THIS DAY IN 1918 IN THERECORD

Thursday, March 7, 1918. For the second week in a row, the Republican minority on the Troy common council blocks passage of the 1918 tax budget, The Record reports. While the Democrats have a 10-7 majority, the GOP has enough votes to deny the budget the two-thirds majority required for passage. The city can’t levy or collect taxes for the year until the budget is approved. The debate has less to do with any specific budget items than with the accountability of city department heads to the aldermen. Republicans tonight repeat their demand that the department heads appear before the council to explain several items, while Democrats insist that aldermen can get all the information they want by visiting the department offices on their own time. Alderman John D. Gray (R15th Ward) tells the council that he called on the comptroller and public works commissioner on Tuesday and “obtained all desired information” from them. While he acknowledges that “he could not ask for better treatment” from them, he hints that “some other influence” is keeping them from going before the council. “We do not desire to heckle, but I believe the city officials could easily end the matter by making an appearance before us,” says Alderman Joseph R. Neals (R-13th Ward), “Our people want to know about some mat- ters and unless the explanations are made publicly there is some ground upon which statements could be changed or charged as untruths.”

Alderman John L. Hartnett (D-10th Ward) warns that “The unfair tactics of the minority members of this council in obstructing the passage of this measure, for the purpose of playing petty politics, will be condemned” by voters. He finds Republican inquiries absurd given that Troy’s budget has increased by only $28,000 from 1917, while Albany’s budget has gone up by $147,000 and Schenectady’s by $125,000.

“Why do they want the officials upstairs?” asks Alderman Frederick C. Casey (D12th Ward), referring to the layout of City Hall, “Why shouldn’t they go downstairs? There appears to be a [racial slur]in the fence, or at least an effort to obtain notoriety such as was sought by others last year.”

“If each individual alderman interviewed each individual member of the board making the budget,” Alderman George H. Doring (R3rd Ward) explains, “the multitudinous repetitions necessarily involved would amply justify a refusal to go into details in this matter. But was as a unit have asked for a single explanation to be made before us as a whole.”

Casey ends the debate on a bitter note by claiming that Doring’s speech was written for him by a Republican party official.

- Kevin Gilbert