A Handbill having been circulated through the Parish, evidently
the production of one of the "ACTIVE AND INTELLIGENT" Members
of the present Board, calling upon you to elect them again
as Guardians for the Parish; permit another Quiet Observer
to submit a few FACTS for your consideration. You are
told something about Owners' Proxies having been obtained
by unscrupulous means. Does the Gentleman allude to the
hundreds of those statements, which he and his Friends by
MISREPRESENTATION AND CAJOLERY obtained six months previously
to the Election of the Board of Health, for the purpose of
securing THEIR OWN ELECTION, or to those hundreds of similar
statements which were given to the Overseers a few weeks ago by
the same party! Perhaps he and some other of these active and
intelligent Guardians will admit that they gave unquestionable
proof of their activity, if they would kindly state the number
of miles they travelled last year, in running about from street
to street, and house to house to fill up the Voting Papers,
which by so doing, and imposing on the Rate-payers, they
Elected themselves. Having carefully watched the conduct of
these parties during the last year, I find amongst the most
conspicuous of their performances, the decision of the question
of a Huge Union Bastile, to separate Man and Wife, Children
and Parents; to a Man they have ever Voted in favour of this,
and the Dudley Union will now have to pay, at the very least,
£20,000 for it.
And look at what these same ACTIVE INTELLIGENCES have done
for you by the Board of Health! That Board has already made
and signed a Rate of ONE SHILLING AND TENPENCE in the Pound,
which in a very short time you will be forced to pay; and an
additional Rate is also in contemplation, which, together
with two twenty-penny Poor Rates, will make 5s. 8d. in the
Pound for Levies alone to pay. Among other items of reckless
extravagance, the following Salaries:--Clerk to the Board, £165
per annum; Surveyor, £150 per annum; Doctor, £75 per annum;
Collector, £75 per annum; Inspector of Nuisances, £120 per
annum, lately increased from £40 to £120; making a total of
£585; with additional extra allowance which has been paid to
others to assist; and further, I am informed that to carry out
the projects for Drainage, Plans, Surveys, &c., £50,000 will
be required and borrowed, and the interest must be paid by
draining your pockets. Next, is it fair that these SEVEN ACTIVE
INTELLIGENCES shall take to themselves the credit of what the
labours of the whole Board have effected in the diminution of
the Expenditure, and I would ask HOW IS IT that in a time of
good trade, nearly £7,000 has been spent during the past year;
and WHY IS IT that under the operation of the Tenement Rating
Act, from which so great things were promised us, that the
Dudley Overseers have been compelled to borrow £500, and to pay
the interest out of their pockets? As to Model Lodging-houses,
Public Hall, School of Design, Mechanics' Institute, &c., of
which they make such boast; all very well, I reply, provided
they are paid for by private enterprize, and not by PUBLIC
RATES.
FELLOW RATEPAYERS.--Have your payments been less during the
last year?
OWNERS OF SMALL PROPERTIES.--Have you not been compelled to
pay the Rates for your tenants, in addition to your own usual
Rates? and to whom are you indebted for this increase of your
burdens? It is a fact, that every one of the SEVEN ACTIVE
INTELLIGENCES did vote for the imposition of this additional
Tax on you to relieve themselves, for I believe not one of them
pay a Shilling on small Property in this Parish. Improvements
we want, but do not be deceived; be careful to whom you trust
the Power of Local Taxation. Vote for Guardians who have a
stake in the Parish, who will spend your money as carefully as
they would their own. Vote NOT for those who merely seek the
office to gratify their own private vanity, and serve party
purposes at the Cost of the Poor hard-working Ratepayers.
Vote like I intend to do, for the TEN LAST NAMES on the List,
for the men nominated by your most respected Fellow Townsman,
Thomas Badger, Esq.; he has long been a tried and true friend
to the Town of Dudley, and would not deceive you by nominating
improper ones.
Fellow Ratepayers, Your Faithful Servant,
ANOTHER QUIET OBSERVER.
_Dudley, March 30th, 1854._
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