Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-06-27
MAYOR REBUKES
. CITY ATTORNEY
Last Moline Executive CenSureS &.
u. Long for Failure to Act in
Missing Money Case.

Impatient over the alleged ne
elect of City Attorney George ID.
Long of East Moline to take steps
toward securing sums which II IS
said are due the city because of
mismanaged and even dishonesty
handled municipal affairs, and see
ing the need of additional funds IN
the citv's present financial trouble,
DIR. q. F. Johnson, mayor, has 'ad-
dressed a communication to that Of
fetal in an endeavor TO find out the
reason for the delay in action. The
trouble started some months ago
when it was found that there We're
discrepancies in the municipal
financial records and that some pri-
waite individual had evidently prof
tied to the city's loss. sA report of
certified accountants who went
over the city's books revealed
astounding Conditions and the city
attorney was at once authorized by
the council to take steps to collect
the money due the city and to even
institute suits if necessary.
This, it seems. the attorney has
failed to do and the neglect OF this
action has called forth the letter
from the chief executive. The
mayor goes so far as TO state thac
his name was forged 10 a check on
the city treasurer, in favor of an
alderman, who, it is alleged, cashed
the check, in spite of the bill never
/ having been allowed by the council
| before or since. With such high
handed procedure going on the
mayor states that it is high time to
act. DR.. Johnson's letter to the
city attorney was made public to-
! day and follows:
George ID. Long, City Attorney.
/ Dear Sir: Several months ago l
/ wrote you a letter regarding
1 shortage in the finances of the CITY
and called your attention to the IL
| legal way in which certain parties
| HAD handled city funds. The city
! council passed a resolution call
( ing upon you to investigate the
matters referred to and instructed
/ YOU to bring suit to collect any
funds due the city from any one,
should you find any due. You re
ported to the council a certified
audit, made by the Haskin & Sells
company, certified accountants Of
/ Chicago, which they made Of the
! City's accounts.
This report shows an astound-
/ ing condition. 1t supports my for
mer statements to you. and shows
that the city has lost in interest
along over $4,000. The amount Of
/ interest collected from deferred
/ special assessments should be de-
/ Quoted from this amount.
| 1T shows that some one misap-
piled 81 800 from our treasury 70
a pay a confessed shortage in the
Watertown sidewalk assessments.
! II also shows several thousand dol
/ lars paid to the treasurer that
/ should and does belong 10 the city
/ 1t shows other interests due the
/ city. and states the amount due,
/ ana from whom it is due.
The report states that infOTma-
/ ton from the State bank as to GER
/ tain records was refused on the
| grounds that the books were in a
/ confused condition, and now We
/ are in doubt, at least some may be,
/ as 10 which side of the balance the
/ confusion was on.
1.-The city records show that a
| shortage was IeGOSIl4Leu III dSScSS-
ments No. 60 and No. 129 of S1,34S,
/ by the city council, and the money
/ ordered taken from the city treas
ury to pay same. Now someone got
/ this money. If the former village
| clerk is the guilty. party, why not
/ start suit to collect from his bonds
men. and if he left the money in the
! bank and it failed to turn it over to
/ the city after the clerk left for
parts unknown, why not prosecute
+ the guilty parties? Someone got
this money. that's sure, and no one
has a right to steal the taxpayers
money and walk away unmolested
with it. The guilty party should be
/ IN Jail. Friends of the gang are
/ trying to divert the peoples atten-
ton from this shortage by splitting
/ hairs, but the people are going to
| find out the truth.
My name has been forged to a