, 1872-11-27

MUNICIPAL AID.
4 bill has been reported in one house Of the
City Of Boston to borrow 920,000,oo0 to lend tc
the owners OF the property in the burnt district
in that city, to enable them to rebuild. This is
Of those instances Of emotional action, which,
upon reflection, ne think the good people OF
Boston will regret. It ia founded upon the the
ory Of paternal government that the Govern
ment can take better care of the private affairs
and business Of the citizens than they can
themselves. But, even under the theory Of pater-
nal government, the injustice Of this
proceeding will be evident. The destruction OF
property by fire is no unusual thing. It is oc-
curing every day. Even since the fire OF Nov.
9, Boston has been visited BY other fires which
have destroyed large amounts Of property. For
the Government of the city to lend its credit to
those who lost their buildings On tho 9Th of No.
vember, and not extend it to those who lost their
property the next day, or week later, would be
drawing distinction without any reasonable
cause. And, if the city is to loan it's credit to
those who lost property by fire in November, why
should like aid be refused to those who have
lost, or may lose, property by the same
means in any other month Of the year;
and why should the sufferers Of
1872 be relieved in this manner, and not
those OF 1873, and Of all other years? It is
better for Government to be just than gener-
GUS. Generosity cannot disguise injustice, and
u discrimination in favor Of the sufferers by the
fire of one day, and against those by fire on an
other day, would not be just On the part of the
Municipal Government. II the Law was 80
framed as to lend the public credit Of the city to
every person whose house is destroyed by fire,
without reference to any particular fire, then,
being general, there would be some equality in
it; such scheme would Of course be instantly
rejected, but no reason could be given for re-
jecting it that does not apply to the measure
that has been proposed.
The measure proposes that the municipal
credit shall be loaned to enable those owning
the real estate to rebuild. The only plea for this
is that they have suffered a loss. IF the object
be to afford relief, why not extend tho loan to
those who have suffered loss in goods, and to
enable them to purchase new stooks2 The real
estate was not consumed. That remains, and
has possibly in the aggregate value but little
diminished from what It had before the fire, with
the buildings upon it. It WAS valuable prop
erty, as valuable as any in Boston. The man
who owns that real estate cannot be said to be
poor, nor without credit. He can borrow, upon
the pledge of the land, an amount of money
equal to the value OF the building
he is to place upon it. He can
borrow it upon as 6 God terms as the city can do
so. II the land is not worth the money requir-
ed to improve it, then he had best get rid Of it.
It will be but poor security to protect the city
from loss.
In ninety-nine cases out OF q hundred the
owners Of real estate as valuable as Ia that in
the burnt district, can do much better by man.
aging their own affairs than by borrowing money
through the City Government. There is private
and available wealth enough in Boston to re-
build an area four times as great as that which
was swept by the fire. We need not refer to
the complications OF City Government when
it's functions are extended to those Of
the money-lender, nor to the cor
ruptions incidental to such business.
There is an impression in Boston that this
act of the Legislature had preced-
ent in the case Of tho City Of Chicago-that
this city in its corporate capacity extended re-
Lief to enable persons to rebuild. The city had
no such power, and no money; it obtained from
the State q repayment Of certain money ad-
vanced upon the canal improvement, but that
sum has been applied to replace public build
ings destroyed by fire, and to other municipal
uses. After our fire, there was 8 demand for
aid to rebuild private property, but
the good sense Of the community soon disposed
of tho proposition as unwise in the extreme.