The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-05-06
Increase of the Rate of Taxat,o,

i
rate Of taxation from $l.25 on the on,
hundred dollars worth of propertv h
$l.60 by vote of Is to s. There wer,
eight members absent, namely, Messrs
English OF Marshall ward, Euker, Forres.
Ter, Manly, Newberry, Oliver, Scott Of
Clay ward, and Vandervall. o
| Previous to the vote being taken, Presi.
dent Wynne delivered an address to the
council, in which, after stating the object
Of the meeting, he dilated upon the growth
OF the city and gave brief account of the
financial condition of the city and the ex-
penditures of the public money during the
past year, and continued:
with this statement of the facts con-
nected with the operations Of the past year.
y it saying too much that another year
like it will involve us in q condition an
preaching bankruptcy, at least so far as
our credit will stand ? and / regret to have
to say that there is strong probability
that some of our fellow-citizens, including
some members of the council, do not re,
gard this result with the dread that should
belong to such an event. 4 &&a
'The fact is too we'll known to be de-
MED that those to whom l allude have for
some time entertained the opinion that the
gordian knot of all our pecuniary difficult
ties can be cut at once when the necessity
arises by coup d. etat, which would at
once relieve us from a portion of our debts
by placing our citizens at the mercy OF q
greedy corporation. They propose to buy
the gas works. Having been approached |
on this subject, with a request to Join in
the promotion of the scheme bv seeming |
obtained the information.
together with the names of those who |
hope to engage in the speculation.
With the view Of putting it in the
possession of small company. Several Of
hose who favor this oppose all increase Of
axes and pronounce the tax on gas and
vater-pipes as unconstitutional, and speak
y holding ward meetings to instruct the
council in regard to these matters Their
'atrlotlc interference in favorof the rights
i the poor man" THAT idol of the ward
oliticians) being prompted by the desire to
st the city 60 to protest while they stand
y ready to relieve him and make them
elves richer. This plan am sure will
ever meet with the approval of our peo- ,
le, and such solution of our pecuniary {
'oubles would be damning to the council i
hitch sanctioned it." aafE
Mr. w lliiamS SAID that he had spoken of / ;
nd discussed the project of the sale of the |,
IS works to private parties as transact
on probably wise for the city to enter =
to, but he had not gone further than this,
ID if others had proceeded to the extent Q
dicated in the remarks of President /
lynne, he desired to have the matter in a
'stigated. He therefore moved that so
UGH of the remarks of the President as
lated to the gas works and those who
ught to obtain possession of them be re- d
rred to special committee of five for in
stgation and report, with power to send
: persons and papers. Il
The president said that the meeting was P
special one and it would require two in
lrd vote to take up matter not among 81
3 objects for which the meeting was is
He'd. B
The vote was taken and nobody voted ea
the negative. ns IS '1ssg W
Mr.. Whitlock moved to amend Mr..
illiams' motion by referring the whole of o
presidents remarks (Which were in d
,ltingl to the special committee proposed. N
Mr.. Williams accepted the amendment, dl
the motion, as amended, was adopted. ID
:. Williams declining to serve on the n
ecial committee, Messrs. Whitock, CT
arke, Cottrell, Jones, and Lpscomb IN
re appointed, ~