Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-12-25
Ex-senator Waddeil Oh the City
Taxes.

Editor OF the VindicatOr:
find from your report of the proceedings
Of the last meeting Of our city Council,
that Lay name was mentioned in connection
with the proposed change in the city char
ter, limiting the debt and rate Of taxation.
The remarks of member Of the Council
place me in rather an unpleasant position
before the public, and | beg leave to make
Il few explanations through your paper.
Mr.. Evans is reported us saying: Nine
tenths of the men who signed the pc
tition had voted to place $loO,OO0 OF rail
road debt on the city, and We're now seek
ing to prohibit the payment of the interest
Oh the very debt they had helped to incur
If my friend Mr.. Evans said this, he spoke
without consideration or knowledge of the
facts. There is at least one important
mistake in the statement. What course
nine tenths OF those who signed the petit
ton, pursued in regard to the $50, 900 rail
road subscription, L d. not know, nor is it
q mater of present consequence AS |
was named at tine Council board, feel at
liberty to say that my opinion on the sub
ject OF subscriptions by counties and cities
to railroads has long been on record. In
the Convention which framed the present
, State Constitution, proposed a clause to
regulate and restrain such subscriptions
and that failing to pass, voted to prohibit
them entirely. We are now experiencing
| the results Of the wild mania about rail
roads. But, emphltically, none Of those
who signed the petition are seeking to pro
hibit the payment of interest On any part
of the city debt. | may refer to my record
as MEMBER of the Legislature to vindi-
cate lne from any imputation OF suspicion
| pf tho kind | unifnrp,lv l1unrntnl to
| ton to any amount necessary to 1neet the
| just liabilities of the State; and as a citi-
Gen. desire taxes to be imposed to amy
extent necessary to preserve the credit
not only Of the town in which | live, but
OF the whole Commonwealth. But pay.
ing debts already incurred is one thing
and injudiciOuSly mourning others is an.
other thing.
Mr.. Evans is reported us saying also
S'The one per cent. tux would OILY realize
$50, 900, which was just $1,000 less than the
interest and sinking fund would require if
| the Is per cent. limit were reached" In
regard to the limit both Of debt and tax
alton, our representatives in the Legisla-
ture were particularly advised when the
petition was sent to them, that the signers
did not seek to restrict them to the figures
mentioned. They We're asked to consider
the subject and proceed according to thell
best judgment. The main object was to
obtain a proper limit. ton to the amount
of debt which the city Coun il may c'n-
tract. need not say anything about the
Importance of this under existing circum-
stances public officers, councilmen in
| cluded, being elected by the people "with-
out distinction of race, color. OF previous
favor Of it. I am not sure, however, that
the one per cent. tax suggested is not d
sufficient and liberal allowance. Mr.. Evans
says it would raise $4,000. Let us see:
Value of real estate in Staunton as taxed 9l5,2 6
Value OF personal property 66l,3l'
Total s2,576,57
| Tax thereon q / per cent, s25,765.7
So we have from this source IS, 765.79 more
than Mr.. Evans estimate. Then there art
the revenues from other subjects of taxa
ton, which, i'll 1874, were as follows:
Tax 1;irs, on Incomes a;:o iiosN
Capitatontax, 5000
Add per cent tax on property, 2576579
Total amount income, al 1861
1t strikes me that it will be possible fol
our city to provide for Il debt even amount
ing to Is per cent on the value OF our rea
estate (about 100000 and get along other
wise very comfortably upon an Income OF
$41, 1861 u year. The whole amount o
revenue raised in Staunton by taxation
for town purposes, in 1860, was S., 1864
including the dog tax, which is omitted
above.
Imay say further that the Senator an(
Delegates from this county in tile Legis
lature were Informed also that the petition
ers intended no reflection upon the pres
ent city Council, but were instigated il
the movement by the apprehension hat al
| Irresponsible and reckless Board of Conn.
cilmen, elected hereafter in the name
limited at, might impose an eXtravagan
and intolerable burden upon the commu
nifty. Respectfully,
Jos. A. WADDELL,
Stanton, December 10, 1874.