The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-12-08

| Uhe, taxpayers numbeFy some nfe OK SiS
| thousand, and OF these one.fourtha at. least
pay nothing but the poit-tax, go that the bur.
deus OF this city are borne By forty FIVE hun.
dred people. Oh tns -H34 .'@95ailG .,fr 80
| Already these citizens contribute q million
Of dollars per annuln, and With the. present
ordinary and indispensable expenses it re-
quires the utmost economy 10 keep our out.
lay within these bounds. Ii the Council Is
| resolved to launch out now into new aud ex'
| traordinary expenditure, let It be done with
| the fun knowledge that this can only be by
| raising the rate Of taxstion. Those who pro.
pose new drafts on the public treasury must
understand that they are voting to add new
| taxes on the people. They are deliberately
| proposing, at o moment when every indus
try is para1y zed, when our streets are fi!fed
with IDLE men, when rents are declining,
when all business is dull, when the cry oil
| "hnrd times .! reaches US from every quar
| ter, to extorty thousands OF dollars from the
strained taxpayers, Of the city for1purposes
| which cannot be regarded as Indispensable
| The rate Of taxation may be raised; If the
| Councils is resolved on launching out into
! new schemes it MUST, be raised but the
| committee respectfully protests that the re
sponsihility for loading the people, with
| these new burdens must, fall On those who
| in these days Of financial distress, propose
these schemes. .r...tt3
From our debt there is no escape; States
msy laugh at their creditors, but cities can.
| not. The law arms the municipal bond
holder with ample authority to- enforce his
just demands, land no lbondholders are more
secure than ours; for the reason that the
entire assets Of the city, estimsted at 3d. 060,!
| 600, besides forty million dollars of property,
| stand pledged for their debt; and the Coun.
ell, If It should so far forget its duty as to
| fail to provide for them, would soon ind 1t.
self constrained by mandate it could" not
evade or resist tooIul6l It's obligations II
isithe very certainty that all our debts must
| be met, and in large degree must be met as
| they arise, that should keep constantly be-
| fore us the necessity Of economy. con-
| clnde by again reminding the Council that
I the Question is not " hetber this or that pro-
tjeet is desirable, but whether the Council
will order the Finance Committee TO- raise
the rate of taxation for 1915. ...,,.,ts -.
! 1. RESOLVED By he Common Council, That
the following petitions be and the same are
| hereby rejected-to-wit: Of 7. F.. Hum
| phreys, administrator of T. B. Humphreys,
| for reduction of assessment and tax on pro-
! perty No. go Broad street; of George G.
| TanderSice, for reduction of assessment and
tax on property on west Main street between
! Laurel and Cherry streets; and OLA. w.
Wilcox and p. Keenan,, proprietors of the
! State Journal, for reduction of assessment
| thereon. ..,,t. -...a
| 2. Resolced (tbe Board of Aldermen con-
curring), That relief be granted the follow
| ing petitioners in The matters stated, respec-
tiyey-to wit p: To James yGovan's heirs re'
lease from payment Of S5S.S7, penalty on
delinquent taxes Of 1870, 1872, 1878. and
| 1874, on property on Rockets and Lester
streets for many years subject OF litigation
| to David Giltinan, of Philadelphia, release
| from payment of 5000, penalty On delin.
uuent taxes for the years 1867 to. 1873, inelu-
I size. on certain property in Rockets, his
| agents here having failed to pay the said taxes
| though furnished with funds to do so BY said
| Gilman to John Ahern, substituted trustee
for Harriet 3. Clarke and children, release
from payment of 5000, penalty on delin-
| auent taxes for the years 1867 to 1874, inciu-
siYe, on property. on jackson street; to
| Themes T. Giles remission Of S24 from the
amount Of tax.bill Of 1874 on four acres OF
| land in the parcel known as Chimborazo
and to William II. Perot, trustee ofihe Old
| Dominion Steam Sugar Refinery, areduction
| Of assessment for the ensuing year 1879 oil
$4,000 on the machinery on Seventeenth
street, and of $4,000 on the machinery on
Dock street. !. 1850
| 8. RESOLVED Ohe Board of Aldermen con.
| curriug), That William Gardener, an invalid
| ex.polceman, be, and he is hereby, allowed
the sum of thirty dollars per month for. No.
ye,nber and December, 1874, to be paid out
of the appropriation to pensioners. ~
Upon the question of rejecting the resolu'
ton OF the Board OF Aldermen appropria
ting $4,000 for the purchase of thirty-fve
acres of land on Church Hill for park a
discussion arose. -,.' -
Messrs. Talbot and Curtis hoped that the
resolution of the Board would be adopted
and the Finance Committees report reject
ed. ''
Messrs. Straus, Christian, and jenkins
spoke in favor Of the rejection of the appro.
priation. ~ :: 4 -, =; l.4 i5@
MI. jenkins didn't think that all the land
spoken Of about Chimborazo was worth
5000. .-<t6'. q ~:It'5. '-3.,&
MIR. Davis cf Marshall Ward said he was
not tickling man, 80 far as Enen were con-
| cerned, but If Mr.. Strauss was not present be
|;would saw good deal about his excellent
! financiering. He would say, however, that
from Mir. Strauss report one would suppose
that the CITY is so poor that she is, not able
| to- buy this land. He knew that he was 8
| good insncier-the best south Of New ! ork'
| He hoped, as an act Of justice so. the East
/ End, that the appropriation would be made
| asit came from the Board. :
Mir. Talbot moved to lay the finance re
port on / he table. Agreed to.it1 III
The vote was about to he taken on the
resolution for appropriating $50, 900 in bonds
/ of the city for the park as it came from the
| Board of Aldermen, when the Chair ruled
that two-thrds vote would be necessary TO
pass the resolution. j.. ,.s,.... III =. -. >.
Mr. Talbot commended that the rule ofthe
+ Council did not contemplate any such
lthipg: thai this was an original proposition,
and was not includediin the general rule.
Mr.. Davis of Marshall Ward appealed
from the decision Of the Chair.
| A lively and excited discussion arose.
Dir. Talbot thought that the ruling OF the
Chair wos ridiculous, out declared, when n OF,
attention, was called 10 the remark, that ne
| meant nothing diScourteous. $50 /.
| The decision of the Chair was not sus'
tained--ayes, II noes, II. ,.-:-...=--,...
The question was, then upon the resolution
] asit came from the Board, and Mr.. Talbot
| demanded the ayes and noes.
MIR. Manson made u very strong speech in
opposition to the appropriation. ose.!ri !
Mr.gTalbott favored the appropriations :. a.
Mr.. Johnson Mr.; Straus ,in, the chair)
| proposed 10 amend the resolution by adding
| Inc following, ITO come in after the word
| CITY in the original resolution: /" Or SO much
thereof as may be. necessary, toa be ascer-
l.taiped by appraiseme nt Or legal condemna-
ton. and the residue may be used Tor I'M
! proving the ground. =,
~ Dir. Oliver requested Ar. johnson TO Fith.