USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newburyport > City Officers and the Annual Reports to the City Council of Newburyport 1895 > Part 3
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The second class is composed of those who always find fault if the police do not enforce some law which in no way affects them personally, and are just as ready to find fault if they do enforce some other law which does affect them. For in- stance, there is a certain man in this city whom I
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS
have often heard complain of the police because they do not enforce the liquor law according to his ideas, but when it became necessary, as it did, for them to enforce a law which he was violating by obstruct- ing the sidewalk with his goods and a lot of old cases, that were a nuisance to everyone who had occasion to pass, his store, he began togrumble and has kept it up ever since. Such is the inconsistency of this class.
The third class consists of those persons who are continually complaining about everything. It is second nature with them. Nothing pleases them. If you meet one of these persons upon a fine day with the remark that it is a beautiful day, he will look all around the horizon, and after heaving a long and painful sigh, he will answer, "It is a weather breeder, we shall be sure to have a storm to pay for this;" and as with the weather so with everything else. Inform him that a police officer has done a very clever piece of work in his line and he is not willing to allow the officer any credit for it. He will bring up some other affair that this or some other officer failed in. I am in- clined to think that this class of people are to be pitied rather than blamed. They are so constituted that nothing ever goes right with them. I am not certain but that it is a disease, and possibly in time
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ANNUAL REPORTS
some learned physician may be able to discover the particular microbe or bacteria that causes it, and afterward some anti-toxine treatment for its erad- ication ; until then we must patiently bear with them.
There is still a fourth class of well meaning peo- ple who have no knowledge whatever of the police department only as some person informs them. They have but a very slight conception as to what constitutes a good police force or what is required of it. A man may make an excellent police officer but be wholly unfit to serve as deacon of a church. Another man may make a very poor minister of the gospel but possess every qualification for a good life insurance agent. Now the members of our po- lice force are much better fitted to handle billies than golden harps. They all have their faults, and in this respect are not very much different from the rest of mankind. There is not a single member of the force, from the marshal down, that I would think of recommending for superintendent of a Sun- day school; in fact, I think either one of them would ruin the best Sunday school in the city in a very few months ; nor would I recommend the best Sunday school superintendent ever known for city marshal, as he would demoralize the whole force as far as its efficiency is concerned. The requirements
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS
for the two vocations are radically different. While it is the Sunday school teacher's duty to instruct children in the lessons of the Bible and the teach- ings of the golden rule, the police have a very differ- ent class to deal with and are often obliged to use measures that might seem even cruel to some per- sons.
When an officer is arresting a criminal he can- not very well stop to deliver a dissertation upon the moral law, even if he were capable of doing so. If he happens to be struggling with some desperate character, as is often the case, who is striking, kick- ing and biting, a good stout piece of locust is much more efficacious as an argument and the only prop- er one to use at such a time. Now, a real good, kind-hearted Christian man would not be adapted for such business, and could not be prevailed upon to accept the position. I have been pretty familiar with the workings of the police department for the past twenty years, and I say without hesitation that never in all that time has it been in better con- dition than today. While the members are far from being saints, they are honest and faithful, and I be- lieve are men who try to do their duty. Weshould not expect too much of them, but have a little of that charity which we all need. Let us not forget that a police officer's duty is often anything but
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ANNUAL REPORTS
pleasant. When we are stowed away in our warm beds these cold nights, they are obliged to walk the streets keeping guard over our property, and pos- sibly our lives, while we sleep, and I would suggest that those who have been in the habit of standing off at a distance and condemning the whole force, take measures to become acquainted with the offi- cers and then encourage them to do the best they can.
GENERAL REMARKS.
