USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newburyport > City Officers and the Annual Reports to the City Council of Newburyport 1893 > Part 17
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
consider it as a business transaction, and the only way it would be considered by a business man. But more in regard to the Boston and Maine stock. When it was decided by the directors of the city railroad to offer the road to the Boston and Maine the Honorable Albert Currier, Henry B. Lit- tle, esq., and myself were chosen a committee to see if the road could be sold, and some of these persons who are now finding fault with my management of the matter advised me at that time not to sell the city railroad ; and I want to say right here, that if the present management of the Boston and Maine had been in power at that time the city railroad would never have been sold, but would have been left on the city's hands, and would not at the pres- ent time have brought $25 a share, for the road has never paid any one, and it can never be made to pay. The majority of the directors of the Boston and Maine were opposed to purchasing the road, and if it had not been for the Honorable Frank Jones, who was president of the Boston and Maine at that time, we could not have sold the road at any price; but as it was, we traded the stock of the city railroad for so many shares of the Boston and Maine stock, calling the city rail- road stock at $100 a share, and the Boston and Maine stock at $180, which was its market value at that time. Now it has been stated that
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ANNUAL REPORTS.
we could have sold the Boston and Maine stock for $75,000. That statement is absolutely false, for there has never been a time since we came into possession of the stock when we could have sold it for anywhere near that amount. In the first place, we did not receive the stock for nearly four months after the trade was made, for the stock of the city railroad had to be gathered in, the attorney for the Boston and Maine had to look up the titles, after which it had to be rati- fied by their directors, then had to be left over un- til the stockholders voted upon it, so that when we received the stock the price had fallen way off. Now at this time I did not go-as he seems to think I should have done-to this young man who has lately been trying to pose before the public as such a great financier, and ask his opinion, for two reasons. First, from the fact that being established in business for myself about the time that this young man was born, I did not consider him a proper person to apply to for instructions in re- gard to financial problems; and the way he has been talking has certainly confirmed my opinion of his ignorance regarding such matters. Secondly, I did not ask his opinion for the reason that, like most men of middle age when needing counsel, I sought the advice of those men who I had every reason to believe understood such matters-men
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who were older and wiser than myself, and in nearly every instance was advised by them to hold the stock, they taking the ground that all stocks were way down on account of the business de- pression, and that the stock would surely come up again as the times grew better. There is no need of any one worrying about the Boston and Maine stock. Once before since the city held the stock it has dropped to $130, and afterwards advanced to $160; and if it should drop to $120 it would not signify any loss to the city. The city has never lost a dollar by holding the Boston and Maine stock only in one instance, where the Institution for Savings took an unfair, and I claim dishonor- able, advantage of the city. When we took up the city railroad bonds we placed a demand note for the amount with the old savings bank at four per cent., both the city treasurer and myself under- standing that the note could remain at the same rate as long as we needed it. Sometime in June we were very much surprised at receiving word that on account of the stringency of the money market we must pay five and one-half per cent. It was a time when we could not obtain the money, and we were obliged to submit. In August we again re- ceived word that we must pay six per cent.,-the times had not changed; and we had again to sub- mit to the extortion, for it was nothing else. After
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the money market became easier, I saw one of the bank officials and reminded him that we were pay- ing too much interest on that note. He said he would bring the matter up, but after waiting about a month and not hearing anything from them I sent the treasurer, and he received the same answer. After waiting two weeks longer I again called upon the bank official, and he informed me that it was no use talking about four per cent. as they could do better, notwithstanding the fact that they had over $150,000 at that time on deposit at the First National Bank, in addition to a large sum deposited in the Revere Bank at Boston, that they were then waiting to invest. I then determined that I would not submit any longer to such unbusiness-like dealings, and sent the treasurer to Boston, with instructions to place the note there at four per cent., which he did. Now I claim that every dollar of the money in ex- cess of the four per cent., taken by the savings bank from the city, was taken wrongfully, and the directors, as honorable men, should return it to the city treasurer. It is not costing the city any- thing at the present time to hold the Boston and Maine stock, as we are now getting the money at four per cent., and the stock is paying four and one-half per cent; and I have been advised by banking men, who ought to understand such mat-
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ters, not to sell the stock at the price it is now bringing. And I have been surprised at the many false statements that have been made regarding the matter; and while the newspaper which has been publishing such misleading articles and false statements relating to city affairs could have had but one purpose, that of personal spite toward myself and the vindictive desire to do me all the possible harm it could, it has signally failed in its purpose; for, fortunately, here, where the truth can be easily ascertained, I am abundantly able to disprove their false charges to the satisfaction of the ·people. But, very unfortunately, they have succeeded in disgracing the city by sending abroad, wherever the paper has been sent, the false impres- sion that the citizens of Newburyport are so low down in the scale of intelligence as to elect, with- out any opposition, a man to be the chief executive of their city, who, according to this paper, is in every way unfitted for the position, having neither the financial ability or other necessary qualifica- tions for the office. They have also created the im- pression abroad that the finances of the city were not only badly managed, but were in a bad condi- tion, which is absolutely false. Now any news- paper man who has arrived at the age of discre- tion would have seen that the publishing of such statements could not possibly do me any harm,
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while they could not help creating abroad, where the facts were not known, a very unfavorable im- pression of our city and of the intelligence of its people; and I have been surprised that any paper in this city could be so indiscreet and unfair; and how any paper could be so devoid of honor and principle as to publish such misrepresentations is beyond my comprehension.
