The Cairo evening bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1868-1870, 1869-03-10
R,l,.r for Al...nder County.
On this subject we find the following in the
last number Of the Chicago Post 70I
AxuspoRTryATE COUNTY.

On this subject we find the following in the
last number Of the Chicago Post 7ali .
AN uNFoRTuSATE COUNTY.
The petition of Alexander county to tn
Legislature for "A remission 0. State taxes fol
a term Of two wears. though startling to those
who do not know the facts Of the case, and
the reasons upon which the application Is
based is not withou; valid arguments to sup
port it. The friends of the bill alledge what, is
| not denied
That the position Of Cairo is without par
allel, nasmuch as it is driven like Il wedge
between Missouri and Kentucky; as it is the
usual head of steamboat navigation IN the
! winter and during seasons OF low water as
| it is the point that the criminals coming from
| the South rst touch, rs they journey North,
and the point from which Northern jail-birds
take their departure as they migrate south
ward it is the scat Of large transportation
business, for the transaction of which great
laboring population, chiefly OF blacks, ana the
lower class of foreigners, is necessary. and
that among these much crime, especially that
of larceny, prevails.
That under the present law OF larceny,
whereby theft to the amount OF fifteen dollars
must be committed TO send the thief to the
penltentiary, the county jail IS constantly
full of persons confined on minor charge,
whom it must support during Incarceration
That while the proportion Of criminals sent
TO the pelitcntiary from the state at Target
20 the population, as 10 2,l00, the proper
ton in Alexander county Is 10 lO2 Not
five per cent of these criminals j. counted
among the resident population, being COM
posed of as amass, almost wholly OF the scum
of civilization which j. constantly drifting up
and down the railroad and river. Cook
county, in 1866 and 1867, with then popula-
ton Of 2l7, 800, by censl. tables sent 2s1, or
one TO each 500 people. Alexander sent out of
population ofl2. sOr, couyicts to the number
Of llg or, a. we have said, 30 l02!
That the administration Of the criminal
law, under the condition of facts set forth
above is necessarily very expensive. There
are eight terms of the criminal court annual
~, and n large share Of the time is consumed
in criminal business, the fees and charges Of
which, wien added 20 the Jail expenses las
hardly one criminal out OF twenty Is able TO
give BAIL, swell the county expenses to
figure, which even we in Chicago, who are
positively enormous
That with such n criminal population there
is necessarily II flood Of pauperism which
the county Is constantly endcavOring to beat
back. We have not the figures which repre-
sent the outlay for the paupgr houses and
relief; but o.. pauperi,m 60 hand
in hand The Imagination Of readers having
The criminal statistics will supply them.
That to NEE, the great annual outlay en-
tailed by these fearful fuct-, the county court
Of Alexander instructed tho assessor 90 list all
taxable property az or near its !ull value with
The statuary Limitation. couhuiug taxes for
county purpose within fo1,' mills on the dol
lar. This was a necessity 20 keep the county
government going at all, and hence,
That the property OF Alexander county j.
taxed 100 per cent. more than the average ]
taxation of the other countc. Of the state, |
md 500 per cent. more than the counties pay /
ng the lowest tax and that upon the princi- |
be that where such unequal burdens cannot |
,e removed by general legislation, If justice |
ND equality are the objects Of government, /
{ should relieve those who suffer under them !
Thi- j. but an outline Of the case that Cairo, |
which j. all there {. Of Alexander county,
makes out. IL reveals a curious conditio Of
Affairs in our neighboring city; but when We
the character of the business done
there and the peculiar situation of the town
IN reference TO the migratory criminality and
paupcrism OF the west, il ought 10 excite
wonder that this application for relief was
not sooner urged upon the legislature 1t
will be greater wonder If, being made IT is
ifts al