The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1871-02-11
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.


Feb. 2, and you'd ask our fellow
citizens to read and ponder the
suggestions-they are worthy OF
serious attention and thought:
Municipal governments in this
country are failure. There is
something fundamentally wrong
and rotten in oil Of them, and they |,
are the mediums through which
systematic. legalized and Illegal
robbery is carried on to an almost
unlimited extent. The people ev-
erywhere are groanlng under
/ grievous and burdensome taxation,
the result of wastful and extrava-
CANT expenditure, and diversion
Of funds from public to private
uses. Corruption: reeking and
rank, prevails, and the labor and
industry of the citizens are suffer-
ing from the enormous exactions
upon them.
An honest and economical ad-
ministration of municipal affairs
is the exception to an al most uni
yersal rule which has, of late years,
obtained in these matters In ad.
dition to an annual taxation which
amounts to large percentage up.
on the profits of business, there is
a constantly increasing public debt
--Pelion upon Ossa. Take the
city of Brooklyn, for example
With a population Of four hundred
thousand, her officials have piled
up debt OF thirty-six millions OF
dollars-ninety dollars to every
inhahitant-richo or poor, great or
small: And we are told by the po
litical journals. and even by the
mayor himself, in an official re
rort, thai this state Of affairs has
come of '.jobbery and robbery
incid entail stealing and straight
forward stealing, by the men whom
the people, or the rings, have
placed in power And Brooklyn
is not alone in this business The
same condition OF things, to 2
greater Or less extent, prevails in
all the cities of the land 1t is
worse in our large cities tsan in the
smaller ones: but it is bad enough
in all. and constantly growing worse
This state of things grows ont
! OF the vicious condition of our
politics. Our cities ure governed
by the dangerous classes" They
are under the control OF the ire
J sponsible rahhIe who have but lit
tie at stake-w ho do not pay the
taxes, but who are proffited more
or less by the expenditure of the
/ money wsung by taxation from
] the property and industry Of the
better portion of society. These
! are manipulated by cunning and
+ designing men for their own ad
vantage, and TO the de- timent o
the public interests. Cities arr
not, in the strictest sense of til,
/ term, political communities. They
are more in the nature Of a com
mercial and business corporations
State a1d federal laws govern tE'
people il their political relations
municipal Laws have to do NOR
wi Ii property than with persons
The more property man owns II
q city, the more he is affected b,
municipal legislation-the NOR
interest lie has in 1.-THE create
tue injury or benefit he receive
through it. 1t is his material in
(; terests, mainly, and not his pei
sonal or political rights which ar
reach. d by ~ unicipal enactments
Therefore, should not the sam
principles govern 10 the choice Q
the officers ot a city IS in banks
manufacturing, railroad, Or otLe
corporations? In short, shoul
there not be property qualities
ton, inasmuch as property is th
great object concerning whic
nearly all municipal legislation
had?
1 Under our present system til
/ non properly holder votes wit
~ perfect unconcern to levy taxes
.s, 1t matters not to him how oneror
- they may be. He is not intereste
'i in their payment; but has an i,
- tercst, rather that they should /
A. as large and as la,ishly expende
y at possible. There is no justi,
6 in this system 1t is unequal al
III oppressive In the State. v ae
q political rights are the Great O
T jeets Of Legislation, manhood rat
ss er than property should be repr
sented. But III municipal co
I porations where the reverse is Il
-, fact q contrary nlar would eao