The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-09-19

at is my intention to give the eiti-
Gems of Richmond the best administra-
ton they have ever had."-W. w.
Zimmerman
The above appeared in the local
press Immediately following election
last November. and inasmuch as three
fourths of the first year of his admin
istration has passed is it not time that
some manifestations of redeeming
that promise became APPARENT On
the contrary a council meeting is sell
dom held that the reports of which do
not contain some, "belly-aching" and
whining about his predecessor short
comings, claiming the city treasury
was in a bankrupt condition. contain
ing no money with which to carry on
the necessary improvements Acting
very much, to my mind. like the boy
who gave his reason for not being able
to swim that the water was not wet
enough"
Mayor Zimmerman is either lacking
in memory or he must think other peo-
pie are. The report for 1905, which
reports the condition of the city's I'm
ances January 1, 1906. when the Schil-
linger administration went into Office,
shows January. 1905:
General fund overdrawn ..s22, 3o3. SO
General fund bills payable. 11,433.5O
Total Indebtedness ..... 1913. 1876. S6
Jan. 1, 1906, general fund
1906 SO instead of a credit of $7,541.74
Against this credit there is a tenn.
porary loan Of $2O.O0O.O0 due May 80,
1906, so instead of a credit f$7,541.74
there was a floating debt of $12 .45s.26,
or in other words Mayor Schillinger
found the city treasury $12,45s.26
worse of than nothing and arrange
ments to be made to pay OF $1,000. 90
May 30. of his first year in Office.
Apart from the floating debt they in
herited claims against the city of
81, 10000, viz: Lincoln judgment
IS, $1,000; Clifford Judgment 100000,
money due Evans & Gartside $500;
total $14,050.O0.
During the four years of their ad-
ministration they spent in public i'm
provements $343,519.9S, or $50, s60.9S
more than the Zimmerman admins
tration spent in the six years imme-
ditaely preceding, viz: 1900 to 1905,
inclusive. When they came out of Of
fee they left in the treasury to the
credit of the general fund 81, O37.42.
or $34,4ss5.6s better than they found
it.
Although the tax duplicate is high
er by nearly three quarters of mil
lion dollars today than it was four
made to raise the tax levy, but they
went to work in a business like way
and pulled the city out of a bad mud
die. Isn't that what is making you
sore, Doc? The sooner partisan ha-
tired and jealousy is put aside and
you awaken to the fact that you are
put there to run things in business
like way, the better.
Oh, yes; the democrats reduced the
levy and caused the bankruptcy, and
you accuse them of doing it for polit-
ical effect. Five cents on a hundred
dollars on total assessed valuation
of $14,14S,335 equals $7,07400, that's
what bankrupts you. is it?
You cannot see any justice in this
reduction believing 1t was done to en-
barrass you. Will not the offices wiped
out by the new law going into effect
nearly equal this amount of which you
are deprived? You are saved $4,000 90
on the board OF public works; $1.7O0
city treasurer; $1,000. city Judge. Yet
although the vehicle ordinance will
add to our revenue, the tax you say,