THE MAYORALTY.

Evening Star, Issue 3557, 17 July 1874, Page 2

THE MAYORALTY.

To the Editor. Sir,—Some men Do good by stealth, And blush to find it fame. Mr Keith Ramsay, in his address to the ratepayers of the City, is accredited by the daily journals with taking credit to himself, amongst many other things, of having accomplished the following during big abort career of three years as a Municipal Councillor :

1. The abolition of the Mayor’s Court, 2. The final settlement of the water question. ’ 1 J. The satisfactory settlement of the gas question. 4. The increase of Councillors. 5. The reduction of the charge on the bank overdraft. 6. For largely assisting in the formation of the Harbor Trust. And, further, takes credit—7. For having been an active Oddfellow of many years’ standing, 8. For having been a Volunteer for many years. 9. For being a member of the Caledonian Society, and largely promoting the success of that body. 10. For having, during the last ten years, been- most active in the interest* of the citiseug, ’ - * ..... . 11. (and this, Mr Editor, is the clincher) With having Jacely, quietly and secretly, been engaged iu promoting a scheme for the establishment of “a Working Man’s Mechanics’ Institute and Club.”

I am not quite sure that I Have enumerated all the virtues of which Mr Ramsay *ays he is the fortunate possessor j but it is possible I may have omitted some, as nearly byery line of His speech was so thickly interlarded with the personal pronoun “ 1,” that it is somewhat difficult to preveut an omis--81w; 1 will, with your permission, take the liberty of criticising these statements in tqe ordpr to whiph 1 have referred to them, hirst, then, comes the

W4TOK,’s OQFRT, With regard to the abolition of this insti* tutiou, I am quite willing to admit that Mr itamsay was mainly instrumental ; but tnat he was serving the interest of the c.tizeus or deserves any credit for so uoing, i entirely deny. i ponteui that the abolition of this Oourb was a most suicidal act on the part of the Council. Its establishment gave a status, dignity, and prestige to the office of Mayor and also to the Council which he or it cannot otherwise possess. I also deny that tUe Court was a financial loss to the City, ihis was clearly shown by Mr Pish, is well huown to Mr itamsay, and cannot bo contro. verted by the latter. The Court was not, as Mr Ramsay says, established for the purl pose of adding to the revenue, but for the purposes indicated above. Mr Ramsay savi ho never heard of a substantial reason why we should have two Courts of Justice m Duuedm. The fallacy of such a^statemenfc

is contained in the fact that another magistrate is about to be appointed to sit in another Court, for the very purpose Of overtaking precisely the same business as was formerly transacted in the Mayor’s Court. And I am persuaded the citizens regret now, and will do so more in iho future, the disestablishment of this institution.

THE FINAL SETTLEMENT OF THE WATER QUESTION.

It would be desirable to know know how Mr Bamsay claims so much credit for himself in this matter. Are not those who originally agitated this question deserving of some credit ? Do not his brother councillors deserve some praise for finally setting the question as well as himeelf ? or was his the one master mind that induced all the rest to bend to bis imperious sway in the matter ? These queries require an answer. THE SETTLEMENT OF THE OAS QUESTION. Mr Ramsay claims that he and another gentleman, not now in the Council, are to be credited with this also. This I most distinctly and emphatically deny. Both himself aad the gentleman referred to, but particularly Mr Bamsay, were the greatest obstructionists in the way of its settlement. Mr Ramsay fought inch by inch tba cause of Mr Larnach in this matter (as in others), and it was only by the Council passing a resolution that, unless Mr Larnach gave way, they would build new works, that the present low Srice of gas was obtained. Had Mr Bamsay ad his way, quite the contrary would have resulted. REDUCTION OF THE RATE OF BANK INTEREST.

In this, also, I entirely contradict Mr Ramsay’s statement that he was instrumental in reducing the rate of interest. Mr Walter first spoke to the then Mayor, Mr Fish, as to the likelihood of the Union Bank taking the account at a lower rate. Mr Fish at once took the matter up, and, with the assistance of Messrs E, B. Cargill and Thoneman, succeeded, in spite of the strenuous opposition of Cr. Ramsay, in removing the account to the Union Bank and at a lower rate of interest. Mr Ramsay, in the negotiations which took place all through, acted more as the agent of Mr Larnach (and in the gas question also) than as a representative of the citizens. To prove this I may observe that after the whole affair was s ittled he actually produced to the Council a letter addressed te himself by Mr Larnach, offering the account on, I think, the same terms as the Union Bank. This letter the Council very properly refused to deal with.

