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Islretlon assumed control In addition to the i urreney nmt bonded debt then outstanding, we found • piorqlsi-umia floating debt l >f over 9195,000 pressing down upon u* It was 111 the shape of blllt-payable— jrsst dne homU — unpaid interest*—executions and li. fa*. pres „lng imd ready to he levied on our proper tv old account* from New York U> Macon nuil from one to two veuiw of age Rrmy thing in fact in the almpe of debt*, from the Mayor’* notee drawing one and a half per cent, jier month, down to the unpaid police roll for the laat month of (lie old Board. So complicated and confused wa* the character of the indebt edneta. that our Treasurer did not know and could not eatiinatc within 110,000 of what our liabilities were. In addition to title ugly debt I found an extravagant system of Hoapital rat- Ugr, guerd-hoiut drainage, charity euckerage, police jiatronagc, |aiuper pensioning and re aerre wood chopping—all misted upon the tax payerf and whfeu waa eating out their sub stance anil swallowing up their revenue at the rate of f&S.OUO to 9!U>,(K*lu year over and above their necessary and legitimate expense*. all of whit h had to lie taken care of and provided for until it could be systematised or disposed of entirely. Our Treasury waa depleted—only sixty three dollars In cash being found on haiitl. Our credit waa depreciating ; our stocks were hypothecated for money borrowed at home and abroad ; our iHinda were selling at 05 to 70 on the market, while our city currency was a dreg upon the market and a positive nuisance to our inerchHiita. We were surfeited with hank no tices, insulted by hujiortmiatc dnnnera am) harrasaed by street creditors, dally, on every corner. Now what haa been the labor performed, and what Is our condition to day* Every dollar of this immense floating debt has been canceled, while our current expenaea havo been promptly met. The Mayor's uota la not out for one single dollar, nor have we a single un|>atd account In the city or the world. We are totally and en tirely tree from promises to pay, except our bonded and currency debt—Uie only two items now against the city—the one drawing 7 per cent uud the oilier only sjg per cent, per an uum. The excessive putrid Hat, the hospital outrage, the < lun it v leakage, and the guard house extravagance, together with all other Items of useless expense, have In turn been dl* posed of In favor of the city. We are, out of tlm clutches of bunking housca and broker's offices. We have not borrowed a dollar In six months. We huvn ascertained our liabilities and provided for their redemption. We are living upon our resources, meeting promptly all OUT obligations, and retiring our debt at tbc rale of 950,000 per unnum. Our currency Is us good as greenbacks, and as bard to tlnd upon the market. Anil wbat Is laitter Ilian all else, we have gone out upon the market, bought un mid retired within the last ninety days 933,000 of our bonded debt. This goes to esUhllsh two Important facte : Ist. That we are not only able to meet our gradually maturing oldlgatbuis, but that we aru In a condition to anticipate them. Thu second and moat Important fact of all la that our bond* are < distantly upprcela ting In value, end have within the last twelve months advanced from 65a 70 to 73aH0, which, after all, in Ilia true financial barometer In lest lug all private and nubile credit. Men may prate as much as they please about (list and second class securities. Slid the good or had management of any business interest, but the real value of individual or corporation credit can always bo heat determined by the ready price Its paper will tiring upon the public mar ket Anil while soinu of the best mid most re- putable sLocks in the Btiite have l>ten urn dually (ieprecUtinK during the pant two Year*, our city bonds have atcadily sirwiigtliencd and ad vancefi, mud this, too, In the face of ttio moat at ringrnt money market ever known in Georgia Dim** tliia not ahow that there i* contidencc somewhere? And may I not ask what hM brought about tliia great change In our munici pal attain* Y Has it been the work of chance or the result of accident V Or la It the legitimate n**iiit and effect of earn eat, conatant, peraiat ent and determined labor and eftbrt to throw off our embarrassment amleatahiiah our ereditY I call upon the hualneaa men of Macon to answer those question* for theinoalvca. How and why this sudden transition from poverty, disgrace and public discredit into a state of ease and independence? Financin'* and ti pi tolist* omit r*tawi thin thing, ami trill place the //mimt rstunate u/xm if. IWUicums are not ex f*< tr<l to umlerslatul it. Hut this Is not nil. If lh6 liquidation of olddfbti had hem the onh burdeu imposed upon the present council, heavy as It Wat, the work would not have been • outphilm-d of. llut the still more dllllcultand delicate task of arranging for current expenses, in* well a# the protection of our future credit, had to be performed. In July, I*7l, the date of my first rejMirt, wo were out of money and without revenue. The choice bad to be made promptly between the laaue of more bonds or more currency—the one invoHing, us 1 knew, a heavy discount upon their face value, ami In < reused interest account—the other a question of actual circulation. The choice was made the currency was issued—and the successful management of this feature of our city affairs baa been as satisfactory to some ns it bua been surprising to others. Wc have saved in interest account alone over £IO,OOO during the past two year* in thn issue and circulation of this money. Ail this lias been accomplished, but not without daily ullort and sinigglo. 1 have luborcd hard and Incessantly lu the man agt'incnt of this matter. We have not only taken rare of uui finances, and ocouomiml in their manipulation, but wo have gone on and improved iMircity in many important i We have been liberal and judicious in our cucouragciucnt to private and public enter prise Wo have beHUtilled, adorned unii fur iilslkhl our city, as It wen', by the substantial imprm vtmmta ou our streets, and in the build ing and equipping of tin most complete and elaborate r air grounds a# well as the most charm ing and delightful Hark in all the sunny Houth. Wc have spent much money. \\ c have spent it wisely Mild sp* lit it well. Thu people run see it. Kvcry dollar not visible bus |m*sod Into tlie hands of the merchants, the mechanics, and day laborer# of our town—just where it should always go. Some men say we have been lavish and cttruuigant. Grant it Hut somehow our extravagance has worked to our ml vantage. It has replenished our cotters and strengthened our credit at home and übroud. For we are unembarrassed—we|ha\e a little money iu our Treasury and don't owe a dol lar in the world except our funded and cur I'cncy debt w hich all told is now only #,IX*H) greater than when we nmifi into office, and a balance of o ver #9b,olX> taxes yet tf be collected. The disbursements for the next two months will not exceed #40,000 including the redemp tion and jutyuicut of mat uling bauds ami In tercet account, which wiU leave us a surplus of revenue of more than fifty thousand dol lars, to be curried over to the* account of 1873, or to be used as council may determine, either iu the rcUrement of the bonded or currency debt. We have no MU payahlt or other out *landing Uahilitfea to absorb tills amount. Our maturing bonds—our interest account and fu tur* eurreut expense# make up the sum total of our disbursements hereafter, and as these cannot exceed #4O,(XV during the next two months, tills excess of revenue as now shown become# a surplus—taking it for granted as we have a right to do.that the revenue# of 1*73 will be more than ample to meet its own disburse moot account. Aud now il the prcscut coun cil can pay oil’ an old debt of more than #125, (XX) and burden itself w ith anew and tvxlmor dmary one of #l*4,OtX) a# in the case of the Hark improvements, and in addition to all this meal promptly alt of its own obligation* and pass wu* to the credit of the next Hoard a #ur plus of #SO.