, 1870-03-25
PUBLIC on PglyATEf

ID the Editvr ~ The CAteago Tribune:
The siIscussion Of tie subject Of specia, In con.
17at1ictton to general, taxation for The imprnre-
nent nf tho STREETS Of the city, leads us hack IA
the EAdcai point Of inquiry. whether aucn street
improvements are for the good Of the public. or
nly Of those who own the property aAAessed there.
for.
ii they are for the use and benefit Of the public,
no sane man will deny that the e1pense should be
borne by general lax II for the use and benefit
OF private Owners, no one will deny that the hut-
den should fall upon them, and not upon the pub-
CONNECTED with these two questions, however,
and 50 joined with them thas divorce cannot h.
had without an act Of the RIaVest wrong, Is the
Fundamental d1ctrtne that not only they who prnnt
~ them should rAr, but that they who pay should
have The rtght-not merely the prfrIk3t-of a vulce
IN the tnr'utlun Of the bur,tsn.
This proposition Is self-ertdent, at least in the-
ry, anil ouEht 10 Ire obligatory IL practice. viii
any one member Of The Roarh Of Public Works, Or
Of the Common Council, deny It. Or will INV
metnhcr Of the state Legislature, or any member
tEln the opposite pss'ttoo? II this po8ti0n Is tsue
IN iae-shat ts, acrnriing to the welt-estshltshed
doctI.nes Of COZ common 4 m !aw-whence comes the
precisely opposite cstAhltshedt
Ia not the equity embraced In the doctrine per-
feet: L. any pcssan q interest uronged y its
jtcpanlt1cd, or Ia there any sound reason why q
doctrine - rre-sln!nently just md fair 70 every
throWn and reversedf II 20, ne common pebpIc,
whU do nut claim to hc versc In the tntrcacies u{
statute Law, but DO claim to An endowment OF a
fair share Ul common aense, upon which II Is the
tafory OF a! Law authorities that aN laH-cGmmoa
and siaIutorJ-ts, OF should be, tased are not able
to and 4 or become satisfied u its so!lndness
This !'r1nss LIS 70 consideration OF the funds
mental question Which les al the root OF the wtue
matter, Whether, II such power Of sahversian
ex,s1s 1t all, It resides In the Legislature OF the
sih,t., and. u ~, can he ~ that oody vested in
kucI4 an arbitrary bnty with unlimited discretion
ATT WHers as our Buani Of Public WORKS. through
tbs, provisions Ut our city ChaIter1
II this Is sn-whica lA claiued-and both the
thGnIy and practice nt the boalu-and the co-o.1i.
1!ate city authorities have acte h1hert0 As though
this claim was not only unquestIontl, but ul-
questionable is II not time 70 secure re-
lurn to the ,rst principles Of our democratic form
81 government through means OF q constifu-
ttonel provision, and now, while cur STATE Const1
tuition Is under process of remodelling, obtain a
clear AND Acflnfte ennnciaiion therein ot the right
Of taxpayers to vote on the question Of the bur.
dens they arc necessarily forced to btAr9
II the advocates OF the present system OF rob.
bcty OF the private citizen for the good Of the
pnf!c BY the Imposition on the few of the burdens
which should be equally distributed on all, car
present. any good, or even plausible, grounds upon
which 1t can he jukfetf and should t. continued -
or any sound rrasou why we should not have a rtv.
nlutinu In the whole system by which special as
sessMents are levied upon an unwilling amt resist
Ing casa, who tso hear their full proportion of tht
general burdens VI Necessary taxation, We should
lte Elail to haze the1p presented E. Il BowExs
CHICAGO, March q, fs.l