THE HABHOR TRUST. Mr Ramsay claims credit for what he has dene in this matter, but save being a member of the second committee I do not know of his doing a very great deal in this direction. fJe is probably unaware that a committee was formed and inaugurated this matter long before he had anything to do with it, and I think it would have savored more of modesty on Mr Ramsay’s part had he omitted this altogether from his programme of virtues, or, if he had mentioned it at ail, he might have given credit to Mr H. Gilli s, who’ if one man more than another was active and Zealous in this matter, it was he. ODDTELLOW, VOLUNTEER, AND CALEDONIAN SOCIETY MAN. That Mr Ramsay is or was an Oddfellow, Volunteer, and member of the Caledonian Society, I do not deny ; hut what this has to do with the election of Mayor, I am at a loss to know : the object, however, in alluding to these subjects is so manifest as to require no commeuts. 1 fancy, though, that the Oddfellows, Volunteers, and Caledonian Society members, are not portions of p ditical societies, and will not, I venture to think, tfiank Mr Ramsay for bo openly touting for their support, or in thinking they will give their votes to him solely because he belongs to their societies.

TEN YEARS’ ACTIVE SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS

Mr Bamsay teils us he has, during the last ten years, taken an active part in many matters which had for their object the benefiting of his [fellow-citizens. Well, Mr Editor, it may be so ; but would he be kind enough to enumerate a few of the objects to Which he has for so long a period devoted himself in tlurinterests of his fellow-man? for I must confess that, although for the past seven years (1 can’t say ten) I have been in public life, I fail to recall to my recollec-

tion anything in connection with Mr Ramsay until he ushered himself into public notice three years ago, as a candidate for the representation of High Ward, Tf this young gentleman has been able to do so much in three years, what a loss it is to the citizens that he did not make his public appearance at the commencement of the ten to whiph he baa so pathetically referred. And now let me say a few words as to the

CLINCHER, AND WORKING MEN’S CLUB. Mr Ramsay, in introducing the question to the meeting, with that modesty which so largely characterised the whole of his previous remarks, would not say much, but would read the letter without comment. But his friend Mr Larnach is imbued with no such mistaken and puerile feelings of modesty, and what the modest Mr Ramsay will not say his friend does for him. The gushipg mind of Mr Larnach is entirely divested pf any such feelings. He sees the opportunity of doing his faithful servitor a good turn, and showing the working men what an excellent friend and champion they had in Mr Ramsay (a fact, by the way, of which, up to that time, I venture to say they vyerp profoundly ignorant), 'One good turn deserves another, says Mr Laraach ; you have stuck to me heretofore, and now I’ll show you I am not ungrateful. And therefore he informs Mr Ramsay, and M r Ramsay kiudly(God bless him) informs ithe public, that his excuse in troubling Mr Ramsay with the matter was the difficulty in finding any other gentleman willing to take the trouble necessary, and also from the interest which he had observed Mr Ramsay always had taken in City and public affairs Sagacious Mr Larnach ! Unfortunate Mr Ramsay ! whose light has been so long hidden under a Jjußhel, to be disclosed only at the last mejust before ap election, by the gushing and irrepressible Larnach, ’ But seriously, sir, whilst this little matter may be looked upon as an exceedingly clever election dodge, does either Mr Larnach or Mr Ramsay think the working men are such dolts as not to see through its transparency? Will they not ask themselves why it was brought forward at an election meeting, and why some steps were not taken sooner? Pshaw ! The artifice is too shallow, ceases to be clever ajjd is simply ridiculous. In conclusion! I mhst confess that 1 never recollect reading any speech so full of gross egotism as the one under review. According to Mr Rpmsay, all his fellow Councillors have been asleep, and he the only wakeful one of the lot. The Councillors, no doubt, will be proportionately grateful—at least they ought to he—but “ methinks the lady doth protest too much ” may well be applied to Mr Ramsay, and the citizens will, 1 fancy, be apt to prefer a gentieman with a little more modesty,—l am, &0., ■n _ Citizen. Ptinedin, July 16.