(XW, may I not ask w hat ia to Ik* clevied of ogr successor* hi office? This Is out Hnandal eondiUon to dav, and 1 call upon the tax-payers of Macon to sav w heth or or not they are pleased with the showing A discriminating public will be loth to believe that thl' favorable state of affair* could have t*eeo brought about in so short a time, by a yrren committee -a .owne-i.’ and a MwfW and irnyunplcnt Max or l ksv a discerning public will not so readily concede sit Uila, nor will the sensible Independent thinking men of the town ever le made to * tali lhcM y]\. cunning and covert efforts to tnuluee me and my administration, .ire entirely free from personal pique aud mal ignant \tOoui and spleen Hut Hie magnanim ity of a mau should always be equal in propor tion! to the iHvesaities of his foe. aud 1 can now well afford to indulge a feebtig of pity rather than reveugwtt'war.ts those who would tain nialcn nay ofiieted position a pretext for their feeble jH-raoiud attacks If 1 had sludleo the jHiUUcal boaring# of the eltv inoM', and the financial loss, it Is probable that my jn-reonal aud official popularit) would liave been greater, w bile the price of Maeoti oily lnind* perhaps would not have reached that euviatdc jHMtion among the best securities of our country to which they now attain. It ha* recently been whuqerrd about the t on n that the exceedingly U\Mfi txpeadUurv* made by tlie present Mayor and Council, have bicressed the city debt to a sum m<re tLan #-WO.tXX* larger than when we came into office, J have already statud the debt to be only about #9,000 lavra- than when we took charge of affairs, and I again plain- before the public a comparative statement that each iodriidusl and tax payer may are and read lor himself A# will MMU UMM stab menu show the ex act city debt at four different periods during the putt two yea t s,. namely t, the mtli of l>eeciiiht-i, ISifl , on the Itl of , ,!|y, 1,1, ,, fl the Hist of March, 1*71; and fin the Ist -i fir tidier, 197'-’. On the 18th of Decomher, 1870, the date at which the present Board was Inaugurated, the following exhibit was made by the Finance Committee: LUmi.ITIII. Floating debt sl4o ix*j M. A It. It. It. bonds 130,000 M. it A. It. It bonds 100,000 New city bonds 71,000 Mercer University bonds 105.000 C. K. It. endorsed 00,000 Annuity 00,1*10 fiw bonds.... 10,000 Change hills 86,758 Gashcrip 3,450 Total 970h,108 With the following usbi-U os per estimated value: ssacra 9180,000 M. Ali. It. It. stock, estimated value 30c 9 87,020 100,000 M. & A. It. It. stock, estimated value 85c 35,00] 60,000Uliffiu and N. A. stock, estimat ed value 86c 17,500 4,000 gas stock, estimated value 91,40 .'>B,ooo 6,000 R. It. annuity, worth to city.... 5,000 9101,030 .Showing the total debt of the city lobe 9037,088 On the llrst of July, 1871, the dateof my llraT semi-annual report, the account was us fol lows, and so published to the world : I.UBIMTIKS, Macon A B. It. It. bonds 9125,500 Macon A A. It. It. bonds 100,000 New City bonds 74,000 Mercer University bonds 125,000 Bonds endorsed by U. It. It 80,000 Annuity bond* 00,000 Gas bonds 10,1*10 Change bills : 180,758 (jus scrip 2,450 . #744,003 Willi the following assets as per estimated value. iSSKTS. 9183,000 M. A B It It. stock, esti mated vulue 20c 987,320 <*) 100,000 Augusta It. It. stock, call muled value 35c 85,1**) 00 50,000 <i. A N A. It. K. stock esti mated value 35c 17,500 (*> 4,(**Mla stock valued at #1,40. . 5,01*100 5,000 Kail road annuity, worth to the City 5.000 00 Cosh on hand 2,803 03 *103,823 00 Showing total city debt to lie .#040,785 31 On the 31st of March, the following exhibit was made and found to be correct: i.uiui.mcs M. A B. It. It. bonds ? 111,1**1 00 M A A. It. It. bonds 11*1,1**1 (*) New city bonds 74,1K*) (K) Mercer University bonds 135,01*1 )X) Bonds endorsed by C. it. It 50,000 IX) Annuity bond* 110,000 (XI (ias bunds Change hills 260,241 50 (las scrip 1,378 25 #732,513 75 Willi the following u*:-ot* an per estimated value: 9183,600 M. A II It. It. stock, call mated value 20c.... #37,020 00 I00.1MM) M A A It It. stuck, eati mated \ nine 35c 35,000 00 5,000 Street It It stock, eslluiut ed value (K)c 3,000 00 5,000 Itnllroad annuity, worth to the city 5,000 00 Cash on hand 18,260 37 930,1“0 37 Show log total city del it to 1 cat till* time 9011!!,338 78 On the first of this month the following ex lliblt Is found lo he correct : LMMMTIKS. M. A It K. K. Bonds 9 103,500 00 M. A A. It K. Bonds 100,000 (Ml New City Bonds 72,41*1 00 Mcrecr University 80nd5........ 05,000 (Mi Endorsed Bonds 50,000 (Hi Annuity 80nd5.... 60,000 00 Gas lloinls tO,<K*l IX) Change Bills 253,1**1 50 9 756,500 50 With (lie following assets ns per estimated value . 180,(MX* M A 11. It. K. Stock, esti mated value •# 33,320 (*) ( atli on hand 7,338 33 Railroad Annuity S,(XKI (*> 9 50,268 33 Showing total elty dclvt to he 9700,351 11. By the above It wifi he seen that our debt is only #3,000 larger that w hen Uie present Uuun ell earn* Into office, and this exhibit is made with only 917,240 of this years' taxes cn eroaehed upon— leaving, a* has already been shown, a balance of #'.)(,(**) yet to he collected and applied to tiie reduction of thcdrht and the I>ayiuent of interest account and current expen ses for (wo month* and a half. Hut in making tills favorable exhibit, I am met with the argument, that the former Connell should have credit for soma uncollected taxes. In reply to tliia i hare only to say, that such an argument if made, only adds greater shame and disgrace to the milnagcmeut of the old Board. If they controlled assets and command resources which were available they should have utilised them iu the prompt liuuidaMon of that ponderous floating debt, and thereby stopped tlie inter e#t on more than #50,0(X) of the Mayor's notes which were out and drawing an interest of I>% ]K*r cunt per month. A man without money or resource# U not expected to pav; but if lie tias tlie means and then don't pay ho is only the more culpable. Me#ides If uncol lected taxes arc to in' regarded as an asset, 1 shall claim immediate credit for $94,000 now due the city, aud thereby reduce the city debt to an aiuouut about $85,000 less than when 1 came into