The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-15
REFORM THE GREAT ISSUE.
ITS NECESSITY IN THE NATION THE
STATE, AND CITY.

sent to the seventh District Municipal
Reform Association by Col. II. A. Conkling.
The first meeting of the Municipal Re-
form Association OF the Seventh Assembly Dis
trict was held last evening In the club rooms,
Fourth street. Mr.. william II. Wiley presided,
and MIR. F. H. Thurber was secretary. Col. +. A.
Conkling, who was expected to address the
meeting, sent the following letter:
NEW YORK. Sept. ~, 1875.
Gen. Li0Vd dspinrdH. pyesdenL &C.
DEAR SIN: Finding that an imperative
engagement Il likely to prevent me from attend
| ing the meeting of the Municinal Reform Assoc
| citation Of the Seventh Assembly District IT,
| morrow evening, and fearing that you may be
| unable at so short notice to engage another
| spcdker. beg leave to embodv, In the form of
| casion.
For the avowed purposes Of your association
| ! entertain the wnimest sympathy At this
! period Of almost unparalleled deuression IN
| business II Is OF tho last importance e. secure
| an honest aud economical administration " the
| pubic an irs OF our city and State. To that end
! propose To Dor in the fufurc, rs have done
~ the past With y hat YER influence and ability
! may osseSS. IL Is hardly too mucn to say
| that the issues Of our politics are rapidly mar
| rowing TO that point. Perceiying THIS fact, one
oI the gre " political parties, to the exclusion u
| every other Issue. invokcs the alliance Of all
! who desire TO cooperate In the great work ~
the restoration ~ pure and economi al govern
| ment, municipal. state. and federal In sus-
! tanning aud carving forward to complete sue
cess the measures Of administrative reform IN
| relation to the public works: la exposing aud
Furnishing fraud and driving out of puuhc lilo
| corrupt men to the end that the burdens Of
taxation may pc reduced and that correct prn-
! ciples ut government may be Incorporated In
| laws enacted bv honest legislator While /
| would indulge In no invidious reflections 70 re-
CARDS any other political organization, | avail
myself Of the opportunity t. affirm that the at
| utude thus assumed affords a significant and
| auspcious indication OF the direction Of popu-
| lar sentiment II is satisfactory to know that
| that they are determined t. effect "A radical
chanee IN the methods and policy Ivy which the
| public business has been administered.
| The memorial Of Tax Commissioner Andrews
| and his colleagues, Messrs Hunt and sherman,
| presented on the eth instant, to the state Board
! OF Equ liz uion at ALBANY, reminds Ms that this
CitN pays more than one-half the amount uf the
| state tax. While In the remainder Of the state,
hut Si,Il5.mj are assessed and collected, New
| York Is required 10 pay no less than Ss,02, 3s6-
an average Of $llW t. each nhabitant of the
| CITY, Leaving out of the account the county Of
| Kings, the most grievously taxed Of ali the
| counties, the ratio Of taxation of the remainder
OF the state averages only about 81 rer capita
Not only do we sustain more than One-half Of
the burdens Of the state Government, but we
! also pay still greater proportion OF the amount
| required for the support OF the public schools Of
| the state at large. Furthermore 1t appears that
! since 1883 the State tax has been paid on ft53,-
| 2pt17t al personal properly which the city
| has found itself unable To collect the tax.
When many years ago, the canals were in pro-
| aided the work bV surrendering to the State
tue revenues arising from the auction duties
! and they have never been restored TO us. Ger
| tMnly II ~ no more than Just that the state
should reimburse the city for taxes thus paid on
| assessments made In good faith.
| 1t Is. am aware, the fault Of our own Of
ncials that this city suffers from the unjust dis
| naritv In assessments to witch have referred.
