The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-10-19

! u the CITY the SUN Of money used by 4, IN
deepening the canal. and for which IL ha.
a hen upon the property of the sta,c--it
! romans to be considered how the money
! i =, DC raised to meet the appropri ition.
Two methods have been surge stcd for
the accomplishment of this object. | am
informed that the amount of the taxable
! property as reported TO the auditor for
! 1871 j. about five hundred millions Of dol.
Iar-, which is probably less than ope-,en,h
/ oi tne actual cash value Of all the property
| IN the state From that sum there will
| probably be deducted fifty millions. on
account OF the destruction Of property il
| the county of Cook Calculating. ibon
upon the basis Of IN actual assessment ~,
four hundred and fifty millions. the rate o,
taxation required to raise three million.
| OF dollars is sixty-six and two-thirds cent
| upon the hundred dollars; and when &,
this is added the probable rate Of tiity-fve
! cents, that may be required for revenue
| purposes. the rate of taxation for the wear
! ISL will be one dollar and twentv-onc
and twO-thirds cents upon the hundred
dollars. And | confess To preference 70,
this mode Of raising all money require ed
for public purpose 1t IL simple, direct,
and, Of all modes cf raising money, it is
the cheapest. it proposes that each
generation shall discharge it, own duties
and it confirms to the golden rule of bust
mes, morality: PAY M you go.
But the demands Of the city Of lChicago
to- whatever sum may be appropriated for
its use are urgent and immediate, and
months may elapse before the proceeds OF
taxation can be realized, and it may be
the judgment Of the representatives of the
people that the rate of taxation ;hat it may
| 4 i M
| circumstances. too heavy 20 be CONVEX
ienty borne; and for some or all Of thes"
reasons some other method of raising the
requisite sum may be preferred.
The only other mode of raising money
that hu. occurred TO me, is that of borrow
ing the amount required. But il has been
asked with some degree of anxiety, under
what claims of the present constitution i
the exercise Of the power 10 contract a
greater debt by the State than $500 to
be justified (') and to find satisfactory
answer to the question, is task not alto
gether free from difficulty. The provision
of the constitution relied on by those who
question the power Of the General Assem-
bly, To borrow money land thereby cOntracl
debt to greater amount than two hum
lrcd and fifty thousi nd dollars, is found in
the provi.o 20 the Sixteenth Section Of the
Fourth Article. The language of this pro.
viso j.. The State may, to meet casual
deficits or failure in revenue, contract debt
never to exceed in the aggregate two hun
dred and Ofly thousand dollars and mon
-ys thus borrow. shall be appl ed 10 the
purpose for which they were obtained, o.
| TO pay the debt thus created. and no othe
purpose and no other dcbt, except for thu
, pur, pose of repeliDg invasion, suppres'in.
instruction, or defending the state il
war, shall BE- contracted. unlc.
: the law authorizing the same shall bav,
een submitted to the people at "A genera
! election Those who question the powe
, t. contract debt to raise money 10 dis
charge the lien on the canal, insist tina
he amount ofmoncv expended by the cit.
OF Chicago 10 deepen the canal docs no,
when tested by the provi.o of the 37th sec
ton Of the Bird article ofthe constitution U
is4s constitute debt against the State
=, md that now to borrow money to dis
y | charge the lien Of the city would be 1
create debt in violation oi the lsth sec
, | zion Of the 4th article of the constitution q
=, 1870; and they contend thrt the words en-
" poyed in the section last referred 20, tina
- prohibit the General Assembly from cor
- rartiug debts, except for the purpose {
n repcllng invasion, suuprc'.ing msuuc'
ton, or defending the State in war, ar" t
ue construed literally and strictly al
b., hat their effect is 10 absolutely prohii
-, ne State from contracting deb,, exec
-, for tn very lrpos IS and under the precr
l. ircums."hcss specified.
II. II must he confessed that if those wi
n. hu, reason are correct, the on.y mode Ia
e. AN be- adopted to afford either direct
u. Indirect aid to the city OF Chicago = TN
s- direct taxation; and 1t l. an nrgumei
% q favor OF the last mentioned mode
be- i.iug money, that We hereby avoid III
u urce,,Iry ofgIvIng any ether than the ,ru
J. ,rn.c and literal cons ructiOn to the wuIC
/. i the proyIsD that Is to be voted upon
:. jut, as has often been suggested, Wit
I. ,cicrcnce to other instruments, the tru
e construction is the only one that Is adm
al sable, and literal construction Is not nee
!" .-surily true, for the object Of cons,ructiu
). :. to ascertain the sense and purpose {,
~ which the words III question were lntr'
.u laced into the instrument; and that sens
I, when discovered, is TO be accepted and
We that sense the instrument, If cons ,itutio
DE Is to be obeyed and enforced.
ste do not believe that those who insi
u, upon coniining the power Of the gcner
To- assembly to contract debts 70 the pre- i
ne occasion, of Invasion, instruction, or Wa
ny 10 justice to the purposes OF the frame
MS Of The constitution. They did intend, b
IN yond all doubt, to deny to the general u
on ,"mbly the power TO contract deDts beyor
~ the sum of s2jO,OOO, which they have IA
thoIized it to, substantially, at its own ID
n crction, except under circumstance, Ut c!
nd IRENE peril 70 the state. In defining u
IN, degree Of peril that they intended shOuI
NJ warrant the exercise BY the general assen
~ bly, of a power that had been 30 mul
IL abused, tney employed tue strongest IL
guagc; bus IL cannot be inferred Chat the
o. Iptcnded that the state should be decndc
a. from invaslon-thut 1t might employ
rs resource 10 suppress an insurrcctlon or
hn prosecute II war--but should be po"'Sf15
n to resist the greatest evil, or prevent II
tn most threatening danger that might nri
n, from any other possible cause. 1t seems
M, me that they intended to define the dcgr
rh of urgency rather than 10 expires, the pa
nn licular occasion when the power in que
NJ ton might be employed. The trainers
Iir the constitution were statesmen iamlli
nd with the practice Il, well rs the science
Is government, and well understood, from Il
l. 4.