Year: 1871

10 maintaln popular iaVor has anyways
been esteemed the most difficult of all
undertakings--an enterprise which has
seldom been successful, and never, in fact,
unless the man of station was also man
of remarkable virtues. The speedy fall
and untimely decay of the Richmond City
Council was never unexpected, for its ear
licst performances gave indication of rot
tenness at the core, which could only
terminate in decomposition and death.


1t would, however, hardly have been
believed during the first fortnight of the
existence of that wretched body, that
within twelve month, by waste and ex-
travagance, it would increase the city debt
S668, ,129. so or that those miserable men
would, at the end of their official life, have
left as legacy to their successors, and an
intolerable burden to the Taxpayers, de-
ficiency of $456, 1922 to be provided by
taxation this year Yet such is the fact,
such the bitter fruit which has ripened in
the short period of one year, as the result
of the waste, extravaganza, and peculati On
of that demoralized body.


An old historian of the middle ages who
undertook to account for the turpitude and
infamy of Judas Iscariot, relates that
among other things Judas slew his father
and married his own mother before he be-
trayed his Master but in these times vice
ripens quicker and natures its Infamous
fruits earlier. tits left to our Council to
rush at one bound into the very front rank
of wrong, oppression, Injustice and Off
cial decentralization, without even the hard
ening process which all other great rogues
are compelled to go through.


We have already called attention to some
of the official misconduct of the body that
controls our municipal affairs. The man
agement of the alms-hous the gas works
and the police department has been horri-
BILE indeed, wasteful and extravagant be-
yond comparison. We have sought in
vain to find one green spot in all the barron
desert which marks their pathway of out
rageous misrule.


We have sought patiently, and in noun-
kind spirit, for single redeeming feature
on any page Of all the book that records
their doings as public servants, and are
compelled to say that in our judgment
there is no important act of theirs of which
any honest man might boast that there is
no great measure Of public policy which
an intelligent man would be willing to
father, and no administration of the pub
lie finance which is not painfully sugges-
tive of jobbcry and peculaton.


The accident which placed that body in
Office was a great misfortune in every way,
but especially because it gave them mo-
nopoly in the valuable, though infamous,
privilege of making jobs and selling con.
tracts. 1t was bad enough to ruin the
credit of the city and squander its money
lavishly. But the enormity is a thousand
times aggravated when, from partiznn or
other worse motives, the public servant
wickedly attempts to strange enterprise
and murder trade by favoritsm and mer-
cenary determinations. Trade requires
justice, equality, fair dealing and an hon
est competition the interests of the city
require that its work, when done by con-
tract, should be given to the lowest re-
sponsible bidder; while honor and integ-
rity requires that the Council should not,
under any circumstances, allow one dollar
more to be paid for the work than the low
est responsible bidder is willing to do it
for.


If any but the lowest responsible bid is
accepted, the inference is irresistible that
it was done fraudulently, for personal gain,
or from ignorance and stupidity if fraudu-
lently, then the guilty party should be
made TO disgorge; if done iguorantly,
then such imbeclity should be summarily
elected from office.


In March last, sealed proposals for
building gas holder were invited. The
following is a list of the bids and bidders