PUBLIC LIBRARY, SCHOOL AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS.
In regard to these departments there seems to be nothing new to be said, so I will pass them by with simply alluding to them.
The public library, under the management of Mr. Parsons, the librarian, still continues to be very much appreciated by those of our citizens who avail themselves of its privileges.
The school department was discussed pretty thoroughly one year ago. It is now, as it was then, equal to that of any other city.
The fire department is in excellent condition, and everything there is working in a most satisfactory manner.
HIGHWAYS.
The work that has been done in this department for the last two years speaks for itself, and meets with the approval of nearly all our citizens, no
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
fault being found only by a few chronic grumblers, such as are to be found everywhere, and who are continually finding fault with everything. They always find fault with every city government, no matter what they do. They will find fault with the weather, and with the times, and even find fault with the Lord because this world is not run according to their own narrow ideas. It is of no use for anyone to try to please such people, for it would be impossible. There has been during the past year 15,800 feet of new edgestones set and 3500 feet re-set, 4570 square yards of new gutters laid, 4407 yards of brick sidewalk laid and 10,875 yards of concrete, $3000 more was expended for crushed stone than the year before, about $1000 was expended in widening Merrimac street near the car stables, three new horses have been pur- chased on account of the old ones being worn out, 14,910 yards of macadamized road was con- structed, and 11,135 square yards of road were covered with broken stone in addition to the mac- adamized, and it cost the city over $1700 more last winter than it did the winter before to remove the snow, on account of the severe weather; so it will readily be seen that a much larger sum was ex- pended in this department than ever before in any one year.
Highways, including sidewalks and edgestones,
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shows an overdraft of $13,032.37; but it was un- derstood by every member of the city council last year that $6000 of the amount appropriated for incidentals would be expended on the highways, so that really the overdraft is only $7000. While I do not believe it is well for any department to overdraw their appropriation, - and I would again urge, as I have before, upon every committee the duty as well as the importance of their not expending more than the sum appropri- ated for them - still in this case I do not think the citizens will complain very much, as they can readily see where their money has been expended, and also realize that they are receiving the benefit of it in being able to walk from one end of the city to the other on good sidewalks. Now it must not be forgotten that our streets and side- walks had been neglected so long that they were completely worn out; and while it may seem to some that we are expending a large sum upon them, the work is being done in a thorough man- ner, and it will be seen in the end to have been true economy. Persons who have not visited our city for years are surprised at the marked improvement in the appearance of our streets, and especially re- mark as to how much better and wider the streets look on account of the removal of the old bridges. On one short street, Titcomb street, there were
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
thirteen of these bridges, presenting about as un- sightly an appearance as could be imagined ; and I think no one looking at the street as it is today would ever consent to have them put back. I am aware that there are some who find fault with their removal, for it is sometimes hard to get out of the old ruts, and to become accustomed to any change; but if the crossings are only properly fixed, being well rounded and the crown carried up to within about sixteen inches of the sidewalk, then depressed pretty sharply to the curbstone, thereby narrowing the gutter, and causing the water to flow against the stone instead of allowing it to spread out, there will not be any difficulty experi- enced in crossing the streets. In regard to the crossing at the junction of State and Pleasant streets, I did not approve of the scheme to tunnel State street, being aware that the culverts at the foot of the street were in such a condition that it would be necessary to go to the river front, and that it could not be done properly for both sides of the street less than $3000; and even then there would be grave doubts as to its being satisfactory. The crossing was fixed at an expense to the city of about $275, and though the work was not done quite as well as I would liked to have seen, it an- swers the purpose. State street, from Charter to the foot, is so flat that in heavy rains the water
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spreads so far out into the street as to make it very difficult to cross. The center of the street should be raised at least eight inches, giving much more crown than it now has. The work could be done, I think, at a cost of about five or six hun- dred dollars, and would be a great benefit to the public; and all the streets leading to the river which are obliged to carry a large quantity of wa- ter should be constructed in the same manner. I did not approve of the extension of Pleasant street, and the majority of the members of the city council agreed with me in the matter, as we could not see any necessity for it, or how the public at large were to be benefited by it. I found very few of the citizens who favored the move; and many of those, after learning that the street would come out as far below the depot as Birch street was above it, were opposed to its being carried out. As it is possible that the city may decide to con- struct new water works, which will necessitate the digging up of the streets, I would strongly recommend that no macadamizing or concreting be done until the question is settled; and would recommend that as large a sum as possible be ap- propriated for the setting of new edgestones around the city, that a proper grade be estab- lished by a civil engineer, and that edgestones be set on both sides of the streets. If that could be
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done for two or three years we should be aston- ished at the improvement it would make; and it would surely prove to be economy. It would have paid the city to have done it years ago, even if they had not received a dollar from the abutter.
