The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-10-02

Of S525, g., 72S have sinking funds that
amount to S62,4iS,gj3. Deducting this
the net Indebtedness in these cities, and
those OF New York, Massachusetts and
Ohio not included in that list, Is S55l,-
6Si, $50. Add to this the debts OF other
cities in the country, upon the estimated
increase OF 70 per cent since 1870, and the
net municipal Indebtedness OF the COun.
try, after delucling resources, is still
SCOOP, i91.
In an article which We printed u few
weeks ago, we drew comparison be-
tween the municipal Indebtedness Of this
country and that Of Great Britain. This
comparison may now be extended still
further. The average municipal IN
debtedness Of twenty English cities small
er than London is about $50 per capita
But the minor American cities, with
about the same population rs these
twenty English cities, owe about Sg2 per
capita. The contrast is presented III an,
other form. The report OF the i"ocai
Government Board in Great Britain shows
that deducling the British national debt
there is y total local Indebtedness oil
S3G 900 900, or about Sll per capita
Take the same local Indebtedness in this
country, including everything except the
national debt, and we have:
state 81
County laV,up0.N
Municipal io'OV,"h
This is local indebtness OF about So
per capita for all the people in the coun'
try, or about three times as great Us The
local indebtness per capita in Greal
Britain. The strain in this country II
still more notable when We count the In
terest paid. The per cent, which would
make il S03,O00,OOO annually, while the
interest on the British local indebncs'
does not exceed Sl5,000,0OO year; 81
that, while the interest on our national
Indebtedness is more than $50, 100000 less
than Great Britain pays on its natiOna
debt, the total interest We pay every yeaI
on all debts is from Sl0,0O0,OOO to $50,
0O0,0 more than Great Britain pays Oh
its total indebtness.
ikThe statement Of local Indebtedness
does not set forth the full measure Of
recklessness and extravaganza that char
aclerize our municipal governments; fOr
notwithstanding the startling increase o.
local Indebtedness, taxation has likewise
increased at frightiul rate. A state
mcnt Of fifteen cities New York, Phila
delphia, Boston, Brooklyn, St. Louis
Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco, Prov
idencc, Albany and NIilwaukee) shows
that the taxable valuation Of propert!
has increased nearly 81 O0,OOO,OOO dur
ing the last five years, and the tax ley!
in those cities, which was SGl,OOOOOO IL
in lSG0-'7O, was $07 100000 in lS74-7j
1t only remains to be stated that in no
one Of those cities was the debt reduced
within the time mentioned 50 that the
increase Of taxation was devoted, asidl
from the payment OF interest on thu
bOnd'd debt, To the payment Of curren
expenses and local improvements. II
1870 the whole sum raised by State
county and municipal taxes was abou
S2SO,0OO,OOO, and the most careful est
mate now places the revenue eXaClet
from the same sources at S3j3,OOO,OOO an
nually. This is over aud above the in
crease Of debt. Deducting the State
taxes, the county and municipal govern
mcntl raise S205,OOO,OOO year, ant
have added SI3O,OOO,OOT'to their indebt
cdncss in five years. According to this
our local governments really cost il
taxes and increased debts $3SO,OOO,OO(
annually, or more than the entire annun
revenue Of Great Britain for all pur
poses, which il S37G,OOO,OOO.
We commend this exhibit to the earn
est consideration Of our readers rs pre-
senting the most serious problem Of pop
ular government.