office. Hut all this is mere fiction and la not to be considered by businessmen If the present council fail# to gather up and apply it# own resources, the next Hoard must aud will do tlie work for us, aud eudoy the honor# and benefits arising therefrom. Besides the taxes due the old Hoard wore gene rally paid to this council in old accounts, past duo bond#, coupon# and (in# scrip, etc,, etc. The burr# note tint the city must come in money. The practice of settling city taxes with “chips and whetstones" ha# been resorted to here so long by some men that they now actually revolt at the idea of making it a moneyed transaction Such lias been our embarrassment for some years past, that all a rich man had to do when hi* taxes fell due w as to go out on the stieefs mill pick up an old account at S to 5 per cent otf—or If not that, atop into a broker shop ami Invest in a few jawt due bonds or coupons at ,5 to 10 per cent discount and the work was ae eompliahod. This little game of the "liard flat’’ won't work here now. "Old accounts," "paat due bonds," "coupons lyitq) o**r,” and these little relies of "g*s monopoly" are sot to be found now king round loose on out boards. Tbercfore, when a man'a taxes fall due now, It becomes a question of tnotu-n or jmuwrtp with Ulna, and hence the great hue and cry about high taxatiou Some men are howling about It In Macon, who have not paid a full honest rste of taxation on their propertv in ten years. The President of one rich cor poration here has refused to jay sny taxes on their property for Ihree years, and would not do it now, 1 apprehend, if thorite did not have them at such a disadvantage as'will force the taxes from them. The President of another moneyed concern here, had been doing a corn promise busiuess w ith the former council for several Tears, only laying halt rales up to last year That institution now lavs full f ar> ., , U 1; of course is not happy. These mi a thousand I other tilings might be mentioned her., going to show Uie abuK* suffered and endured by our city-aud all going to make the "rich richer and the poor poorer.” Realty, in thh k 1 lug over this matter sometime*, one is made 1 to wonder how we have run the gauntlet over bankruptcy as long as we have. But again iu looking at our present condition and com , paring it with the past, another croaker comes up and my* "Vou liare sold a great deal of pu'ilh property duimg your administration " And in reply. 1 answer yes. I have sold all 1 could Cod that would sell, and ben - the exhit.it: Nett proceeds sale of City I,ols. 19 i4.’> " Guard house, 1 n,,Viu " M *AK R. ,-t.ecK, 27,2.50 " Gas Stock. 5,400 " G -VN.A li R. stock, 19,372 " Endorsed UotuD, 15.300 *108,0(57 The above comprises the sales of nubile property msdi by lid* council Including all collections from sle of city lots by former > onueil. Now let us examine the esse a little. If 1 Sin to be charged with SIOB,OOO on account of sales of public property,shall I not have credit by 932,000, Hu- nett amount invested in public ini|iroveinent- at Central City Park V If the its-ms of puldie properly above recited were to lie regarded us asset* before they were sold 'and transferred to the Fair Grounds, are they not asset* now* But to be more explicit, ff the public property of the city wa* an asset in it* formersliupe where It did not yield one dol lar of revenue, must It not he counted as an unset in Its present polished snd utilized shape where it will rent annually for 93,000? More than one responsible party has ottered to take the property for ten years at this price and pay the rents monthly in advance, the city to retuin the free use or the grounds and build ings for -State and county Fair purposes and the citizens the free use oft he Park atall times. The question then for the tax payers to decide Is this lia* this simple transfer of public property hem-fitted or damaged the city of Macon ? Was it bi tter that this #O2,(XX) should remain In it* original crude and lifeless shape without profit or pleasure to our citizens, or was It better that it should he converted into a garden of beuuty and a field of revenue? I leave the question to be uuswered by a liberal und discriminating public. Keccnt develop ment* in a sister city might be taken by us as some slight evidence as to the prospective value of our beautiful Park. As little as may lie thought of it, the people of Macon have in this property a magnificent fortune. The live young men of our town have only to reach out the hand of en ergy and enterprise to grasp and hold It. And we have the men here in Macon competent to tin-, task. If only one half the time and talent which is now being devoted to the dirty de moralizing infiuencca of shameful prostituting political struggles was prudently and Wisely dlrectcd in a liberal and spirited effort to dc velope the industrial and mechanical resources of our noble old State, we should soon see in tin: annual exhibition* hereafter to be held ut Macon, such a display of life, pride and ninbi lion, as would muac us feel proud of ourselves anil prouder still of the dear old land which bore us. We have here iu Macon the beautiful grounds, and tin: spacious buildings,-all ready. Now let us see to it ilia! such a premium list is offered here next fall as shall electrify and en thuse the farnfer and the mechanic —the stock raiser and the dairy maid—the artist and the seamstress. We are here in the centre of the K.mpire Stale—the heart of the cotton grow ing country. Let us emulate the example set us by the Queen City of the West, St. Louis, and instead of displaying our littleness by ottering to competitors galvanized tin cups and silver-plated pitchers not worth their transportation, let us mark u new era In Georgia Agricultural Associations by placing before the public 91,001) in gold for the best ten Imlos of up land cotton, open to the world, and then see to it that all other premiums ollered are charac terised by a like liberality—from the reward which muatlic ollered for the handling of a line horse down to the Inducement to be held out for the exhibition of a pair of cotton socks. Let it he money and money without stint in every ease. A Jew/iremiuim awltariff own. The co-operation of the Georgia Agricultural Society can always lie obtained in a liberal determlncil effort like this, and with It and the prestige of success which has so often marked its annual expositions there can lie no such word as fail for Macon. The grandest display of our Agricultural, Mechanical and Mercantile resources which has ever yet been witnessed In the State, should he made here next full. And then when the white people shall have finished their labors and completed their roll of honor in this great work of building up Georgia, let us not forget the wants and necessities of the Ignorant and the dependent colored population crowd ed here amongst us, but. let the grounds and the buildings lie turned over to these people for one week tor the encouragement of the thrifty, frugal and enterprising men and women of their luce. Let them have a Fair here, us they now do at Lexington, Kentucky, the heart of that beautiful blue grass country of