
! rrnfesrntatiyrs Alfhaugh much is left to the
| ,ud,,rn,rt ~ I'm. hoard If f,rcboldefs and fot
| = me- abnse If discretion ar error 81 Jude
! ncnt no indictment can be found Won may
| 6nd maj nancy h3s=hccn. dislar,ed With such
rertnrssnrss aud prodigal,tv or under such
.r,.,, ,,,,.,. -, ,,l,,,s,t 81 In, a. tn ~,
I fI al NNU
| crs r., H., s,ot,,tr earli member Of The
| l,r,, - control ta talr an aatb Ia faithfully
~, ,.-ti,tl, md ;netl,. ,,rrfr,n ali the flutc IL
| ~ ofifc r. III, beat af his understanding and
| atil,f,. and tbc o5afds ~ tbis oatb indicate
| siearfy he dut, ,.iie, i s,ucup,bent uDon
| ,ren,L,rs of tbc hoard The siipre1nr court al
| tbie S,stc bae SAID that "flic any ~ ever
,nrI,r n0icrr charged Nth hs,inu. nnflir v-orL
| donr 10 be maid ~ la, nuhlic money /, 10
| take care that tho work is performed on terms
| most advanfageous To the public. He viii not
| he Liable for mere errors Of Judgment but a
wilfli and eorrupt awarding Of a contract for
| such york. on terms less advantageous than
otbcrs Uttered IA do II Tor yyoilId he a neglect
and breach az dutV such az Ia consume otijcia1
| r1isbcba,fiar ,nfl,ftatte A. common Inv -rhr
court mira tbat n, case where The ,uesti54ri
v,as whether tbc heard ~ nnilir work. Of one
nf our Cries should have Advertised for btd4
f1r nI,blir work il couid MOI he conten,Icd that
a pubIic officer could viii IMMUNITY yilfllIv
md corruptlv award contracts Tar nubIic work
on terms iess advant3geous to The nublic than
thaac which he could hive nroGured rom
others The renort In This case shows that the
hoard Of freebolders has made contracts for
bridges with Iobn " Scott of Flemingtou.
NOT only without eomnetition hut apnnreutlv
without any effort on The part Of the hoard 10