LIGHTING STREETS AND CHEAP GAS.
In accordance with an act of the city council which was passed last November, requesting me to ascertain if the gas and electric light company would not furnish better and cheaper gas to our citizens, and also make better terms with the city for lighting streets, I wrote the company about three weeks ago to that effect. I have not as yet received any answer, as they are probably waiting to place the matter before the directors. I believe the company can afford to keep the street lights burning all night at the price they are now receiv- ing, and that they should be willing to do so. I also believe they should furnish gas to our citizens at least some cheaper than they are now furnish- ing it.
PRINTING.
There has been so much said the past year about the city printing that perhaps it would be well to consider the matter for a few moments. Some newspapers seem to have the idea that the city
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printing belongs to them, and should be carried out according to their views, on account of the in- fluence they imagine their papers exert in politics ; but that idea is decidedly wrong. I had a little ex- perience in that line in 1883, the first year I was elected to the common council, having been placed upon the printing committee. I found that when the city ordered a notice published in one paper, the other papers of the city copied and printed the no- tice, without any authority, and sent in their bill, which was never very small. As I did not think that was transacting city business on business principles, I took measures to prevent it, where- upon the threat was made by them that if I did not stop interfering with their business they would see that I was not elected again to any office in the city government. Well, I did interfere to the extent of stopping all such copying of notices, so that it has not been done since that time, and they have not as yet succeeded in keeping me out of the city government, although it is no fault of theirs. The city is under no obligations to support any newspaper, as some of them seem to think, and the methods adopted by some are such that it would be greatly to the advantage of the city if they were not supported by anyone. Now I am not by any means making an attack upon the newspaper pro- fession, for it is an honorable profession, and as a
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS.
rule is conducted by honorable men ; but there are exceptions to this rule, as well as to all other rules. There are persons in this city who could tell of po- litical schemes concocted in newspaper offices here that would lead the citizens to think some of them were much more interested in an attempt to get something out of the city treasury than they are in having the city business conducted properly, as they would have us believe; and it is often very amusing, to those who understood their motives, to listen to the advice they give so freely to the cit- izens. With some of them it is never a question of principle in supporting any measures or candidate for office, it is only a question of dollars; and the measures that will put into their pockets the most money, or the candidate for office who will pay the highest price, will be the measures or the candidate they will support. If anyone doubts this, let him ask any candidate who has ever run for any high office. Now a newspaper office is no more entitled to the city printing than any other printing office, and I am not sure but what it would be in the in- terest of the city for the committee to receive bids for all the city printing and advertising and award it to the office who would do the best work for the lowest prices, and to receive no work that was not properly done ; and if the annual reports cannot be printed without containing over two hundred
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errors, as has been charged, they should be rejected and left on the hands of those who do such poor work. Now in regard to the city advertising, which costs a great deal more than it ought. In some cases the law requires that a notice shall be published once in one paper; sometimes it specifies a daily paper, but not always. In such cases the notice should be published but once, and in but one paper. There is no more reason in publishing such notices in two papers than there would be reason in the city buying a horse of every horse dealer in the city because it was necessary to purchase one horse. Now those persons who have been talking so much about the members of the city government expending money for other purposes have never been known to refuse taking all the money they could get out of the city treasury. They have never refused to publish a notice, and they even ask for it, knowing at the time that it is wasting the city's money. And when they publish such a notice they take great pains to spread it over as much paper as possible, for they charge by the inch,-the more inches the more dollars; and they have never as yet been known to forget to send in their bill, or to neglect to take the money. The city printing and advertising will bear looking into pretty carefully, and I have no doubt it will be; and when you decide to transact the city
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printing business on business principles, as I be- lieve you will, you must expect them to find fault with about everything you do, for they never sup- port any city government that will not consent to be run by them. They have not been very success- ful in that respect the last two years, and so they have improved every possible opportunity for find- ing fault, and when no such opportunity could be found they have not hesitated to make one up out of whole cloth. They will meet with no better suc- cess in running the city government the present year than they have the last two, for during the year to come there will be but one mayor, just six aldermen, and only eighteen members of the com- mon council, for that is all we are allowed by law to have; and these men, and no others, are the men who have been chosen by the people to look after the affairs of the city. These are the men who are going to run the city government the present year, and they are going to run it on busi- ness principles, as they have the last two years, and in the city's interests; and at the close of the year they are going to give a good account of their stewardship, not to a newspaper, but to the people. And we shall be perfectly satisfied to have the people judge of our work.