the West. Let the rich white men offer such premiums In gold as will inspire competition and stimulate thein to works of art anti mechanics as well as the plow anil tin- hoe. Let us teaeli them to wulk the paths of industry with cheerfulness. Let us encourage them to new efforts in the ilehl of production. Let us do this and we shall have peace and plenty where wc now have vagabondism and want. Let us do this and Georgia will at once enter upon a career of prosperity and wealth unparalleled in the his tory of State* In tlie South. We want less vot ing and more work. Close up the ballot boxes for ten years if possible and throw out your gilt edged premium list for county and Btate Fairs open to the world. This is the kind of “suffrage slinging" we want in Georgia. This will go farther towards humanising and frater nising the whites and tlie blacks than all the Kuklux and enforcement wets that could be passed through Congress In a century. Beside# it is genuine Greeley Democracy. And it is what we kuow about farming and not about polities, that must constitute us a great and independent people if we ever expect to become such in tills country. Thus in summing up the workings of the present administration it will be seen that the fruit of its tolls is just beginning to ripen. We have indeed had a season of two years hard reckoning and slow gathering together of old odds and ends, uud the consequent result of cl who system and well matured business man agement is Just now being felt and seen. The reward of our labor is upon us, and 1 can say without vauity that 1 am proud of the result. And now with the light of experience before me, and with the aid of nearly two years prac tical operations in our city affairs, I here ven tured an assertion which may be regarded as extravagant if not entirely false ami impractic able. it is tills: every dollar of our city debt can and should be retired in nine years, and that too without any additional increase of the bunion of taxation over and above what it is now—say one and one half percent on all prop erty and a full, fair uud equitable revenue from jlll license as recommended in my last report 1 make this assertion as a business man and urn willing to risk my business reputation upou the success or failure of the experiment if fairly and squarely made upon strict business prin ciples. Let us examine the case. That portion of our bonded debt to be taken care of l*> the city is now $300,000 —but in funding $170,000 of our currency debt as wc n* w i impose doing, w e increase our bonded debt to 1500,000, and leave our currency debt reduced to #'.K>,ooo. This places our liabilities ns fol lows : Kndorscd and Annuity Bond*, SIIO,OOO New Currency " gOO.OOO Other ’ “ 300,(XX) Currency not funded, 00.000 $790,000 We shall have on the ISth of December a tax surplus of #50,000, and a balance of $23,000 still due from sale of city lots—a sum sufficient to retire s'.a>,ooo of our bonds t their present price, say 80 rents, w hich again reduces our bonded debt to 0700,000,including the currency in the count. Our whole city debt then being $700,000 Deduct currency #90,000 yy hich draivs no inter est, and we have #OIO,OOO interest bearing bonds, making an annual interest account of #IO,OOO. Our taxes for this year amount in round numbers to #lll,OOO. Our license revenue fund will exceed tiie sum collected last year, which wras #33,000. Bat Increase our license in the same ratio that we have our taxes and we have from that source #48,000, which can be collected without any embarrassment to our mercantile interest, and this gives ns the hand some sum ot #IBO,OOO annual revenue. Now let us examine our expense account, which under the present system of contract and stated salary, is as follow s : Street contract per month, $1,400.00 lias l.ight “ " 500.00 Mayor's salary “ 208.00 Treasurer's salary " 308 00 I'lerk’a " " 100.00 l liief of Police “ 135 (10 Two Llentsiiauts, each 100 apiece, 300.00 Tbit UxMl JH'heemeu. 00 each, 7-SJ.UI Tw o watchmen at Barracks, 120.00 t'lty Attorney, 00.00 City Engineer, 50.00 Eire De|iarnueiit, salary, etc., • 100.00 Monthly Advertising, etc., 100.00 Two Porters at City Hall, 50.00 Then suppose w e add lor liberal inci dental account, 1,000.00 #5,000.00 and w e have a monthly expense account of only $5,000, or fOO.uW for the year—which added to our interest account makes our an nual .ib-bu. -cui. nts of #103,000, This as w ill be sevu gives us a surplus of #58,000 to be used In ttie retirement of our bonded debt. This sum invested in bonds at 80 cents will show an annual deerewse in the city debt of x'ver #70,000 Taking into account then the annual increase of our taxable values and the constant decrease of our interest account, and we readily perceive that the whole debt can tw cancelled iu less than ten rears. It must not be said that this rule wont work. SIOO,OOO is ample to meet the running expense, and Inter est account of the city now that all past dues have been arranged und all work is done by contract. What we want from the next Council is the passage of an ordinance or appropriation bill giving #60,00(1 to expense account and 942,000 to interest ac count and the balance of all revenue to the retirement of the bonded debt. Let this be done und enforce the collection of all license in January of each year, and make the taxes payable i uurterly, say one-fourth on the first day of March, one fourth on the llrst of June, one-fourth on the first of September, und tne balance, on the firat of December, and our City Treasury will never he exhausted, nor will the merchant and tax-|iaycr ever feej the burden of his license or taxation. But it lias been said that our present rate of taxation is exorbitant and much higher than other cities in Georgia pay. Tilts Is a mistake. I have but recently spent some time and money in the investigation of this subject and find the following to lie the rate of taxation in the cities named below: Columbus pays 2 per cent on a 75 percent valuation, which Is just our rate IK per cent. Atlanta pays IX per cent on a full valuation which is a fraction less than Macon. Augusta pays 2 per cent on a 75 pceent valuation which is just IX per cent. Savannah pays pec cent on a fair valua tion. The real estate in all these cities is valued or estimated by assessors as it is done here. The truth is, the people of Macon have never before been required to pay a full fair and equitable rate of taxation on their property, and now that the present board of assessors have done their duty, it becomes the pleasure of some people to complain bitterly at their ac tion. All the ills to which a Buttering munici pality can be made heir to have been attributed to the action of the present hoard. We have been blamed liy some for not taxing, and se verely censured by others for too much of it. We have been abused for our liberality und ex travagance on the one. hand, and charged with contemptible littleness and niggardly parslmoniousncss on the other. We have suffered -the divine displeasure of one denomi nation of Christians for recognizing the valid ity of a liberal donation to another sect, and we have been