Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-07-15

THAr OspIsAEcE.-The question

That ORDIsAEcE.-The question
eomss up on Wednesday evening In the City
Coueeil upon the passage Of the Wharfage Or.
dinancs. 1t IL . new move in the administra.
tion Of city affairs. and - it 10 . question Of
much importance. It 10 we'll that it should be
calmly and fairly discussed. Tue opponents Of
The measure have already taken the 6sld. but
% far they have not treated it as an open
qasstion-they decide at once that the provis.
ION contemplated is unwise. unfair and exact.
ing. We think somewha. differ entity. and. as
10 duty bound, shal give what we conceive to
be fail. view of the case.
| II is conceded OF course tha. the city has
the right to purchase and own property. II
has purchased and owns levee of considera-
ble dimensions. Other c,ies own levees, and
they are very common article in cities all
s'ong the river from ST. Anthony down to
New Orleans. These levees are more or lees
improved. 10 some cases tens and hundreds
Of thousands Of dollars have been expended
upon them. The object 10 obvious II 10 TO
facilitate and improve the channels Of trade
Those who do business upon the river-or are
directly or indirectly connected with the river
trade have the Advantage Of these lsvees. IL
It supposed that cities make these improve.
ments aod throw them open to the use Of
the public as gratuitys The fact that
oearly all cities charge wharfage is conclu-
sive evidence If what is the intention, even
80 hcro ~
it. 1t is expected that the wharfage accrr-
ing on a leyee will not only pay for the
cost thereof and the necessary impro EN- ents
but that it will also aid in defraying por-
lion Of the other expenses Of the city. Lev
ees and docks and wharves are regarded in all
cities as q source Of revenue. Who PAYS THE
revsnue2 Those whose business is such that
they are obliged to use it. pay directly. and
the consumers Of such goods and commodities
as they deal in pay i. indirectly. but sabstan.
TALLY. Neither would the price of travel or
freight on the river be as high as it is were it
not for this levee tax. Public carriers count
upon 1t 10 the start. and charge accordingly.
The reason why this city has never before
imposed Wharfage tax is well known to the
people OF Davenpott-the city did not own
the whole levee. 1t has recently pu chased
nearly all it did no. own before, and now pro.
poses to make more improvements and charge
q wharfage tax. 1t is ri.ht to do so-it ,s
plan which should be inaugulated at once.
Who should pay wharfage rates at thls
landing? Those who are benefit! ed by the
use OF the landing Of curse. Those who use
it fer a steamboat landing hose who use it
to land wood, coal, lumber, stone, lime, or
any s[ ecies Of merchandise whatever. Steam
boat men expect it, and of conrse will make
no objection /; lumbsrmen didn't expect it
therefore we ase opposition. But say they,
I'VE are resident iunbermen, We are ciiz ns
we own property here-pay taxes. etc. why
should we have to pay for using the leyee p
II !. because they wse it nothing elss. If a
citizen of town that has Wharfage paving
ievee. owns a steamboat. and runs it in that
vicinity. be has to pay wharfage. He gets the
benefit OF the landing and should pay. But,
say the dissenting lumber merchants, there is |
q lumber miil-one below aud another above |
the city landing, and they have none OF this |
wharfage tax to pay. That is their lookout |
entirely.
To be more explicit. let it be stated that
Mayor French has mill in the lower part OF |
town; Alderman Renwick has one in the up>
per part; they are not gu ject to these wharf |
age rates. Why mott Why they have bought
la.dirgs and paid large sums for them, Tn
cost OF the improvement Of their private land
ings, and the interest on the investment and |
the money expended 10 improv eip 60 Is, amounts
10 n large sun aanuaily. Those who use the |
public landing are subject to no such debts |
Iustead of payin- for private landing Of
their own they pay wharf rates, and probably |
Of oh h,,rA 1,,ci IL
the persons above named. That these same !
gentlemen happen to belong to the City Coun-
Gil cannot be set down az Q fault of theirs-it |
is their misfortune.
Another roint: The manufacturers OF lun. |
ber in this city, while they ought to be eus-
tanned ask no extraordl nary favors. Ttey |
came here. bought property. invested capital
heavily, and afford work to hundreds Of fami.
lies. This makes trade, life and business. 1t
is what all citizens want. How is it with the |
majority of those who land sawed lumber at
our levee and haul it off into yards to sell |
Do they make general trade? Do they invest
money here, or are they agents for firms else
where? Do they buy and improve land in
town. or do they rent vacant lot or two to |
trade upon Do they afford business to heads
of fnmi'iss7 Do they support hundreds Of la.
borers and mechanics? No; they do their
U"u ecilluS eue mos. pdEts dUO WDen tnsY |
have sold cut their money goes off to those for !
whom they eell. II they make a profit Of five |
or ten thousand dollars per year, is that profit
kept in our city? Is it expended here? No, |
it goes to the principals, who live in other
places. THIS is the rule-tbere may be one |
exception or may not. Those who manufac
ture and invest right here ought to be pro-
tected.
There is an immense quantity Of lime |
brought here and cold on the levee every year |
Should not its owners pay . lsves taxi They |
use the levee and make money from it's use
let them pay for the privilege. They take the |
money they make away from town-let them |
pay the town for atIordiDg them market, or |
if it were not 60. let them pay . reasonable |
rent for the use Of city property--ths levee.
II is . matter Of great importance to this |
town that there be wharfage ordinance
passed. 1t will bring an inc me. all told, Of
about three thousand dollars. which, upon
tax Of fifteen or twenty thousand. will be Q
great help. It will reduce the taxes of the
masses without diminishing the interests OF the
-ity. Let It pass. Il is wrong a. 1t stands;
let it be judiciou.ly modified. Let the plan
be put in operation. REVENUE.
AN IMPORTANT ORDER. In our
paper this morning We publish an important
order regarding passes Issued TO soldiers. 1t
would be seen that after the lst Of August, the
old pastboard passes are not good, but in their