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POOR DEPARTMENT.
This department is most creditably managed by those having it in charge. We have, very pleasant- ly situated, an excellent building, which is not ex- celled, if it is equalled, by any city or town in the State. There those who have been unfortunate are furnished with comfortable quarters and are pro- vided with an abundance of good wholesome food, and everything is done to make their lot in life as pleasant as possible. We also have the usual num- ber of what we call the outside poor, who are aided to some extent by the city ; and, notwithstanding the hard times which we have felt in common with other places, on account of the business de- pression extending all over the country, we have not as yet had any unusual calls made upon this department, there having been about four dollars more expended in the three months ending Decem- ber 1 than in the same months last year, which is certainly very gratifying. I have no doubt but there are many who have not been in the habit of receiving assistance, but on account of being una- ble to obtain employment have hard work to get along; but there is no need of any person in this city suffering from hunger or cold, and if they are in need and will only let it be known, they will find plenty of warm hearts and willing hands ready to help them.
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POLICE DEPARTMENT.
The unusual harmony which has existed in this department for the last two years has certainly in- creased the efficiency of the police force, and I be- lieve that as a whole the force will now compare favorably with that of any other city in the State. Owing to the hard times there has been an unusu- ally large number of lodgers at the police station within the last few months, many of them honest laboring men out of employment, travelling from one place to another in search of work. We have also had the usual number of tramps,-men who, apparently, would much rather die than work; and I sometimes think it would not be any loss if they should, for the professional tramp is a nui- sance. Of no earthly use to himself or any one else, he is simply an incumbrance upon the earth, and I heartily wish some means might be devised whereby they could be kept outside our borders. As a city we have been remarkably free from what might be called real crime, most of the work of the police being the arrest of intoxicated persons; and even in this respect there has been a very marked decrease in the number arrested. In connection with the morals of the city, I will briefly allude to the closing of the houses of ill fame. In my address of last year I promised to close all such places, and
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I have kept my word. They were not closed with a flourish of trumpets, and in such a manner as to draw a crowd, but in a very quiet way. In place of sending a barge around and arresting all the in- mates and locking them up in the police station, as was done in one city, I adopted what to my mind was a much better course. I notified the keepers of such houses, one at a time, to call at the city mar- shal's office. I met them at that place, and after saying to each one that I did not wish to imprison them or to injure them in any way, I reminded them that they were violating the law; that there was a demand on the part of the citizens that their places should be closed; that it was my duty to enforce the law, and that I should certainly per- form my duty in that respect. I then informed them that they might have until a certain time to close up. Most of them, after thanking me for the manner in which they had been treated, said they would close their places, and they did so. In two instances only were any objections made, they claiming that I had no right to drive them out of town, and that they would not go; but they after- wards changed their minds and left the city. There has been a remark made lately, in a sneering manner, that the houses which were squelched a year ago were resuming business, and with the un- derstanding that they would not be molested
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again. That story is absolutely false, and known to be so by the one who concocted it. At one of the places, although the house has been shut up the furniture has remained, the former keeper hav- ing given out word that she will return when there is a new mayor here. There have been but two actual attempts to return. One of them had been living in her old quarters two days before it came to my knowledge. I immediately sent for the own- er of the house and informed him that if he allowed them to remain he would be prosecuted for renting his building for immoral purposes. I then sent for the keeper, and informed her that it was no use for her to think of remaining there, and that she must close her place, which she did, going out of the city. The other case was that of the keeper of the Eagle House, who returned from the Beach and resumed business. She was notified to appear at the mar- shal's office, and both the marshal and myself tried to reason with her, but it did no good. She was again notified to appear, and I then told her that it would be the last time she would be sent for, and that if her place was not cleared out we should clear it out for her, and she would be sum- moned in court to answer to the charge of keeping a disorderly house. The inmates were then sent away, and the place was once more quiet. Soon after she was sent to jail on a charge of keeping a
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