roughly handled by many others for not extending these charitable appropria tions alike to all the churelies in the city. We have been held separately to blame for much that never was done by us as a Council, or ap proved by us us individuals. Personally, I have been made the tattling foot-ball for every Idling, gossiping, straggling, portable slander mill in town. Kverv species of bad conduct has been imputed to me from the running of a full Hedged Union League down to the active manipulation of city money for my own selfish purposes and business advantage. The cal endar of official crime has been well nigh filled out with my offenses, and in the whole cata logue of charges brought against me nothing is so utterly and unreasonably false and unkind as the last named one—that of making a busi ness convenience of the City Treasury. So far from this being the case in the slightest possible, particular, the very reverse is well known to he true. The very first step taken by tlie present Mayor and Finance Committee w as to furnish from their individual pockets a sufficient amount of funds to enable the Treas urer to pity otr the police roll of the old Coun cil. During the llrst six months of my ad ministration I furnished the city at ditierent times from ten to twenty thousand dollars, in addition to an open account for provisions fur nished by me for charity and Hospital purposes, amounting to three or four thousand dollars— all of which, including my unpaid salary, run open on my books against the city from the llrst of January, a period of six months, to the first of July, 1871. At the end of which time L advanced to the Treasurer over $15,000 more in cash with which to pay otf old accounts and make up his semi-annual balance. This money was afterwards paid hack to me in city change hills and worked off in my trade as best 1 could. C. J. Williamson,Treasurer, will confirm this statement when culled on ’ Again from the. first of July, 1871, to the thirty-first of March of this year, a period of nine months, the City Treasurer was at no time my debtor for a less amount than five thousand dollars— and ut the time of our balance, on the lirst of last April, the Treasurer owed me over SIO,OOO cash, which had been borrowed by me from the different hanks in the city on my individual paper for the use of the city. This will he vouched for as correct by the Treasurer and the largest banking house in Macon. Again, when in the early part of my administration, J was making daily efforts to pay oil' the many old accounts, notes and executions pressing upon us, 1 frequently found parties who could not and some who would not take our currency in settlement of their claims, and in such eases I have always paid out the green backs from my store, or when unable to do that have given my individual obligations in note or otherwise, to redeem the currency if taken. 1 have never allowed any city obliga tion to go unprotected in or out of bank, no matter whether the money was in the Treasury or not. These and a thousand other sacrifices and inconveniences have been made and sub mitted to by me in my determined effort to sustain my city’s credit. And much of this labor aud effort was imposed upon me too at a time when there was not a dollar in our Treas ury, and when our city credit was so low down here that the Mayor’s note could not be used in bank without collateral , ns was the ease when I came into office. A few men in and out of banks, here in Macon, know and under stand the correctness of what I now write, and these men know to what extent 1 have fought and struggled against had credit and no money in my official capacity; and they know too how utterly false and ridiculous the idea, that I could have made the City Treasury at any’ time subservient to my individual purposes, when in truth and reality the most active and constant efforts have been necessary on my part to save and protect it from protest and disgrace. 1 repeat that the idea is no less ab surd than ungrateful, and no doubt found its origin in the brains of some spleenisli old scoundrel or some neglected and unhappy rep resentative of aspiring ambition. The prostitution of official trust to the base purposes of mere personal peculation and profit is a wickedness seldom resorted to ex eept by regular political bummers and well trained rogues and rings. And the crime is then only made respectable in exact proportion to the amount of plunder secured, or the in viting prospect for getting more. The offence loses it# dignity entirely when the spoils are to be gleaned from an impoverished and bank rupt source, as would have been the ease had I ever felt iuelined to maxe an official raid upon the treasury af Macon. A movement in that direction at any time during the past two years would have provoked a blush of shame on the frozen cheek of a second-rate pick-pocket r My official time and attention has all been ab sorbed in an earnest and labored effort to re vive the sleeping corpse of our city credit; aud at no time yet have 4 seen or felt a suffi cient show of life or animation about the mu nicipal body to authorize so much as a change of treatment, much less an attempt at parting tlie raiment which has so long enshrouded its cold remains. Wheat lot# arc to be cast for these municipal garments, I want the authors of its shame and disgrace to be present at the drawing. Having been no party to tlie politi cal crucifixion which oiy city has suffered, I of course can only stand now with other weep ing tax-payers at the door of the sepulchre and await its financial resurrection. Industrious news-mongers have done much for me recently in a scurrilous way, various and varied have been the discreditable rumors foaling round oil each passing breeze, but all the legitimate sources of conjecture guess work, snrmise and suspicion were evidently exhausted, and the grand climax of double infamy was reached when these dirty slander mills and mendacious black-ma H-carriers con ceived the idea, and circulated the report that I had bought up and otherwise subsidised one or two newspaper olßces in Macon, in the interest of myself and friends. I have never owned, claimed or held one single dollars worth of in - terest in any news taper office in Macon, directly or indirectly. Asa business man 1 have patron ised largely, and encouraged liberally every newspaper enterprise started in Macon since 1853, not forgeting at any time mv business obligation and allegiance to those old establish ed leaders here, the Telegraph, the Citizen and Journal and Messenger. Three uew.