Under this head I ask your consideration for a few moments to some of the difficulties that beset those who are elected to official positions in the city government, and in so doing I shall speak largely of myself, and from my own experience, for I have had a little experience in that line. Many people think it strange that our best citizens as a rule will not consent to accept an office, but if they will stop and consider for a moment what an official is often obliged to put up with they will cease to wonder that it is so. When they see those who hold office abused in the most shameful manner by a disrepu- table paper, their motives purposely and malig- nantly misconstrued, their acts misrepresented in the most outrageous manner, their public and offi- cial statements twisted around in every conceiva-
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS
ble way through sheer vindictiveness and for the purpose of creating political capital for some one else and against them, men who are possessed of a sensitive temperament naturally shrink from plac- ing themselves in a position where there would even be a chance of bringing such things upon them. Quite a number of those who have occupied the mayor's position in this city for one year could not be induced to accept a second term, and most of them after serving two years had quite enough of it. My predecessor in office, Mayor Dodge, had a little of the same experience I have had. He was pretty roundly abused by one of the papers and it published a cartoon for the purpose of bringing rid- icule upon him. Now I have been obliged to stand a little more of this abuse than the others, for Iam naturally aggressive. I frankly confess that I have not a single particle of the Christian spirit that would lead me, if a man struck me a blow on one side of the head, to turn the other side for him to strike. If a man strikes me he is pretty certain to receive a dose of the same medicine. Therefore whenever an attack has been made upon me I have returned it, but never in a spirit of vindictiveness.
If I have at times said things that seemed harsh it was not with any ill feeling or in a cowardly manner, for when I have made charges against any-
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ANNUAL REPORTS
one they have been made fairly and openly and not behind the back. Now my young friend of the News, and, by the way, I notice that he objects to my alluding tohim as a young man, says that it is not a crime to be young. Most assuredly not, but I want to say to him, and I say it with kindness, that most young men have too much sense to be continually advising in a dictatorial manner, as he does, those who are older and more experienced than themselves. It does not look well. If I should go down to the News office and try to teach him to set type and get out a newspaper I should simply be making a fool of myself for I don't know the first thing about such matters. Now I have had ten years' experience in the city government, (and I think no one will call me a dull scholar, whatever else they may think of me) while this young man has had none, yet from the very first he seemed to consider it his duty to advise and dictate to me just what I should do and how it should be done, and then was offended because I would not consent to be guided by him. Evidently he thinksit very cun- ning to say things against members of the city gov- ernment, but other people look at it in a different light and consider from whence it comes. It was only a few months ago he thought the whole city was wrong and informed them that it was not often
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS
that a newspaper (meaning his paper) was com- pelled to hold an opinion different from that held by every one else. It certainly was a little strange, but the citizens of Newburyport when they want his advice will without doubt ask for it, until then it would be much more becoming in him to withhold it. There is an old adage and a very good one, that children should be seen and not heard, and no matter how much this young man may know about printing he is but a child in his knowl- edge of matters pertaining to city affairs.
Now do not imagine for a moment that I think he is the worst young man that ever was, for. I do not. He is not bad at heart, he means well, and after a little more age and experience will be all right, until then he should possess his soul in pa- tience and not allow trifling matters to fret him.
The best man who ever lived could not be may- or of a city for three years without making some enemies, and the nearer he tries to do right the more enemies he will make. When first elected I found the charter would not allow the city to have but one mayor at a time, and I then determined that as the people had elected me to the office I should be that one.
My experience has taught me that the mayor must not only be blamed for what he does himself,
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ANNUAL REPORTS
but also for many things he is in no wise responsi- ble for, and that being the case I concluded it would be much easier to answer for mistakes of my own making rather than for those others might lead me into. I could have had the support of those who have so bitterly opposed me, had I yielded to their wishes and consented to be run by them.
When the wire-pullers of my own party came to me, as they did on my first election, and informed me that it was my duty as a Republican to work for the interests of that party, which in this case meant themselves, and almost demanded that I should appoint men to positions, when I knew and they knew the men were wholly unfit for them, I re- fused and informed them that I should recognize no party, that my duty was to the citizens, and when these men found they could not use me they had no use for me, and from that time have opposed me, for which I am devoutly thankful and I have cer- tainly not needed their assistance.
If I had not criticised the clerk of the court for the manner in which he often treated the officers, when, in the performance of their duty, they were obliged to apply for warrants, and had not acci- dentally learned last spring that he had for years been buying fuel for his private office and charging the same to the city, which practice I considered it
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS
my duty to most decidedly object to, there would have been no opposition from that source. If I had been willing to assist the man who thought he was not getting his share of the city work to roll up large bills against the city, as in days of yore, pos- sibly even he would have supported mc, but I had to choose between such things as these and that of performing my duty to the city. I preferred to do my duty, and naturally made enemies of these per- sons, and those men whom I have cited are among the leaders of that class who have been clamoring so loudly the last two years about rescuing the city, who think the people are not intelligent enough to rule, and are fair samples of those who prior to the last two city elections have held secret caucuses in divers places where, under the cover of darkness, with their coat collars turned up about their faces, they would dodge in, one by one, like thieves in the night, to plot and schemc.
