The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1906-01-20
A WORD TO THE WISE.

7
if this would not apply equally as
well to the city of Frankfort?
| To the Members of the Council,
Board of Education, Policemen,
Street Commissioner, Collector,
Assessor, Health Officer, Treas
urer, Clerk. City Attorney, City
Judge, Mayor and All Other
Officials of Richmond, Ky:
Gentlemen-In order that there
may be no misunderstanding or eX-
cuse for the violation of certain
laws, | feel it my duty to call your
| particular attention To the follow
/ ing regulations contained in the
charter of the city, and ask you to
govern yourselves accordingly
under the present administration,
| regardless of ancient custom, usage,
or personal consideration. a strict
conformity to these statutes will
prevent the recurrence of many
abuses that have crept into our
municipal governments. And close
attention to these prohibitory sec
tions will relieve me of the bounden
necessity of calling public atten-
| ton to their violation. Not only
Ullat DuI Il Sllall IlOl tltSlldlt W ldht
necessary steps to see that the pen
alties are meted out to all who dis
regard their Oaths and obligations
in these vital matters, affecting the
| integrity of this administration.
First-Neither the Mayor nor any
Councilman shall be received as
surety on any bond payable to the
city. See Sec. 3557, Charter page
| IS.
Second-Members of the Council
to hold no other civil office, nor be
directly or indirectly interested in
any contract with said city; nor be
in arrears to said city for money
collected or withheld without
quietus therefor Sec. 1884, Char
ter page 3.
Third-Should any office of Rich
mond be directly or indirectly in
terested as agent or principal in
any contract with said city, or as
surety on such contract, he shall
thereby vacate his office, and the
contract, If entered into before said
officer vacates his office, shall be
null and void. Charter, Sec. 1884,
page ..
| FouIth-No member OF the Board
of Education shall be or become,
directly or indirectly interested in
any contract. agreement or trade
touching the building of school
houses, repairing of school prop
erty, or use his official position to
secure the patronage of the teachers
or employe s of the schools. Char
ter, Sec. 1898, page 81.
Finally, i'm order to clinch all
these safeguards against using
official positions to further private
ends. the Charter, Sec. 3557, page
4S says explicitly:
| City Off GERS are prohibited from
| buying, discounting or dealing in
any way in vouchers or claims
against the city, under a penalty
of ten dollars for each Offense."
Therefore, 1 have notified the
| City Treasurer not to pay any city
voucher that is endorsed over to or
presented by any city officer, eX-
cept it he for that officers own stat
utOry fee or salary.
This, under the section above
quoted, means that no city official,
under a penalty of ten dollars for
each offense, can even cash a
voucher, or take it in whole or part
for supplies sold to the owner of
the voucher. Any other custom
or construction is in direct viola
tion of the spirit and expressed pro-
hibitiOn of the section quoted t355)
buying, discounting or dealing in
any way in vouchers or claims
against the city"
1t is not for us to say that this
law is silly or needlessly strict. 1t
is simply our duty to abide by it to
the letter and that is my whole
object in calling your attention to
the matter. 1t is not the mere act
of obliging some vOucher-holder
that is prohibited, but to prevent
the abuses that are so liable to
creep in and demoralize our con-
duct of the affairs of the city.
There are four banks and scores
of other places in this city, where
vouchers may be cashed just like
any other check is cashed, without
asking any one of the dozen or so
city officials to handle this forbid
| den fruit.
For us to wink one eye' at this
old practice is to let down the bars
to whole troupe of violators.
| Therefore let this administration
set an example to all law-breakers
! by obeying the law ourselves.
If further proof of the wisdom
and Justice of my position is re-
quired, go and examine the old
vouchers of your city, and you will
be astounded at learning that
thousands upon thousands of dol
lars of the city's money have been
drawn out of your Treasury by city
off cials in plain violation of the
laws / have quoted, which viola
tions are not yet beyond the pale of
punishment should any taxpayer
press the matter.
For officials to object to a return