Amador ledger., 1906-03-09
City Expenditures.


that the promise was held out that |
the running expenses would be cur
tailed to the lowest possible limit,
consistent with efficiency, that the
property holders would not be called
upon to pay any more in taxes than
they have heretofore paid for state
and county purposes; that extrava-
gance in every torn would be dis
couutenanced; that the rate of county
road tax, say 40 cents on the $1U0 on
present valuations, would suffice to
maintain the city government aided
by other well-known sources of IN
come. The Ledger stated at the time
that it took no stock in this latter
proposition, even assuming that the
officials safe-guarded the public in
terests in every possible way. With
an official term of only four months,
a record of economical management
was expected. A full set of city
officials must be elected next month,
and record of we'll doing is conced-
ed to be the most potent recon-
mendation for continuance in a
position of public trust.
At the Inauguration of new
government, mistakes are inevitable.
Errors of judgment may ofttimes be
overlooked; for they will occur IN
spite of all precautions. While these
are confined to reasonable limits,
and do not involve the question Ut
motive, they are not usually taken
into serious considerations.
Voters can only judge of the future
by the record of the past. What
officials have done as such, is the
only criterion of what they will do
if continued in Office. If wholesome
provisions of the LAWN the plain
letter, as we'll as the spirit thereof,
have been set aside; if favo1itism and
discrimination have been shown to
the detriment of the city-these must
be taken as ind1ces for the future.
We feel it to be a duty incum bent
upon US to point out a few things
that have occurred in the briet history
of Jackson's elf-government. The
Ledger did not support the incorpora-
tion movement on the boundary lines
adopted. 1t has no apologies to make
for this course. 1t would follow the
same path, if the issue were submit
ted to the people again for their ap-
proval or rejection. Self-interest
would prompt a newspaper man to
support any movement that involved
a material increase of advertising and
job printing work, which is always,
the case with a municipal govern
ment. The Leeger was not governed
by such considerations.
Jackson was incorporated Decem ber
5. 1t was well-known that the
trustees could not take any effective
step without printing and advertis-
ing. The law requires that all print
ing and advertising for the city shall
be let to the lowest bidder, after due
notice. Some preliminary advertis-
ing was essential even before the
printing contract could be let. This
was necessary to set the machinery of
government in motion. But the
spirit of this contract system means,
if it has any import at all-that the
real business of the city, the passage
of ordinances, the supplies of print
ing, and so forth, should await the
letting of the printing contract to the
lowest bidder.
The proprietor of the Dispatch was
one of the city trustees. And the
board was face to face with the
following provision of the municipal
law:
No. 1856 No officer of such city or
town shall be interested, directly or
indirectly, in any contract with such |
city or town, or with any of the |
officers thereof in their official
capacity, or in doing any work or
furnishing any supplies for the use of
such city or town, OF its officers in |
their official capacity; and any claim |
for compensation for work done,
or supplies or materials furnished in |
which any such officer is Interested, |
shall be void, and if audited and |
allowed shall not be paid by the
treasurer. Any wlIlfuI violation of
the provisions of this section shall
be ground for removal from office, |
ic1n
and punished as such.
Under this section the Dispatch was
barred from the printing contract.
The first ordinance, simply providing
for regular meetings of the trustees.
was published in the Ledger, forithe
reason that it could not be legally
ordered published in any other paper.
This ordinance was ordered published
a second time, owing to some irregu-
larity in the first order. The second
publication was made in the Ledger,
without any agreement as to price.
In the mean time W. M. Penry,
announced in the columns of the
Dispatch his retirement from the
editorial and business management
of that paper. Whether this had
anything to do with the section of
the code above quoted, we leave our
readers to determine for themselves.
Immediately thereafter the ordinance
mill got into working order, and
ground out thirteen ordinances,