-.pai>er offi ces have in turn, done in a legitimate w av what they could for the advancement of my interest and thereby all obligations hare been cam-vied, iu davs gone liv 1 have in a limited w-av endors ed paper for, and loaned money to every news paper office in Macon. But in'extending these occasional business courtesies to the Press of my town, 1 did not suppose that 1 was buy ing up their independence or bartering for their honor. Officially I hare never felt the necessi ty for newspaper influence or support, and have never asked it Whenever 1 have had anything to say to the public, 1 have done Dis own w riting and left it with the proprietors of our different newspaper offices here tosar what its publication should coat AH that has ever been written or done for me officially, has been voluntary and gratuitous on tha part of my editorial friends, and now in return a grateful bow ot thanks must be the cheap compensation tendered. Whenever 1 flatter mrself in the possession of sufficient amount of brains — money and experience to embark in the news piper business It will bs done openly and in dependently as I do other business, and not under the shaded color and disguise of silent partnership Amoug other things the charge of favoring one man power, has teen brought against me. And I plead'guilty to the soft impeachment. I do believe In the one mau power, believe in it strongly—provided that man has the brains to conceive, and the nerve to execute in what ever position he is placed. 1 believe in the veto power; I believe in any und everything which tends to concentrate power, responsi bility and authority. The nearer we approach this policy the nearer we approach perfection in a sound business governor nt. And the man who would accept the mayoralty Of this or any other city without at once assuming all the reaponsibiiliies of the office, Including the entire supervision of its financial und business management is a miserable mistake in himself and a bungling fraud upon the public. A di vision of authority is the first step towards a weak government in anything. In extenuation of this sickly policy of frittering away respon sibility, it was recently asserted here by an ex official of our city that the burden and respon sibility of managing the finances of a city should not devolve upon the Mayor, hut should lie left with the Treasurer anil tile Finance Committee. And this may account to some extent for the sad and unfortunate condition of our financial affairs here two years ago. No body was responsible and no body acted. The liusiness of n city like the business of a Bank, Factory, Railroad or other corporation, must have a controlling head, and the ifiore power and authority you vest in that head the more successful and satisfactory must he its operations. Show me a corporation, the fi nancial interests of which is looked after and protected by committees, and nine times out of ten I will show you a neglected, dishonored and ruined concern. There has been too much committee work done for Macon already.— Some of our Councils, in days gone by, have worked entirely by committees. And the con- tempt which is felt for the Imbecility of such an administration is only equalled by the dis grace and 111-fortune which always follows its operations. Business men have no confidence in the success of any corporation, the financial management of which is turned over to the kindly care and keeping of half dozen or more unpaid committees. 1 don’t want any stock in sueli a concern and will never pay taxes in support of it if I can sell or give away my property in self defence. While on this point 1 will put on record my views as to what would constitute a good city'government for Macon : /■’id!—A Mayor, independent and capable, whose duty it shall be to attend strictly and exclusively to the duties of liis office. No man should be allowed to accept the office who lias any other business to attend to. Make liis sulury #5,000 and make him responsible for every department of the city government. /Second—Four Aldermen, one from eacli ward, salary for each #1,000; one day in each week to la- devoted by them to official duty. Third —Office of Clerk and Treasurer to he tilled by one man; salary #4,000; bond #50,- 000; appointed or elected by Mayor and Coun- cil. Fourth —Chief of Police; appointed by Mayor and Council; salary #2,500; bond #25,000. * Fifth —City Attorney and City Surveyor; ap pointed by Council; salary, each, $1,200. Sixth —Xhree sworn Assessor# of real estate and personal property. Their estimates to b made in January and February of each year; salary for each £SOO. Seventh —All city work to be done by con tract; thirty days notice to be given; lowest responsible bidder to get the work. Eighth —Regular appropriation bills to be passed by Council, limiting all expenditures. Ninth —Two committees to be appointed by the Mayor; one on Finance, one on Business Tenth —Full itemised monthly returns to be made and published by the Treasurer, showing receipts and disbursements in detail. Annum report by the Mayor. Salary and system are the two essential re quisites in making up good city government. No pay, no service. I understand that a neigh boring city has recently passed an ordinance fixing tlie salary of Mayor at #BOO. This fed cures a weak administration at once, and if the ordinance is enforced for live years the tow n will go into bankruptcy. No business man of any respectability will accept the position for any such compensation, and no political glory hunter should ever be allowed to meddle with the business affairs of any corporation which is run and supported by public taxation. Much having been said during the past two years as to the probable amount of our bond ed debt, and the uncertain issue of city cur rency or change bills, as well as to the possible irregularity of the vouchers which huve been passed into the Treasurer’s office by tlie preb ent Board, I called a few' days since on tlie fol lowing gentlemen: Messrs. Koss, Ripley, Campbell, Crossland and Adams, and requested that they, as a committee of citizens and tax payers, should examine our city records, and give me an answer to the following questions : Ist. What is the exact bonded debt of the city Y 2d. What is the exact amount of city cur rency now out? 3d. How much taxes have been collected on this year’s account, and how much still due? 4tli. Have all vouchers which have been passed into the Treasurer’s office during the present administration beifii properly endorsed by tlie Finance Committee? After several day’s examination, the follow ing certificate has been furnished me by these gentlemen: / Detailed statement made out by the Commit tee : BONDED DEBT OF TU.E CITY OF MACON', OCT. 9, 1872. Amount. Now Outstanding. Macon & Brunswick R. R. Bonds issued $200,000 00 Macon ifc Brunswick R. R. Bonds paid 90,500 00—5109,500 00 New City Bonds, issue of lSt.7 73,000 00 New Citv Bonds, issue of 1807, paid 2,000 00— 72,400 00 Gas Bonds 10,000 00 Macon dt Augusta K. K. Bonds issued 100,000 00 M ereer U Diversity B’ds issued 135,000 00 Mercer University B’ds paid 33,000 00— 05,000 00 Annuity Bonds, unen dorsed r. 20,000 00 5400,000 00 Endorsed Annuity,and Bonds unendorsed by K.K’s issued 100,000 00 Annuity Bonds, en dorsed R. K’B paid.. 10,000 00— 00,000 00 Total Bonded Debt. $496,900 00 CITV CURRENCY OUTSTANDING. Issued by 8. Collins, Mayor $ 2,532 00 Old issue 2,785 50 Issued by G. S. Obear, Mayor, new issue... 79,924 00 Issued by W. A. Hurt; Mayor 175,000 00 $260,241 50 Currency Burnt by l i nam-e Committee... 