The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-11-24
THE CRY DEBT

n " VIC AOecBfUPos
The. situation ia which as community
we find ourselves at the present time,7 il
both critical and embarrassing and re-
quires the most discreet counsel, and tie
best wisdom to find solution. As an
individual venture to give my view OF
the matter, as far as brief article will
permit. .'"..,'q $. 80. -, $3.50 +,
y The citizen finds himself to-day re
quested by the United States courts te
respond to a demand, (the first Of an in;
definite rseries) to pay taxes to liquidate
what all, with scarcely an exception
believe to be an unlawful, unjust and
.inequitable claim--in other words, the
ESQ called bonds and coupons issued IN
aid Of railroads by certain parties under
pretended authorityiof law in the name
Of the city are TO- be enforced-if, the
entire property of the, city, and the
private fortune ofindividuals is sacrificed
and swept away by such enforcement, =
And this is to be done in the name OF
Law and Justice " enasa bnR b9i1rsd ~
Ever since the deceived and outraged
people of ,Kenosha, discovered that they
were the victims pfa combination of cir
cumstances- having the semblance Of
necessity, brought about BY designing
men and ihavinga the effect to involve
them, with the pality, in a common
ruin, they have compelled the city
authorities C. resist. the. claims forced
upon them, which the Rail Road COM
panyo was bound to take care of, or dis
charge and to this day, are strong in the
determ ination. to resist them by all law
full means. soaogmpa 81 10 .tBsi agi
Nor do they consider that thus resist
ing, they violate any principle of honesty,
morals, or, good faithsr-Of the law,
which rightly administered would ,sbe
their protection or the Constitution
which honestly construed, would be q
Justification ,nmt5f Saoi 9dt se8ltd85t
We, who, pending the admissionIaof
Wisconsin as a State in the Union de-
bated with such zeal and interest the
meaning and intent of the several pro-
visions of the constitution then adopted,
we'll know, that we supposed We had in
that instrument safe guard and proven
tive of the very ealamitles which are now
visited upon US. You, Mr.. Editor, can
not have forgotten the lyceum in the
basement of the NJ E. Church in the
winter of 1847 when every prov ision
of the present State constitution was
taken up analysed, and its meaning
ascertained in the forum of debate
Il Among these provisions was one J;
Section of Articlel11. treating of cor
porations, which is to the point, as to
the power of municipal corporation
acting through its officers to bind the
property OF it's citizens to the extent of
Of their private property
through the taxing power, and reads as
so91 38d 81
20 Section 8. 1t shall be the duty of the.
and hey are hereby en-
powered, to provide for the organization
of cities aud incorporated villages, and
to restrict their power of taxation, assess
ment, borrowing money, contracting debts
and loaning their credit; 50 as TO preoent
abuses IN assessments and taaation, and sn
contracting debts 5y such municipal CORPORA
hon" ..t
Mark the language: 1t shall be the
duty, of the Legislature to restrict--not
enlarge, this taxing power Of municipal
their power of borrowing
money or contracting debts; and for
what? so as to pervent abuses in assess
nents and taxation, and Ia contracting
debts by such municipal corporatio MS.
This is imperative on the legislature, and
lad the constitution been needed the
lebt cursed towns and cities Of Wlscon-
iii, would have to day been as free az air
o fulfill their iestiny-B ut what if this
provision were disregarded, as is the
,asee
Why then, the granting of charter,
II an amendment to charter, to the
}ity of Kenosha, or any other city, To do
what the constitution forbids; is a nullity.
nd of noforce or validity, and should be
o declared
Admitting that the Constitution is the