What cheap affairs these secret gatherings of theirs must have seemed to them as they looked in upon that great mass caucus held in this hall, where the people, exercising their rights as freemen, openly deposited their ballots. These men whom I have been describing are afraid of mass caucuscs. They do not like to sec the people gather in large numbers for the purpose of choosing their own
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ANNUAL REPORTS
candidates for office. They would much prefer to have their little ring or clique pick them out, as they could then use them to a certain extent, but there is only one fair and honest way to nominate candidates for office and that is by the mass cau- cus. The nearer you come to the old-fashioned town meeting the nearer you will come to protect- ing the rights of the people, and we should never allow this privilege to be taken away from us.
Now, as I draw near the end of this address, I wish to say a few words regarding the style in which my inaugural addresses and other public documents have been written. I suppose there are some people who do not like my way of writing ; if so, I am very sorry, but they have been written in this way for two reasons.
First, because I could not very well help it un- less I had asked some one else to write them for me, and I did not care to do that, so if they have been a little peculiar it is simply because I have acted myself and have not tried to imitate some one else.
My second reason is, that in looking over, as I have during the past three years, some two hun- dred different inaugural addresses, I found they were very much alike, running along in the same old ruts, composed in the main of figures and sta- tistics and generally pretty dry reading for most
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS
people, as such documents usually are, and I thought it would not be a bad idea, in writing up these facts and figures, to take some of the dryness out of them by putting in a little spice so they could be presented in such a manner that people would be interested enough to read them.
If I have succeeded in doing this my purpose has been accomplished, and those who do not like my addresses may derive some comfort from the thought that in all probability no other mayor will write any just like them.
CONCLUSION.
And now, gentlemen of the city council, in clos- ing this address let me remind you and myself as well that we have stood up today before our fellow- citizens with our right hands raised to heaven and calling upon God to witness our vow. We have solemnly promised to be faithful to all the duties imposed upon us by our several offices. We have now fairly entered upon the performance of those duties. They will by no means be trifling ones and we should never allow them to be trifled with. Our fellow-citizens have confided to our care their public interests, and they expect us to be true. To betray a trust is to do a mean thing, more than that, it is
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a crime. We shall be called upon during the coming year to expend over two hundred thousand dollars and it is not our money, but belongs to others. How are we going to expend it? Not, I hope, as if it were our own, for we should be more careful in expending money entrusted to our keeping than of that which belongs to us. I, for one, shall do all in my power to see that every dollar is expended wisely and that not one dollar is expended above the appropriations allowed us, but this cannot be accomplished without the assistance of cach mem- ber of the city council. If we do this, and there is no overdraft at the close of the year, we shall re- duce the city debt $40,000 and thus earn the grati- tude of our fellow citizens.
And now, as a parting word, I would say to all my friends and fellow-citizens who have so gener- ously supported me in the past that I thank you with all my heart, and as life is altogether too short to devote any part of it in enmity to others, may God's richest blessings rest upon you all, friends and enemies alike.
Fellow citizens, before we leave this hall, it is fitting that I should pay a tribute to one of my predecessors, Hon. George W. Jackman, jr., a man
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MAYOR'S ADDRESS
whom the people of this city delighted to honor and who in return honored them.
A descendant of the sturdy yeomanry of the country, the traits of a worthy ancestry ever marked a period in his life.
Eminently a self-made man, casting hislot early in life in this city, he became a part of the history of this municipality. His history is her history, and while this city council was organizing he, who had so frequently presided over the upper branch, was being conveyed to his last resting place.
Once before on the day of the inauguration of a city government a former chief magistrate of the city, Hon. Caleb Cushing, was carried to
"That bourne from whence no traveler returns,"
and Hon. John James Currier, who on that day was inaugurated as mayor, paid a fitting and eloquent tribute to that dead statesman.
