The City Clerk’s Sharp Rebuke to the Intelligencer

The Intelligencer of this morning contains an article on the present financial condition of our city, which is so full of misrepresentation that it has called out the following statement of facts from the City Clerk and Treasurer. That paper has of late so fallen into the habit of misrepresentation, that its assertions have no weight whatever with the public. To the editors of the Dispatch: The Intelligencer of this morning publishes an editorial on 'The City Government,' in which there appears some misstatements which we feel it our duty to correct. It says: 'On the contrary, it is claimed that the city has run in debt $18,000 already, and is still running behind at the same rate as in the past in the face of the facts that no indebtedness can legally be incurred by the city beyond $10,000.' Now had the Editor of the Intelligencer read the laws passed by the Territorial Legislature last fall, he would have found that in the amended charter, the city of Seattle is authorized to incur an indebtedness to the amount of $20,000, locally; and furthermore, had he consulted our books, he would have found the present indebtedness of the city to be $11,283.80; and of this amount there has been collected by Capt. Hill, city collector, about $1,000, which leaves the indebtedness $10,283.80; and there is still a delinquent list amounting to about $4,000, most of which will be collected. There is no necessity of any such misstatements as appeared in the Intelligencer of this morning, as we are always ready and willing to give any information required in regard to the city finances, and can tell the indebtedness of the city at any time. D. T. Wheeler, City Clerk. H. W. Bowman, City Treasurer.