Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-07-07
CITY AFFAIRS.
CORPORATION OF wAsHINGTo,
BOARD OF ALDERMEN.
THURSDAY, July 5, 1856.

Evans, Emery, Moore, Bussy, Houston, Clarke,
Ruff Smith, and Pearson
The Chair laid before the Board the following
communication from the Mayor, returning, with
his objections, the bin which originated in this
Board entitled stAn act imposing taxes for the
year eighteen hundred and 6hy-six;"
MAYoR's 0FFicE, July s. 1856.
TO the Board Of aldermen:
GEsrLEMEs On the 28th of last month l re-
ceived the bid which originated in your Board en-.
| titled !" An act imposing taxes for the year 1886,
| and have called you together to-day because the
Charter requires me to return il in five days, with
my objections, If do not approve 1t. have care
fully considered the BILL with the anxious desire TO
| bring my mind to the same conclusion to which
the Councils arrived in fixing the rate at sixty cents
in the hundred dollars, but every step in the In
yestigati0n has convinced me more and more de-
cidedly that my predecessor was right in his rec
ommendation that the rate be increased, and that
| the last Board of Common Council did not err in
| seconding that recommendation. am therefore
compelled by my convictions Of duty, to return
| the bin without my signature.
II is important in every city that the progress OF
city improvements keep pace with those of private
enterprise IL they do not the effect Is promptly
| felt by the whole COMMUNICATES, In acting a
check upon private improvement, and then, of
course, causing the builders, from the laborer to
the architect to feel the depression, and thus the
means Of all are diminished; and the merchant
next feels the effect either in the inability of his
customer to pay old debts or his necessity TO de-
crease the amount Of his purchases. Then, also,
the number OF artisans and laborers must be dimin-
| ished because men who depend upon their labor
for sustenance cannot live where labor is to be
obtained, and consequently some of them have to
move away Again, most seriously affecting the
merchant; but not him alone. Houses become
idle rents reduced, and thus the landlords are
| seriously impaired in their fortunes, and they are
| less able TO pay taxes; and, as consequence OF
all, the price of property declines, and not only Sc
rousy dminishes the aggregate wealth of the city,
but makes it necessary to reduce rates OF assess
ment, and then, as consequence, TO increase the
rate Of taxation to support the city government.
The experience of last year very clearly proved
| that the rate of sixty cents the hundred dol
lars was not sufficient. The debt Of the city very
materially increased under it, notwithstanding that
| the amount Of city improvements was unusually
small am well aware that large amount of
foot paving has been done; but that has to be
paid for by the property fronting the pavement,
and there is no draft on the city treasury on ac-
count of it, for, if the owner does not pay in due
time it is paid for by issuing stock bearing inter-
est, and for the redemption of which the property
is liable The city only to pay for the cutters
and flag footways, and it is now largely in debt for
those made last year, and in some OF the wards
long lines of pavement have been laid and not
connected by flag tootways because the ward was
unable to pay for them. If the rate Is not in
creased, some of the wards will not be able to pay
for keeping their pumps in order, and thereby
supplying water.
The First, Third, and Fourth Wards have, &C
cordng to the last bank report something to their
credit; but If the deficiency to the general fund,
the debt to the bank for overdraf and the debt of
those Wards were paid, neither of these would
probably have dollar; and the First and Third
Wards would be found also in the list of those
oyerdrawn What, then will be the condition of
the Second, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh, when their
accounts come to be Strengthened up9 These
Wards not only owe the overdrafts charged to
them in my communication of the 23d of June,
but they owe besides their proportion of the debt
Of the general fund and Of the bank overdraft,
their proportion of the funds properly belonging
to the First, Third and Fourth Wards, and their
proper proportions Of the redemption fund.- surplus
fund, special tax fund, and Corporation interest
fund, which all have been drawn out of the bank
and diverted from the proper objects to which
they ought legitimately to belong and, besides,
they owe more than their full proportion Of the
debt due to contractors and others, because the
Wards which have had funds have been able to
paw up many small bills which had to lay over in
the indebted Wards.
1t is not difficult to perceive, then, that unless
the annual income of these Wards is increased
materially the receipts of last year, they will
not only, for some years to come, unable to make
any improvements, but that they will be CON-
PEELED to borrow money to keep their streets in
pair and give their people water to drink.
The charter Of l848, in its tenth section, re-
qures that the Corporation shall annually apply
sum not less than ten thousand dollars of its reve-
nue. to the redemption Of the present debt of the
Corporation. This has not been done for several
years past and it is utterly out Of the question to
suppose that it can be done with the income to be
derived from taxes with the rate fixed ss last year
aud it becomes seriops question how far it is
wise and proper, or even allowable, for the Corpo
ration to violate the positive injunctons Of its
charter. .a+
The lessons taught by experience are the most
impressive, and ought to be the most lasting in
their saluary effects. The past history of our city
illustrates the consequences of contracting debts
without providing means to pay them. little
more than twenty years ago the credit of the Cor
poration was so low that it could only be re-estab
lished by applying to and receiving from Congress
the authority to increase the rate of taxes to one
dollar and twenty-five cents on the hundred dol
lars fifty cents of which was to be devoted to the
payment of the interest on the canal debt and
when we were relieved from that debt the power
to lay the taxes at an increased rate ceased But
If the policy of imposing tax not equal to the re-
quirements OF the city 10 persisted in the conse-
quence will inevitably be the necessity for apply
ing to Congress for power to impose a rate higher
than that which we are now authorized to do. No
one alive at the periods above refer cd to- and In
terested in the affairs Of this municipality can have
forgotten the disastrous effects of the prostraton
of the city credit. Every one win remember how
all advancement was arrested, how property depre-
ciated in value, and rents came down. If we de-
sire to avert repetition Of the circumstances of
those days. we must avoid the policy which led to
them.
am sure, gentlemen, we are all impeled by
the same motives, that we have but ono common