Not so eloquently, but as earnestly I would pay an honest tribute to one who five times filled the mayor's chair, and part of that time during the war of the rebellion, and retired from every official position that he held with the commendation of the people. Truthfully it may be said of him, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
FORTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
CITY AUDITOR
OF THE
RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES OF THE CITY OF NEWBURYPORT
FOR THE
Year Ending December 21, 1895
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
-
CITY OF NEWBURYPORT, December, 1895.
To the City Council of the City of Newburyport :
GENTLEMEN :- The Joint Standing Committee on Finance respect- fully submit the following statements and reports of the City Treasurer and Collector and the City Auditor for the financial year ending De- cember 21, 1895.
The books and accounts of the City Treasurer and Collector have been examined, under the direction of the committee, by the City Auditor and found by him to be correct and properly vouched.
For the Committee, ORRIN J. GURNEY, Chairman.
REPORT
CITY OF NEWBURYPORT, AUDITOR'S OFFICE, Dec. 21, 1895.
To the Committee on Finance:
GENTLEMEN :- In conformity with the require- ments of the city ordinances, I herewith submit the forty-fifth annual report of the receipts and expen- ditures of the city of Newburyport, for the financial year ending Dec. 21, 1895, (including the sum of $22,175.92 expended in the year 1894 and remain- ing unpaid Dec. 15, 1894,) together with a state- ment of the city debt and debts due the city, and a schedule of the real and personal property belong- ing to the city. I have audited the books of the city treasurer, city clerk, and clerk of the overseers of the poor, and find them correct and properly vouched. The various balances of the treasurer's ledger agree with his balance sheet as rendered Dec. 21, 1895. I examined all securities in possession of the treasurer belonging to the city, including the sinking fund investments, and found the same prop- erly accounted for. They are deposited for safe
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ANNUAL REPORTS
keeping in the vaults of the Merchants National Bank of this city.
I have verified the accounts of the collector of taxes, including the amount committed to him by the assessors, the abatements made by them during the year, and the amount collected.
I examined all bills passed by the committee on accounts, as presented weekly and monthly, and found the same correctly cast, properly approved and accurately placed upon the books.
The books of the treasurer show a decrease of the city debt during the year of $18,510.57. The overdraft for the year is $10,119.12.
Very respectfully,
WILLIAM H. WELCH,
City Auditor.
RECEIPTS
For 1895, in aggregate, as credited to the following accounts.
Poor department
$ 3,025 58
School department
1.078 62
Fire department. 90 00
Highway department
495 55
Police department
1,267 32
Incidentals
236 50
Public property .
371 60
Lighting streets and public buildings
14 00
Interest on overdue taxes
2,246 61
Carried forward
$8,825 78.
67
CITY AUDITOR
Brought forward. $ 8,825 78
Interest on dividends on B. & M. stock
2,524 50
66 bank deposits 571 61
Public library .
150 00
Sidewalks and edgestones
607 22
Notes payable.
130,467. 73
State of Massachusetts, State aid, chap. 301.
6,780 00
66 66 Military aid, chap. 279 .... 482 74
66 Burial expense, chap. 62. . 172 50
66
66 Armory rents.
112 50 402 00
Bromfield fund
Liquor licenses
23,959 44 2 90
Ashes and rubbish .
3,478 21
Non-resident bank tax, city banks. 66 State of Mass
2,810 65
Simpson Fund. 900 00
Income, corporation taxes, State of Mass
17,609 68
Income, foreign shipping, State of Mass
1,156 03
Parks or public grounds.
37 00
Soldiers' relief .
296 97
County of Essex, seal account
81 00
Dog licenses
786 83
City Hall.
1.236 00
Burial lots.
261 00
Artichoke bridge 36 27
3,699 35
Taxes of 1892 22 00
" 1893.
10,703 84
" 1894 30,485 28
120,666 80
City bonds, registered 4 per cent. sewer bond. ..
5,000 00
Boston & Maine Railroad Co. proceeds from sale of 13 shares of stock.
2,338 37
Board of health 9 50
$376,673 70
Betterment assessments
66 “ 1895
6S
ANNUAL REPORTS
EXPENDITURES
For 1895, as charged to the following accounts.
Poor department. $ 22,012 91
School department. 27,823 72
Fire department.
9,261 89
Highway department 21,359 82
Police department.
14,256 56
Incidentals.
4,543 02
Public property.
