The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-02-20
1,h. CITY Government.

10 The hone ana lSut,. .minao" " pS.ious W ni,n @
~ o. serye no notice Our city hs5 had q license
law from the very hrst days OF itS corporauon,
and there Is not City IN the CIVILIZED world
where nceoses are not required. To sure, the
licenses are not everywhere general but II IS
exactly in their specially where they would be
unjust. 1t must be an erroneous asser.
growth OF population, manufactures and
commerce." just as unreasonable as to sup
p 90 that o, arnrs. who at every oppo tunlty
but the claims Of charity. Population has grown
in the West, where the licen. @ rates exceed our
OWL; commerce has enormously expanuen IN tne
North. where license laws are never ulsRuseu; L,a
and manufactures have become the very lie OF
the Ea,t where licenses are exacted ana clrcum-
GcrIbed wi scIupnloul Rightly. Popn aG0n 10,
swes where cheap landa ano remuneaas'e W .oIa e'
lion encourage IL; commerce e6panos "uere
liberal and fsr.slghted merchants are reaoy 10
make ssc idces for It's advent and deVeiop meht,
and maui actories spring iato life where natural
fasinties a d resources are nbersly distributed,
and where an enlightened INDUSTRY mas discover
ed the eements Of snccess. All th,s VII occur
soonest wnere the people are least lault. ng
and noble enterprises, even then Th' DO lndl.
yid ual honorl, emoluments or prO1ts can be ex.
pected. Let our better Citizens apply thei minds
TO the extension OF our commerce; le: them MAKE
and not remain content 10 renoer our olu CITY INC
handm-iden OF New York. Philadelphia or B1ti-
more; let us combine Tor q direct traoe alo W
become market and d-pot Tor the west and
carrier OF Immigration, aud their amoltlon may
be fully and houorably gratded. Yes, indeed,
let them encourage insi ead Of embarrassing tnelr
elapss old Cha lesion shall be abe and willing to
contribute her share and liberal bonus
for their advancement. And SO shall oe
with manufactories and the employ mens na
SsysHaRn 9q a5s
,ol- O I'm nf
must have or we should ne carrying our economy
20 q degree when It would acr on the body p2lltic
as In u>ul1cienL food on the animal system Is IL
not reasonable 70 ask 1t in the manner which Is
with as. that are just beginning % nit our neau
out OF misfortune and dependency, must De,
which common Interest can pear gre gIeas.l ,aUt sau
Il hopefully dev. loping and expands lib oroW ID
braver strength every day. Our real estate is op.
pressed beyond endurance by hlgn rate OF 10.
terest, by The insecurity of our tenant laws ana
by tue poverty OF great portion OF our popula-
tioa. IL staegers under these adverse 1nnnences
Is IL not wise to claim reasonable heip from
thas which IA strong for that which ts weak to
srrangulslfouf and our licenses are not op.
pressive. They are generally below the rates OF
Savannah, Macon, Atlanta, Augusta, whining.
ton, NOBLE AND New Orleans. II errors should
have occurred they can be corrected next yea
the uuestioa Is, should We abolish themf Shall
the stranger speculator come here for few
months or days In the year to crowd out OF our
own market our own taXpaying merchant ana
trader, and be allowed to go scot Tree OF every
monwealthf Will you allow every man to do ae
he pleases In our streets and public places, and
make your real estate pay for the police
ened homes against depredators or swIndlersH
WIN you have our snoroughfsres torn
mp By the carrisge OF goods and wares, that
foreign merchant runs thu ough to fch from you
your Interior trade, and Will you yet exempt him
from every puplic expenseS In our tax levtes we
are by law confined to the plain values OF all real
aut personal pror erty. We cannot tax incomes
as fern.ey; we cannot ,ax eonsump ION: Ine
suburb.n towns, and needs no real estate In the
city. He may be almost tax free. But the houses
an lands will remain without tenant and YET
be chara sd with the burdens Gf government Man
We can. however. impose special tax, licens.
for police pQrc oses, which OF necessity applies TO
all, even temporary residents or the city. And
these purposes include lights and streeIs Our
licenses are expected TO y!-ld us about Sis 900;
our police lights and streets Will cost US about
S176.ooo, exclusive OF our frepot g, which Is
$50 600 more. Where Is the equity thet would tx-
mpt any particular interest from the payment
Of q fair contribution towards these or any Of
these general and necessary OBJECTS And " here |
can be the -inIamy In Including In these con
tributors' interests that have heretofore Qn.
hl1shingly escaped the slighte.t taxationf The
principal objection seems 10 be, that our license
system should be 30 general In It's appli alton.
