Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-08-04
Tnadtty kiaation.

In four weeks from Tuesday the election for dtl
officers will take place. Then il will be decided
whether the people are In ifstOr " high tikes aat
an extravagant city government N0n former oc
casiOns, IN years Pait; an election in Wilmington
was regarded by all parties as fair, open and in
telligsnt decision upon nearly alt question: Arising
and entering into the canvass, and this dedisOn, II
those times, Waa generally coTEect. The take
were highland the city improvements 1hanaseG
with prudence, care and economy y--and Whining
ton had the best schools. the lightest RACES bnc
the cleanest streets of aSy city in the MIDDLE
States. And this may be sti1 the case To- day
Bot it's owing to the policy that IVES introduesd
years ago. And what Wede,ireis - rcLdrn tc
that policy before we areinVolSed in debt 10 deep
ly that we cannot extricate ourselves, except at
sacrifice that would make the people shudier
A city in debt is not unlike business man, who
has fallen into the same position. He founders
from point to point. The web of debts that en-
compass him is woven tighter at every move
ment The fly Is not more sutely and tightly en-
veIoped at every eort It makes to FREQ itseIf from
the web Of the spider than Is the bantSupt BY the
note shayers and money lenders. The struggle rs
often long and terrible enc, but in nine cases
out Of ten the debtorgoes under. sea
Wilmington is going rapidly to the position Of
man who is deeply involved. And IL heR course
is not arrested at the election in September it
will be found Impossible to save her from the
dreaded position in which many OF the American
cities find themselves. The newspapers tell us
daily Of the fact that cities have been pIundered
by contractors and sharpers. This is just the re.
suit that follows in the train of debt and bank
ruptcy ,f.Is ri,.l-s. o.5 .n IL. ia
When city cannot pay It's bills few ard ready
to work for itat the ruling cash rates; and the
most fair and competent mechanics avoid even
its contracts. Finally those who have tic man.
agement have to give the work To schemets who
are in league with the money shayers; The work
is commenced on an extraSagant scale, and when
thousands are involved, to sErun lawsuits, or the
loss Of what has been expended, IL is continued
though the cost is known to be double Oh trebble
what itWopId have been done for had the city
been able to pay when It commenced the job.
Any man who looks back upon the course Of New
York, Phiiadeiphia, Washington and several |
other cities, Will discover that they were once as
free from debt as Wilmington, and their affairs
wero managed as economically. They are now
involved Until their property holders aEu com
PEELED 20 exact double rents from tenants, and
thousands Of gentleman who are able to own
houses fly to the cOuHtEy to escape the terrible
taxes, which have arisen 70 the comparison Of
rents Of forIiet days. 81 q Ie goo
WihnmStOH sOiH occupy Mss position unless
her cOsyse Is changsa-it can oNlv Be changed by
Tie election ofaI Democratic mgjOyity to The CITY /
Council IN September.
In former years wBwuuld hsve had no hesita- |
ton in predicting and aalrmiDg that tie intel !
ligent voters Of our city would make this change
in September. Bat We are no longer under the
goyerpmeht Of voters Who are controlled BY ren-
ID, study and intelIagsht thought.' The destiny
OF the city Is in the hands of masg of irresponti
ble ignorant men, who vote for party as they are
told. Thsyscdanot tiIl not 50 that hey too
and their children afler them, win bo made to
sweat and ton for money to help pay Aedvy rents
a. a eo,sssqaeaes They DO not undstDtnd that
the saxes ineufEsd BY hsavy purchases and ex-
trayseant iobt, (sueh as The work now on Fourth |
strss., are got ont Of their labor. Although they
may b excluded by their own choice. br hslieacy,
from the enjoyment Of parks and pleasure RrOands,
or from having no carriages 10 rOll through them
and notwithstanding they'are taxed for ouch sx-
travaganee, they win vote jqat as they aEp bid by
the Radical leader, himself, perhaps Of their own
color and stranger in no uiss intsrestsd in our
city Wesa that when We arc told thai SIX or |
seven hnndEsd yOieEslo this character al|s to bs
brought % tho polIsia our city IN ssptehber, we
cannot pradios the result The aifaits Of the city
by this irresponsible mess may be taxed entirely
out Of the direction Of those mort intsEast5i and
placed under the controlof men who are received
on making money out ofthe existing ciIcumstea-
ces, which they help 70 bring about.
But few years ago, we were in debt ot,y $780,
00O Or 100000, now we are nearly Sl,OOOOOO in
debt The writer of tsls article BRs usAerly ses-
tonished few months ago when told the city wasI
100000 in debt, and could not believe we had
jumped from the smaller figures to the greater in
50 short time. Thas-dor debts steal iupon US
and this was the case with New York, PhiIadeI-
puia and Washington. Tho people of those cities
could not credit The statement Of theft dtBts when
q rst told Of them.