, 1869-12-20

OUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT.

WIN NOCN 0Qt6hN mhN L.
The tax levy Of Cook Comfy Tor 1sCo
annuuts to $40, GOA, Of which s...j, ,0tK,
will Ire required to pay interest on the debt.
The county has entered into very large
scheme of intcrna. improvements, some o.
Nhich aTe nee,ied. and some not, 1t now
las under way an Insane As,luu,.s SlOA, ,utM
Normal School building, and Court House.
The contracts for all THESE have been let,
l"'ntls snld, money spent, nothing CON-
pic the treasury empty, and tho county
S:t4', 900 In arrears, and some Of its cum
pons have gone to protest. Tho levy IF
s:';a.N1a Will not be, fully collected before
September, !s7c, mn; when collected, viii
not te equal to the current expenditures o:
the sesr. leaving the present deficiency and
The deficiency If the carrent year to BE-
met rs Providence shall direct
The :,c.tsl value Of the real AMI persons
pssx~'r, Of the whole comfy Is abo,.
s:aA,. .tks>, ,oIO. or this, about $40, ,oo3, ,eoo,
or 1ire.t*uths Of the whole, is in the cits
Of Chicago, The remaining tenth is III
the twrnty-ei:ht toxns Of the county. Yet
the representatives Of the unc-t.n:a coast:
tute majority Of The Supervisors The
ncmlcrs Of the old ring, who have heen
running the county into bankruptcy, still
rule tie body. The committees which have
ehasEe of raising and spending mouey are
MI Centralized a,y them, sud eu!y one Caair-
man al committee las been given to the
Oily ,rt n,fars. Whether viewed from thc
standpoint OF population or taxation, the
Geek County Board Of Supervisors presents
the t.ost extraordinary case Of minority
representation known in this country
The old rotten borough svstem o. Easlsn'l
was no: 70 taeraEt a violation of represea-
tative Et'Eerr1n-nt.
~ sl,t:iAl tG,rts Of the board to raise
s4;s'.'+S L. 80 present time wpulG Ire auus
'as. afSe lh~y ns~ =" ..vilenr.7 OF latsna>u.
~ Int AID consequent anE-1;,:cy. The
county credit is run uu~n. n:,& 81 ic-
count Of the existing debt rarticu-
lat}t, or any want Of faith in
total wait Of confidence in the 'ssc..,@-,-'naible
body which has charge Of the s.--l-sl
ness. We say that the Board Of supsl-
viso.s is an irresponsible body, because l
does not represent the t.x.I,ayerM 4 EE
&c sdaMctsa through the ba1lot~bo1. 1e
minority Of the board are, TO all inttnts
and purposes. foreign body, who have got
possession Of the purse-strinu.s Of the feo-
PIE without their consent
The convention in session at Springfield
have these facts before them. TtS SEQ
the extraordinary spectacle Of peo!e de-
MED representation according to population
or taxation; and whose property, teslits,
and rights ure placed in the hands Q mi
unrity so small az to constitute on1 IA frac-
1ion Of the whole Eumber. Ths convention
will conc far short OF their dut ifshey de-
not provide some other mode OF spreaen-
tation in the county go,ernnleut
from that which cxists ut present.
II We cannot kave representation
upon some more eqEtabl. basis,
by all means let Chicago bo e1ec:ed into n
countyhy itself. II we cHnot have relief
in one sny let rs hsve it in he dher. Th;.
present condition of -~- q ..ufa:
-7s',tt it,ls'' X lie fr,s-s # -e1at;,,,1 r.
the hanss OF ir1ssponsii.. Fero.,, ,rp.e~
senti7c -obody but .nens!ye... J.st nov
they art :r::a:g a a:,sest q: entjn from H..
TACT thas the lave 'anLrpte1 .st
eoue'y. - caia''s ou cr. , try ,I the
= H.'--- -e. 80
toea1 iees to the n7hlic. Ia. sort Of clan.
zap does not explain Low the Comfy |
easuft ms been emptici, aud the county !