632(X)—5259,009 50 Total Bonded Debt and Currency Debt 756,509 50 Total City Tax for 1872 111,296 S2 Ain't paid Oct. 9, 1872 ' 17,290 00 Taxes Due $91,006 82 Macon, Ga., October IS, 1573 Hon. IT. A Huff, Mayor: Sir— ln accord ance with your request, we, the undersigned committee, hare examined the books of the City Treasurer, for the ]>ast two years, and find them neatly and correctly kept. We And tiled in proper order vouchers foralldishursemeu's, anu the vouchers approved and endorsed by the Finance Committee. The Bonded Debt of the City is... .#498,900 < 0 The Currency Debt 359,809 50 The ain't of the Taxes Collected for 1872 17,290 00 The am’t of Taxes still due for 1873 94,008 82 Yours, very respectfully, etc., B. E Boss. -I. E. Ceosland, Lorenzo Ripi.rt, (has. E. Campbell, O. E. Adams. It is to be hoped that a few of the prominer.t members of that craven heart gang of vulg- r monthed smut machines and protested po'- troons wiii take this certificate home wi.a them and make Sunday reading of it. I thin.r it will do them good. To show the increasing "bitter hiss of party hate,'' and the vituperative quali ties which possesses and controls the souls of some little men in Macon when dealing with tne I wish to record as a pleasing incident of the times—the following:—On rcccipt of the startling intelligence at head quarters the other day.thut 1 had put on du ty two colored policemen—a distinguished wire-worker in lids city, without knowing anything as to the merits of the case im mediately rose up in his wigwam and el oquently exclaimed -“There! that drives the last nail in the -il of liis political cof fin. Now let him run for Mayor if he dares,” and it is said there was profound feeling if no applause at this stunning ex ordium. Aud now I simply wish to in form that gentleman and his obedient fol lowers that I am not on the line of promo tion, aud that 1 do not propose to occupy a political box living or dead. If my memory is to bo fluttered at all by an epi taph I want it written on my tombstone —“no politician." lam not on the same journey with the above mentioned gentle man—a journey which leads to pauper funerals aud pauper graves. I am not seeking the popular favor and therefore hope to avoid a political interment. Pol iticians and their silly dupes may be con signed at last to the lender charities of the voting public as many have been already. The city of Macon furnished three of these passion coffins, only a few days since, and ihe poor deluded victims of partisan hate now sleep coldly un der the untimely sod which was heaped upon them by fanaticism, riot and revenge. Aud the tax-payer of Macon may be call ed on to furnish more of these cofiius if certain rash, impudent, unreliable, reck less, exasperated, maddened, hasty .incon siderate, red-hot and desperate polit cians are longer permitted to fulmi nate theif dangerous and incendiary doc trines around our town. Polilics, pau perism, idleness and theft are syuomous terms with me. Kemove from our county its political fanatics and 1 will agree to feed its paupers. There are over two hundred men in Macou to-day whose life time service havo been devoted to watch ing and waiting at the door of the public crib. Some of these men have been fed from the city trough until they are totally unfitted for an honest aud independent livelihood. These are the political pen sioners on a hard-working tax-paying com munity,—aud whenever the city and coun ty pap is withdrawn from*them entirely, they will sooner or later he seen wending their dirty way to the county Hospital or city Quard House. But, apropos to this negro police question, I wish to say to the much infuriated public, that immediately after our little riot here two years ago 1 was waited upon by several of tho most prominent aud worthy gentlemen in the city, who advised, solicited and urged me to place a lew trusty colored men on the police force. These gentlemen pro posed it as a conciliatory measure, aud it was so regarded and treated by all good men, white and black. I approved the suggestion and selected eiglit or ten relia ble colored men aud placed them on duty publicly on our streets,where they remain ed for some days. When all was peace and quiet they were paid off and discharg ed. Not one whisper of discontent —not a single murmur of disapproval was heard to fall from the lips of any one touching that arrangement. Aud here be it said to the honor of our colored people that not one of them lias ever isked me for office or position of trust. Work, honest hard work, is all they h ive ever asked at my hands, uud this I h ve always given them when in my powei ■<) do so. Immediately after our second p< • ’ Lical scourge and visi tation here a few cl /s since, I was waited upou hourly nine : with complaints in regard to the continuous firing of guns and pistols in and around the little places on our suburbs known ns Collinsville and Peppcrsville—the latter place being just outside of our city limits, and both places being populated almost exclusively by colored pepplo. It occurred to me that prudent colored men if placed iu charge of that special locality could better pre serve the peace aud good order of their own people. I selected two of our best and most reliable colored men and direct ed them to look only to the good order aud proper conduct of their own people and report to me any violation of the pub lic peace. These men have well aud truly obeyed my instructions, and so fur as i have yet learned the nuisance com plained of iu that locality,both in and out of the city, lias been entirely abated and peace and quiet prevails there. Aud now may I not ask what it i3 that has so wrought up tlie virtuous indignation of a set of sap headed vulgar fractions on this point? If it was right, proper aud necessary two years ago that a few colored men should aid us In the restoration of peace and good order why is it not now ? The only pos sible difference which can he seen in the situation then aud now is—that the city election had then passed by and nobody’s interest, could be affected pro or con by it—now that election is to come off and capital for somebody may he made out of the negro police story liut can it be possible that any man would be so illiberal as to attempt to use it to the prejudice of anybody’s interest in the approaching election? Most certainly not! Gentle men who asked for this peculiar protec tion here two years ago, and who now complain of it as being obnoxious to all decency aud good taste are of course perfectly sincere and impartial in their objection. No one would doubt or ques tion their political integrity for one mo ment. Oh shame forever upon such ty ing and duplicity among white men! It only goes to show that everything iu Macon depends upon, who docs a thing, how he does it—when he does it, and who recommends it. ago the con trol of tlie entire colored vote here was regarded as a thing much to be desired in our city election. A liberal generous effort was made in that direction and their unan imous support was given to the mayorality. The colored vote was controlled but as soon as it was done and the election was over the whole thing was credited to the account of square-oat radicalism by a growling gang of municipal soie lieads and political dead bents. And so it goes in Macon. That which would be regard ed as