, 1875-07-04
TIE CHARTER OF 1872

The Mayor aud the Common Council, an,
the various counsel, official aud unofficial
insist that the charter Of 1872 is in full forca
and operation, and that, therefore, the Boart
of Fire and Police is no longer in existence
and is now practically legally superseded By
the ordinance creating the Office OF City Mar.
shal and Fire Marshal. If this theory that
the charter is now in force be correct, then
there are many other things that are changed,
altered, or abolished
!. The Common Council as nt present con-
stituted is legislated out of Office, and the
present ward boundaries abolished; the char
to SG, and the number of wards from 20
to Is.
2. Sec. Ill provides that the City Council
may assess and collect taxes for corporate
purposes BY ascertaining, On or before the
second Monday in August, the total amount
Of appropriations for all corporate purposes
md to be collected by ta1-levy, and, by "ordi-
nance, levy and assess such amount so ascer-
tanned upon the real and personal property
within the city subject to taxation, as the
same is assessed for State and county pur-
poses for the current year." A copy of such
ordinance shall be certified to the County
Clerk, who shall proceed as directed by the
General Revenue law OF the State. This sec
ton excludes all other mode Of collecting and
levying city taxes. If the charter Of 1872 be
adopted, it, in the language Of the Supreme
Court, excludes oil tax-levying or collecting
BY any other plan or under any other law.
8. This section legislntes the City Assessor
and Tax Commissioner out of office.
4. If the charter Of 1879 be in force, it |
abolishes the Board Of Public Works. It !
abolishes, also, the Board of Health and the
Board Of Education, and authorizes the Com
mon Council to create other offices in their
places. "
IF, therefore, the Police Board be abolished, |
let it go, but let us get rid also, and ut the
same time, Of al the other Boards, and let US
have the new Offices created and the new
officers appointed If the charter is in force
It all, let it be put in force generally, and not
y piecemeal. Let us get rid Of those sturdy
a1~eating departments, the Tax Commission
rship end the City Assessorship.
But the Common Council have refused to
bolish these various other Boards. It has re~
used to recognize SO much Of the charter as
equires the city tax to be collected under the
eneral law Of the State. 1t has voted the
alaries Of ali the officers whose offices hive
cen abolished by the new charter, and
lerefore, if the claim Of authority in the case
the Police Board be valid, is perpetuatinc
series Of Boards and Offices which the char !.
r has sponged ont Of existence
We have no objection to the legal abolition +
all the Boards, which in fact are incum-
:ances upon the ah taistration Of the City e
overnment But it IS important that they
disposed Of legally !; any other proceeding
IL but embarrass the City Government in G.
e end. Behind all this is the ret undeter- 9
lned question whether the charter has ever L
en- adopted That has yet to be decided >,
aicia1ly. The city might well afford to -
ut Until that point has been determined y;
aicially, particularly as no intarest is at ~
lie which will suffer by the few weaks' de- "