The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1870-04-08
THE WHARF BOAT QUESTION:
sPEECH or ALDERMAN MCKEE,

The following Is a synopsis Of the speech
OF Mr.. Jno. W. Mckee before the Board
of Aldermen, at the meeting held We'd
ncsday night, in support Of his motion to
strike out $1,000 and insert $500, IN
the proposed ordinance providing Tor
license upon wharf boats, which Was then
under discussion. He said;
Mn. CuAlRMAS.-"As n bird In the
hand i, worth two In the bush ! hope
the board will accept my amendment
when | inform them that the wharfboat
proprie,ors offer TO pay $500 per yenr, but
will resist, ut law, an attempt to make
them nav double that amount. My friend,
Mr. Lonerpan, has Just said that am ter
rIbiy afraid Of involving the city in law
.uit' | answer that | ain, when ! am per-
fcctly satisfied that the city will be wort
cd. and made to pay the costs, Our en'
perience, las, year, in paying the lawyers
| hills contracted by previous administri-
| lions. prove. the well-known fact that cor
norations are always charged much more
Tor legal services than individuals, and us
the credit of the city is somewhat under
mar. we have, in addition, tn pay extra
money To make the scrip equal to green
hacks. If any of the rights Of the city,
which could be maintained at law, were
nssailed. 1 would allow no fears OF law
sujt 10 deter me from vigorous fight for
those rights But hold the present ease
TO be entirely the reverse.
have various reasons Tor TINS belief
| One |, that the constitution declares that
taxation shall be uniform. License 70 tax
alton on Y business, and the law VIII mol
allow US TO charge one man more than W.
charge another for permission 70 carry Oh
the same kind of business. Commission
and forwarding merchants on the top o.
the leyee are only charged ten dollars
while this bill proposes 10 charge the SANS
| business, when carried on ut the foot OF
, | the leyee. on n wharf-boat, ten hundred
dollars.
Again. Gentlemen place great stres
upon the fact that the charter of the city @
Cairo grants authority 10 "license, to regu
late or suppress wharf-bosts. Where mr.
I those wharf-boats 10 be situated. Doe
y any person suppose We can license or sup
nress wharf-boats ut Columbus or Paducal
. ian we license or regulate any wharf
bonts except those which be at our ow
$ wharfs? Certainly not. Now will an
Il gentleman please tell me where our ow
wharf is situated. That clause In tn
charter was made under the suppositio
:, that Cairo had or would have wharf {
. her own. II she owned such mn articl'
o then she could 'license, regulate and SUI
> press whsrf-boats, but ask again whei
Is there any wharf which belongs 10 II
y CITY of Cairo? The wharf which We us
;, We have found out, at scost Of about nv
c, thousand dollars of the peoples money, b.
is longs TO the Cairo City Property Con
N pany, end We have no authority over it c,
cept the right to use it, free Of charge
= The speaker then proceeded toshow TIN
these proprietors of wharf-boats were OF
own citizens, whose families resided her
and whose Interests were identical wit
those of the city. Upon this ground the
had the right TO claim the protection {
the council from all attempts toimpose e'
traordinary burdens upon them. The
were already paying forty dollars pr
month to the Trustees of the Propert
Company, but in order to continue to liv
mt peace with their fellow-citizens and
avoid the costs and anxiety Of law sui
they were willing to pay $500 per annuI
y for the privilege of carrying ON their bus
l. ness, although they were satisfied that sue
A. law suit would eventually be decided
N their favor. They knew, however tina
no matter which side gained the suit u
the lower courts the other side was Gel
tain to appeal 10 higher tribunals Nh
j. thu. increase the cost no matter VIII" VOL