| liy the creation Of an unconstitutional Board
| of Supervisors in 1856 the Ring was leglsated
into existence. The definition Of this body is
| very apdy gwen bN Coy. lilden, - Ihat II en-
circles enough influential men in the organzt-
ton Of each party to control the action OF both
party machines men VINO 10 puzzle push To
extremes the abstract ideas OF their respective
parties, while they secretly JOIN their bands in
schemes for personal power aud prOnt." Under
a governing power SO constituted the municipal
expenditures rapidly increased. Prior To that
time our entire tax levy had only IN single in
stance exceeded the sam Of S6.OO).OOJ, while
our funded deht amounted to less than Sl1.-
5pu.OCl the greater portion ofwhtch represented
the cost Of Introducing the Croton water into
the city From this time forth the indebted
ness increased rapidly that IL was thought
advisable to hoodwlnk the public. The plan of
augmenting the valuation OF property was ac
nominal percentage OF taxation. Our annual
tax levy Is double what It wis ten years ago,
and six times greater than II was twenty wears
ago, while the aggregate valuation OF taxable
| property hns been DOUBLED since the year ls'i5.
in ,trhfe ,S snnr dis, We r,ns,
O. which we are subjected In state tax alton,
our own faithless officials and not the State au-
thonties having laid the burden upon our
backs. Under these circumstances. the duty
resentatiyes at ALBANY. the eauaiil1tion of A.
sessnenis and the refunding Of our Oyer-pay-
ments into he State treasury.
| lnhappuy this disproportion In the State tax
atom mas not been our only or indeed our
chief ground OF complaint, The foima.
into every dep irtment Of the public service service
recklessness ana prodigtity eliminating in
crime. Inc chief feature Of this system was
such division Of responsibility between the
political paroles and between the several
branches of the city Government as pfacti-
caly amounted TO Its annihiation. This was
the evident design Of the con~prators who
place az member OF the Legislature. By Il
the people are virtually DISTINGUISHED and
deprived OF the power 20 control or regulate
public expenditure The logical and in
eytable sequence Of this absence Of re-
sponsiDillty VAS wholesale robbery 10y Iaen In
power. The burdens which we now sustain
are to a greater extent due to the criminaity u
public officers than To any other cause. During
elapsed between the lat Of January ls,9 and the
ldtn Of September, ISL, the funded debt Of the
CITY was increased by the sum OF SOL 00OO0 IA
addition TO a floating debt Of $20UUOD0 max
ing an aggregate Of $sl0OO,O)O. For not one dol
lar OF this vast sum there Just lnsider-
alton rendered. More than twenty-five millions
were stolen outright. Although evidence as unc-
matlcaI problem has nxed the guilt upon The
sharers Ia this unparalleled plumber, not one of
them has been compelled Co. make restitution
to the amount OF "A single dollar.
Meanwhile our annual taxes have increased 10
thirty-fonr million dollars and the aggregate u
our municipal Indebtedness to Slil >Sti, is, with
every prospect of sti further increase from
year To year, until the entire substructure OF
our municipal government shall tie reformed.
The vital inquiry now comes home 60 us
whether these burdens can murh longer be sus-
tanned. The value Of our real estate is steadily
diminishing. rms result Il due not less To our
enormous debt and taxation than to the paralV-
Sis OF DurlnerS IN tnt aggregate the present
taxable valuation expresses very nearly the
market value OF our property. Our local indeht-
edness covers ones sixth Of our rell estate. Tn
der these circumstances how long will the capi-
tallst regard city property As a safe mode OF iu-
Ycstment2
1t should be borne IN mind that the burden Of
our taxation Is not confined u ourselves alone,
but affects the people Of the State and nation at
large. Whatever Is charged upon us, Is In turn
saddled upon all who do business with US.
Every one VINO enters the city and pays Tor a
nights lodging or purchases an apple, or a pint
OF peanuts, IS compelled to contribute AS we'll
As the merchant or manufacturer who deals IN
millions. The power to distribute thus widely
the burden alone enables US To carry II. 10 in
crease II will be suicidal. Commerce, overbur-
dened at one port, Will inevitably seek another
market. In this view II Is apparent that the
frauds and rObberles Of the Cana Ring have in
nicted an niLry upon us scarcely inferior 10 that
OF the lamuany plunderers. Their dcpredatiOns
have rendered II necessary To impose more
unerous tolls unon our inland commerce than
would Otherwise have Deen demanded. Hence
we find our trade with the great West gradually
drifting way through Canada and 10 Phil ide-
phil. Baltimore, and New Orleans. Hence, too,
the urgent demand which comes up from the
great body 81 our merchants for cheaper
transportation ana increased termln'l facil-
tiles. The Governor Of this state, when he
began the crusade against the Canal Niug,
which has extended MS fame AS the cham