The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-05
MORE LOAN BILLS.


works, and the same body has also recently
authorized $5O0,000 loan for the gas works,
and a $50O,OOO pavement loan for Broad
street, SO that the snug sum of a trife more
than So, 900, 900 will speedily be added to the
enormous aggregate of municipal indebted
ness if the Select Council concur in the ac-
tion of Common Council. In view of the
financial position of Philadelphia, the
rapidity with which her debt is
being swelled by expenditures connected with
the park, the House Of Correction, and
other projects to which she is irretrievably
committed, the large portion of her annual
receipts which is now absorbed in the pay
ment of interest on old loans, and her
limited sources of revenue, her ax-payers
may justly deplore the prospect of the crea-
tion of new batch of loan bills, and SIRE
nuously demand that the loan ordinances
which Common Council has so readily autho-
rized shall be SUBJ iected tc searching criticism
in Select Council. There is no shadow of
doubt that while the city has often
neglected to make, at the proper moment,
improvements of great Importance, her money
has occasionally, if not frequently, been
shamefully squandered by expenditures for
works of doubtful utility. This has occurred
heretofore in the Water Department, and
after large sum was wasted in useless extern
sions the water supplies of nine-tenths of the
whole city were jeopardized for lack of an
insignificant amount. How much the Gas
Trustees have wasted or lavished among their
favorites, while charging the people higher
rates for gas than should ever be charged
in this locality, will probably
never be accurately known; but
the people of Philadelphia have evidently
been subjected to unne cessary and unjusti-
fable extortions. 1t is therefore high time
that new demands from the Gas and
Water Departments should be examined with
the utmost care. The people need and,
practically, they must have water and gas.
1t will not do to interrupt or delay improve
ments which are absolutely essential When
money must be paid, let it be paid, and
when new loans must be contracted,
let them be contracted promptly. But
the feeling daily gains strength that, under
the plea that this or that scheme, plan, or
system was imperatively required, sums of
money greater than were really requisite, and
for objects which were not, truly, of prime
importance, have been extorted from the
city. 1t is almost inconceivably base and
wicked to thus trife with her necessities.
The highwayman who demands the money or
the life of traveller is, morally, little
worse than the man or set of M en- who, after
being installed in high and responsible posi-
tions, force through Councils unnecessary
loan bills on the pretext that if they are not
granted supplies of water or gas will be cut
off from q great city. But, judging from
past experience, there is no guarantee even
against this ineffable baseness, except full,
clear, and explicit statements setting forth in
detail the character of the work or works re-
quired, as well as the particulars of all
expenditures after they are made. 1t
will no longer do, in this COM
munity, to enshroud the transactions of public
departments with a veil of mystery, or to run
them on the confidence system, by leaving
all details to the discretion of few indi-
viduals 1t is poor sign for the future that
Common Council concurred so readily yester-
day in denouncing the contract system as ap-
piled to the proposed new water works, and
that even while this discussion was going on
the Select Council had under considera-
ton complaints that the House of Correction
was not being built according to the specif-
cations. If the city has no longer officials Of
sufficient honesty, capacity, and energy to
ensure the honest fulilment of a plain con-
tract, and if she must depend solely upon
the discretion of a few eustodians of absolute
power, who can say what they please, employ
whom they please, and be influenced solely
by favoritism, whim, or caprice, in
stead Of conducting the businss
appertaining to the municipality on
sound business principles, no man need be
astonished if the city debt continues to swell.
so long as purchasers of loans can be foSud,
and if the city taxes continue. to increass
until hosts of old residents of PHILADELPHIA
and a large number of its old manufacture
are driven away from her limits. Already
many men who would otherwise locate grea
factories here are compelled to seek othe
localities solely on account of th
pressure of our city taxation, and nothin
will do more TO increase this tendency
drive away population and diminish loo
prosperity, than the endorsement by CoHI
ellis of the doctrine that while the city eannC
enforce a contract, it is ready to entrust th
disbursement Of millions to a few men wh
are subject TO no checks, and who assume 4