The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-10-30

the other cities in the country, upon the
estimated increase of 40 per cent. since
1915, and the net municipal Indebtedness
of the country, after deductin@ resources,
is still S106,612, 100.
In an article which Ne printed Il few
weeks ago, we drew Il comparison between
the municipal Indebtedness of this coun-
try and that of Great Britain This
compari. on may now be extended still
| further. The average municipal indebt-
cdneSs of twenty English cities smaller
than London is about $40 per capita.
But the minor American cities with
about the same populations IL these twenty
English cities, owe about S92 per capita.
The contrast is presented in still another
form. I he report of the local govern
| ment board in Great britain shows that,
deductihg the British national debt.
there is Il total local Indebtedness OF
$3.50, GOO, 900, or about 81 per capita.
Take the same local Indebtedness iii this
! country, including everything EXCEPT the
national debt, and we have:
State dentS S.S29io,oll
County debts. lSiuUb,tho
Municipal debts........... 100 Ooo, 900
Total. ,331 ,970,517
This is a local indebtedness of about
$50 per capita for all the people in this
country, or about three times IS great as
the local indebtedness per capita IN Great
Britain. The strain in this country is
still more notable when we count the in
terest paid. The interest on the local i'll
debtedness probably averages Z percent,
| which would make il 500, 000,0 900 annu-
ally, while the interest on the British
local Indebtedness does not exceed SI5,-
haf 10 no int
ON our national Indebtedness is more
than $1,000, 900 less than Great Britain
pays on its national debt, the total in
terest we pay every year on all debts is
from S40,000,O00 to &50,000.000 more
than Grea: Britain pays on its total in
debtedness
The statement of local Indebtedness does
not fully set forth the full measure of
recklessness and extravaganza that char
acterize our municipal governments; for,
Notwithstanding the startling increase Of
local indehtedness, taxation has likewise
increased at frightful rate. A state
ment of fifteen cities, New York, Phila-
delphia, Boston, Brooklyn, St. Louis,
Chicago, Cincinnati, jersey City, Louis
vile, Newark, Cleveland, San Francisco,
Providence, Albany Milwaukee, shows
that the taxable valuation of property
has increased nearly 81 ,OOO, OOO,O 0O III the
last five years and the tax levy in those
cities, which was Sol ,000, 900 in 1S69-'7O,
was $97 100000 in 1919. 1t only re-
mains to be stated, that in not one IF
those cities was the debt reduced within
the time mentioned, SO that the increase
of taxation was devoted, aside from the
payment of interest on the bonded debt,
10 the payment of current expenses and
local improvements. In 1870, the whole
sum raised by state, county and munich
pal taxes WAS about $3.50, 900, 600, and the
most careful estimate now places the rev.
enue eXacted from the same sources at
1868 900, 900 annually. This is over and
above the increase of debt Deducting
the state taxes, the country and munich
pal governments raise S295, 000, 900 II
year, and have added $3.50, 100000 TO
their indebtedness within five years. Az
cording to this, our local government
really costs, i'll taxes and increased debt,
S3S0,000,0 900 annually, or more than the
entire annual revenue of Great Britain
for all purposes, which is 1876 ,000,0
We commend this exhibit to the earn
est consideration of our readers, as pre-
senting the most serious problem OF pop
ular government.