4,262 82
Lighting streets and public buildings
12,035 92
Interest
21,899 81
Public library .
2,810 35
Sidewalks and edgestones
5,250 74
Newburyport bridge
1,285 21
Essex Merrimac bridge.
36 70
Artichoke bridge.
57 25
Parker river bridge.
700 00
Culverts
808 56
Notes payable.
136,806 10
State of Massachusetts, State aid, chap. 301.
. .
6.862 50
.6 66 Military aid, chap. 279 ....
977 47
..
66 Burial expense, chap. 62 ..
175 00
66
Armory rents
519 30
Bromfield fund
339 79
Liquor licenses, 25 per cent. to the State of Mass. .
5,989 86
Fuel
450 28
Salaries
10,050 03
Board of Health
1,246 45
Printing.
1,126 72
Sinking fund commissioners
11,500 00
Ashes and rubbish
1,148 25
Water supply
8,177 00
State tax.
6,735 00
County tax.
11,008 53
Carried forward
$351,517 56
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CITY AUDITOR
Brought forward $351,517 56
Non-resident bank tax
5,067 54
Simpson fund
900 00
Income 54 10
Memorial day .
150 00
Sewerage construction
351 82
Sewerage maintenance
185 67
Parks or public grounds
439 01
Soldiers' relief
2,540 11
County of Essex, seal account.
81 00
Commissioners of Atkinson common
34 00
Water account
4,718 50
New armory
8,568 11
$374,607 42
The whole amount of receipts during the year 1895 was $376,673 70 The whole amount of expenditures dur- ing the year 1895 was. 374,607 42
Excess of receipts over expenditures. .
$
2,066 28
The balance in the treasury at close of business, Dec. 15, 1894, was .... .$ 17,256 83
Total amount received into the treasury from all sources from Dec 16, 1894, to Dec. 21, 1895, inclusive 376,673 70
Making a total of . $393,930 53
Total amount expended and ordered to be paid from the treasury from Dec. 16, 1894, to Dec 21, 1895, inclu- sive (including the sum of $22,175.92 expended in the year 1894) .... . . $374,607 42
The balance in the treasury Dec. 21, 1895, was. 19,323 11
Making a total of $393,930 53
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ANNUAL REPORTS
CITY DEBT
Dec. 21, 1895.
The amount of the net city debt Dec.
15, 1894, was. $397,465 81 The city debt has been increased dur- ing the year 1895 as follows :
By the amount of Note No. 514 issued to the order of J. V. Felker, city treasurer, dated Jan. 11, 1895, payable in one year, with in- terest at the rate of 3 3-4 per cent. per annum, temporary loan ...... By the amount of Note No. 515 issued to the order of J. V. Felker, city treasurer, dated Jan. 15, 1895, payable in one year with interest at the rate of 3 3 4 per cent. per annum, temporary loan. .... By the amount of Note No. 516 issued to the order of D. A. Whittier and C. A. Whittier, guardians, dated Jan. 15, 1895, payable in one year with interest at the rate of 3 3-4 per cent. per annum, temporary loan .
4,000 00
9,000 00
9,000 00
By the amount of Note No. 517 issued to the order of J. V. Felker, city treasurer, dated Jan. 19, 1895, pay- able in eight months. Discounted at the rate of 2 13-16 per cent. per annum and $5 commission, tempo- rary lcan . 20,000 00
By the amount of Note No. 518 issued to the order of J. V. Felker, city
Carried forward $439,465 81
71
CITY AUDITOR
Brought forward . $439,465 81
treasurer, dated Jan. 19, 1895, pay- able in eight months. Discounted at the rate of 2 13-16 per cent. per annum, and $5 commission, tempo- rary loan . 20,000 00
By the amount of Note No. 519 issued to the order of George E. Stickney, treasurer, dated Jan. 25, 1895, payable in four months. Discounted at the rate of 3 per cent. per annum, temporary loan By the amount of Note No. 520 issued to the order of J. V. Felker, city treasurer, dated Jan. 24, 1895, pay- able in one year with interest at the rate of 3 3-4 per cent. per annum, temporary loan .
By the amount of Note No. 521 issued to the order of J. V. Felker, city treasurer, dated Jan. 25, 1895, pay- able in one year with interest at the rate of 3 3-4 per cent. per annum, temporary loan .
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