River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-02-19
That Charter.

'S"5Nh ava N""nS iDE OuA SVuiSS' W
still believe this place to be too small -
too Insignificant to assume a name so
pieteDtious We have only a respectable
village, at present, aud We are not in.
creasing SO rapidly as TO cause immedi.
ate alarm. The child that has not got
rid of its swaddling clothes is out of its
proper element in assuming those Of
maturer years, and its growth may be
retarded, its health impaired, its spine
injured by being laden with an improp-
er burden.
Much has been said by those who
favor city, about the inequalities of
the assessment Of the farming lands
and the village property. We have
looked this matter up very carefully,
and we must say that we fail to discov-
er any unjust discrimination as against
the village property. The same, and
even more, disparity EXITS between
different pieces Of property in the vii
lsge and in the country outside the vii.
lage. The comparisons drawn by gen.
tlemen the other evening, were far
fetched, and the picture was largely
over. drawn. In the statement that forty
homesteads in this town only carry an
equal to the Junction Mills
property, the speaker failed to mention
the fact that fourteen mules, ten wag-
ons, many harnesses, sleds and other
equipments, together with one thousand
to two thousand dollars worth of coop
erage, and ten thousand bushels of
wheat, were included to make up the
amount. On the other hand he failed
to mention the fact that these farmers
had personal property to the amount of
forty thousand to sixty thousand dol
lars which he did not include in max
ing up his estimates. Whether this
was by accident or design, it matters
not, since the facts are vastly different
when fairly presented, from what they
to be when presented in such
a garbled manner. In all this, then,
We see no reason why we should seek a
city charter to protect US from unjust
taxation.
Next comes this busbear about the
increased valuation of our village prop.
erty by the County Board. Did the
viliage property pay the entire tax on
hat forty thousand dollar increase ? BY
no means. II was spread pro rata over
he entire property of the town. But
how would il have been in the event of
our being a city Most certainly, in
hat event, our own, aud not the farm
ing property, would have borne the
burden. This, gentlemen, is too thin
too frail an argument 10 stand for a
1t is unsupported either BY
facts or figures.
But, oh, this grand idea about city
Improvements, such as sidewalks. shade
,rees, sewers, etc. And then this glo-
lious q privilege of having others do
Dur thinking for us-cur voting, even
but not of paying our taxes.
United we standardized we fall,
is an old maxim. and true one. Unit.
cd with the town as we now are, in our
opinion, We are in good condition to
work together for the good Of the whole,
aud we entirely fail to discover how the
city part Of the present town can
gain or save any thing by dissolution.
Cut us asunder. and the town outside
the corporation at once becomes our
enemy. so far as taxation is Concerned.
Having made so much complaint aud
that without any just cause, its citizens
will naturally remember US. And its
in the County Board will be
among the most formidable enemies we
shall have to encounter.
In short, view this matter in any light
YOU please, and there is nothing to be
gained by becoming a city, but much
very much, to be lost. Yet We claim to
be law abiding citizens, and we shall
submit gracefully aud quietly to the
wishes OF majority. Our fate cannot
be much worse than the rest and we
certainly hope to be able to make the
best Of it, whatever it may be. Hence