a sublime political virtue in some men would be at nice set down as a fear ful radical outrage in others. The render- ing unto Ctesar the things which are Ctesai’j is not the doctrine now sought to be preached by his spurious Democra cy. The truth is n etv men iu Macon hnve always done the thinking for the bal ance of the to i iu matters polit cal; and any en. oachment upon their reserved righls id privileges • is re garded as a breu i of the public faith. Independence is .. are commodity here, and but few men (Gal in it. A man with much of the articl on hand is regarded as an unsafe, if not a dangerous character, and the sooner he disposes of his stock in trade the better for 15s personal popularity. Bjt standing aloof, as I do from ail po litical parlies, ami having no inter est or concern in the. tricks and in trigues of this clique or that clan or faction, —indifferent to ail and every thing but conservative influences and ] anxious only for. the progress and pros- S perity of my native city. I claim and shall ! always claim the high and independent privilege of speaking in the defence of right—an the cause of reform—in the in terest of the people and their glorious pre rogatives. My interest in the city of Macon is quite as great as that of any other individ ual in it k with but five exceptions, there being but five men in Macon who pay more luxes into the Treasury tliuu I do. For this simple reason if for no other 1 now claim aud shall always claim the decided right to speak of my likes uud dislikes for the rights and Ihe wrongs of our city gov eminent Non taxable interlopers shall not teach me my duty, nor shull proles sional stripplings aud shallow-headed apes of a dogmatic aud dominating Democracy ever point out to me my political course or dictate my official action The refusal on my part to encourage tho repudiation of Mercer University bonds has brought down upon me a full measure of personal censure from certain well-meaning but iucousid crutc men. The objections raised to this institution upon purely sectarian princi ple# have no doubt been honestly enter tained by some and tho question of propriety involved as to whether any sect or denominations of Christians should ever ever claim or accept such a gratuity at the hnmls of a municipal corporation, is i n't he minds of many others a serious one. But I have been taugbt to believe Unit repu diation is a dangerous remedy for finan cial disorders, uud should never be resort to except in extraordinary aud extreme cases. The credit of a corporation like the credit of an individual should he held sa cred and inviolate. And I have yet to see an instance where individuals,corporations or States can throw off their obligations without serious peril to their financial cred it and character. The Mercer Uni versity debt was not foisted upon the tax payers of Macou Ify my consent or with my approval in the first place; and if those who now mur mur at its enormity aud croak over iis consummation had come up boldly with myself and a few others and had fought it in its incipieucy as we did—perhaps the burden as it is now called would have been modified—or it might have passed away entirely upon other hands and other tax-payers. But all lay idly by. The donation was made, and the contract en- tered into by the legally authorized agents of the city, and the University, aud from that time forward the good faith and sa cred honor of Macou was involved. And any effort or attempt to throw off this obligation would have been as disgrace!!; [ as it would have been dangerous. Recog nizing this simple business proposition, the present administration saw no good reason why the Mercer University debt sboud not be treated as other obligations of the city,and we have not only paid prompt ly Ihe interest on that debt but we have bought up and retired 830,000 of the bonds thereby greatly improving our own credit ami establishing beyond question or quib ble the confidence, good faith, and stabili ty of the institution. I now regard the location of Mercer University, the building of the Street Railway, aud the completion of Central City Park as among, the four crowning glories of our growing little city. The finishing flower in tiie pro gressive wreath now being made for us is the imporant work now going on at the Wesleyan Female College, all of which should be pushed forward with all iLo pride, power aud determination which lias characterized the other enterprises of the city. Little heads and little hearts cannot see and appreciate the living, thriving, pushing, growing influences daily spring ing up from these four great agencies of life and intellectual improvement—work ing conveniences, healthful -enjoyment and liberal educational endowments. — But time will develop it to the satisfaction of the smallest mind. Sixty days more will complete tho term of my official connection with the people of Macon, and whatever of business re grets and responsibilities tho future may have iu store for me, these burdens will always be made lighter by the pleasing recollection that iu my official relations my duty to my city was never lost sight of. The errors and mistakes of my ad ministration have all been promptly atoned for by an earnest effort on my part to correct them ; and hence I now have no apologies to make or explanations to offer. I have never allowed any man to do my thinking, aud in the conduct and manage ment of my official business have always acted on my best judgment in the prem ises. The uniform courtesy, kindness and co-operation received at the hands of my council, induces me to believe that my ac tions have always met Ihe hearty approval of a large majority of that body. I am earnestly sincere in the expression of my gratitude to those of my friends who supported nte in my election and who have had the nerve to sustain me since. And the nature of my obligation will be best understood, I presume, when I say that this letter of vindication has been written solely for the benefit and informa tion of my firm fast friends. My enemies have not been advised with, nor have their prejudices been consulted. Very Respectfully, W. A. Huff. Heating Stoves —FOR— X'^ COAL OR WOOD. Grates, - Grates, —AT— TRUMAN & GREEN’S, TKi lAta Llit III.OCK, Sign of the Golden "Charter Oak.” 162-204 DR. P. H. WRIGHT RESPECTFULLY tender his professional services to the citizens of Macon and vi cinity, Office at Drug Storu No. '.*> Brown House Block. Residence at Rev. Saumel Bov kin’s, Georgia avenue. Calls left at either place will receive prompt attention. oclOtf NOTICE. I) IDS will be received for (450) four hun >tired and fifty Cypress, Cedar or Chestnut Posts, 0 feet long and (7) seven inches square, delivered at either depot in this city. Address communications to octß-tf V, M. HAZLEIIURST- Akm a Ni> L. Butts. Edgar A. Boss. COAL AND WOOD. \\T E are ready to fill orders at reduced rates V V for the very best COAL CREEK and ANTHRACITE COAL. COKE and BLACKSMITH COAL, also best UPLAND OAK and HICKORY WOOD. Orders left at the office of A. G. Butts, a. store of Winship Callaway, or at yard - L W. R. R., will receive prompt attention. 114-192 11CTT3 A ROSS.