Tbs cotton factors complain, and yet they Will Lot
GERS and taverns The insurance agents CON-
plain. and Jet they paid but little over $4,000.
taxes included. out OF premium receipfs OF $3.50
GO In 1871 and they will pay no more In 1873. The
humble hucks ersl The lawyers complain andwtl
1ght, but that ID their vocation. am sure. II 1t
wssin my power, or irit was compatible with the
public good, Council would make. the licenses q
ms.e nominal rate; but that is impossible under
present circumstan, es until brighter pr sper-
a snail have removed the last shadow OF all er
sors and mlsfortuues
.i''''.'7 THE ENTgRPRIsE RAILROAD.
= II ever great outrage on community was |
peIpetrsted and an uhwarrantable act Of tyran. |
ous power leeatzed, 1t was against the citizens 1
or Omar estnD in tn. charter OF the Enterprise
ealrosd, and BY tseonlcers and aoettors OF that
7ery curious corporation. No legislature snou
exercise the tight TO innict upon community
an authority evond their own constitutional
laws to the Infringement OF their collective vel
faro and security, and no body OF ci iZans that
have the least regard for decencs and the claims
Of civilization sheuld ally themselves with
schemes that endan. er the health and peace OF
she public. We have hit upon evil times, and,
am AFRAID It viii require hurricane to clear our
atmosphere. On the 18th or December, 1911. q
letter was road, In. Council, from Mr.. Enrley,
president Of the Enterprise Railroad, notifying
the city Of his charter, and that he would com.
committees OF railroads aud streets, OF which Mr..
Andrew Simonds was chairman. prompt re
ply was returned to Mr. hurley by Mr.. Simonds,
Snab these lo1nG cnmmCteeS W0QlQ De re8Qs 10 re.
ceige his propositions, or TO ueet him In CON.
ference on the subject so vital to this communi.
sy.s No response whaiever was received until
aS reason wnen every prcc ,utionary measure
had been exhausted for securing the city against
the prevt. Us year, the company suddenly ope-
ground for their track. Was this doLe oer
price. or was It simply callous indIr ~ the
health af our cttSf am not eh' -, sov How
syer, forthwith issued or 80 " u, s"y yyo,ce ro
stop the dangerous PR Taw rdave az
Ierwards an iLjup~ .ceedlng. leS oays Si
les was gre --.etion against the city an'norl.
not sor 80 .uled by the circuit Judge. u was
N. - ~ TO determine whether lhls lp)oncuon
E :" reasonable; IL was the law, and to obey the
law u the protection OF communities. Tne Guy
iaw oflcers were consulted, and they could nnd
no remeds. applied, by order OF Council 10
other eminent legal ad isers. ana tney coulo not
promise us successful appeal TO hlgner court:
Tne on)y courde left was reference to the Board
Of Hsalth, who as the special guardians OF tne
public sanitary regulations might obtain US the
sired relief upon their mot.on. This also ialied
and all that for us remained 10 do was the appl- |
cation In the most liberal measure OF dlsinlect. |
ants during the hot season. BY these means,
under the leasing OF Providence. the threateneo
danger which had been 80 Wantonly incurred
was happily averted. At the earliest return OF
the winter an order was had from the cours 70
repair our broken, almost destroyed tlorOugn.
fares, az which we have beer engaged ever since:
Tteor6er empowers us, however, TO charge tne coss
OF thsso repairs to the Enterprise Railroad, andWe
have therefore kept separate and strict acc0unS /
of the labor and material employed. But what
does such remedy amount 10, when there Is
nothing to be attached bat line OF stringers and
rails that are barely worth tneir remoValf THIS Il