Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-02-18

As stated in yesterday STAR, Mayor Swseny.
or Georgetown, at the request of several MEM
bers Of the City Councils, called special meet
ing Of the two boards on Thursday evening, in
order to pass the bill levying taxes for the year
1871. The regular meeting of the two boards
would have been held on the succeeding even
ing. Qsst night but Is the tax bill could not DO
passed If the Territorial bill had previously be-
come a law, this special meeting was held .enty
hours ia advance OF the regular meeting. and
Alderman James A. Msgruder introduced bill
imposing tax Of S1.25 on each, aud every one
hundred dollars Of real and personal property,
which bill was rushed through both boards, and
we presume has become law, as Mayor Sseeny
was understood to be favorable to it. Many of
the tax payers OF Georgetown, who knew
nothing OF the matter until they saw q report OF
the proceedings In last evenings STAR, are
anxiously inquiring today, why there was such
unseemly haste IN crowdlng through bill lew
ing taxes sufficient according to the Clerks
estinate,l to pay all the expenses of the city
government for year. when that government
viii only be In existence little more "a an rec
months longer. Granting that it was necessary
or desirable TO pay the corporation OFT GERS AMI
employees their salaries, and to ray the other
current municipal expenses, a CAREFUL estimats
should have been made of the requisite amount
barely sufficient to carry on the city govern
nent economically til June 1st, and the tax
bill should have beer based on that estimate
III this had been done, a total tax of % cent. on
the hundred dollars would probably have been
found sufficient. As il Is now the citizens NAV
have 70 pay doubie taxes for a portion OF
the year, as there is very little doubt, that ops
Of the nrst acts Of the new government will be
the passage of a bill ievying taxes. IL does not
help the matter to say IN at the surplus realizeI
by this municipal Tax may be used to decrease
the debt Of Georgetown. That debt is placsd
by the Territorial ball in the hands O; the M ~
government, which II authorized TO lew taxas
for its payment, ami the City Councils mish,
safely leave 1t where Congress placed H. In
brief, many OF thcse most interested q, NOT
believe that the Payment OF this tax will lessen
ty one cent the amount of taxes they will bsv.
to pay under the lev Territorial government.
hence they cannot see why they should be com.
PEELED 10 bear sucE an unnecessary burda,
One OF the stTsngest features OF the case il TIA.
some Of the membe1- of the Georgetown Conn
ellis, when the tax bill was before them , w-eL,
or TWO ago, while The fate Of the Territorial
DiI was stIll in t1aot,l strongly Oppoeel II
because of CLAUSE leyying 20 cents Tor street i'm
rrovements; and yet these same members, On
Thursday evening, With full knowledge of the
fact that the Territorial bill abolishiny the c,v
government on the hrst OF June vouls in a.
probability soon become O law, and aware m,
that this tax bill vas to be hurried through on
that very account; these same obiectors a..
quietly by, and not one of them proposed n,
consideration Of the board the simple problem
U single rule OF three: II the city government
can be run for II months with tay of a 25 =,
the hundred dollars, what rate of IA, will J..
yuihCisnt for months