, 1875-04-04

and can exercise no uncontrolled power OF
authority.
| ST. LOUIS AND CHICAGO TAXES.
| St. Louis has new directory, which sup
plies basis fer new calculations as to popu-
lation and business increase which ere very
I gratifying to the st. Louis people. The new
directory contains 11s,S2o names, and ST.
Louis papers estimate its popuhtiona at 400, 600
| by multiplying the number of MINES by a
fraction over four persons for each name~ The
last Chicago directory, which YVES issued
| nearly year ago, contains 151, ,91s nEmes
| These were multiplied by 81, as the average
! number Of persons to each name, md gave
Chicago 531, ,713 souls, to whom &C, 600 more
were added for the Euburbs, making .
total Of ISL, 713. We have IN idea that both
directories considerably e,aggerata the facts.
An estimate Of three persons to every name
| would give St. Louis 541 $40 Q13,s20 na,nes),
and Chicago 455, 900, or about 25 per cent
more. We haven't much confidence in the
accuracy Of directories iur estimating popula-
tons, and we should not be much surprised
if St Louis had nearly as many people as
Chicago, though some, allowance in the mat
ter Of the United States Census should be
made in favor Of Chicago on account Of the
enormous influx Of people within year after
the fire of 1871 This difference may, per
haps, give Chicago a, majority of some thou
sands at the present time.
Admitting the population Of the two cities
to be about the sam'>, say 4e5. 900 to 450, ,000.
we must concede. 10 St. Louis decided ad-
vantage in the mailer OF taxation. Our com
parison is made Oh the basis of the Comp
troller's report recently printed in St. Louis
and the report u.ade by the Comptroller Of
Chicago one y'am ago. The first notable
difference is found III the .ta1-levy, which is
IS follows
Ta1abe value Of properly. so4 o10
CHICAGO.
Taxable F@ue Of properly 512 O72 R9b
EShtesn mills Thereon. sblT,913
Chicago therefore 1evies q tax Of 8 mills
mo7e then St. Louis, On property valued at
nearly twice ns much, to defrny the expenses
Of a people perhaps not any more numerous,
and certainly not more than 10 per cent more
numerous If the full meaning of this con-
tast Is appreciated, We think that it will
make some new converts in favor OF the pro-
posed reform charter, which limits the tax
levy to is mills Concerning the difference
between the valuation Of Chicago property
and that Of ST. Louis property, we will not
say TINT the former is not somewhat
more valuable than the latter; the
larger rents, and larger business, and
the numerous advantages of Chicago in loca-
ton, navigation, railroads, etc., give the
properly Of this city greater value; but it
cannot be twice as much, which is the pro-
portion of the valuation made for taxable pur-
poses. A part Of this excess must be attzib-
1ted. to the speculative practices Of 1and-own-
ers in Chicago, and the inflated prices Incl
DENT thereto; and part must be laid at the
dooc Of the enormous expenditures Of our
City Government and consequent necessity
for i high valuation for taxable purposes
We may. pursue the comparison with the
sarne general result, except as to municipal
Indebtedness; St Louis seems to owe little
more money than Chicago. The debts are as
fellows:
IT. LOUIE INDEBTEDNESS.
floas1nc dene.. COO
Total. 81, OF. COO
CH1CAGo 1xDEDTEDNIsa.
Fnnaea dspt. as a7s ooo
t3oatto8 oebt IT'S
Total. 7ss
The statement of Chicago's debt Is taken
from the last annual report Of the Comp
tro1ler. From this statement there may be
deducted the sum. Of S., 581 ,00o water-bonds,
which will be discharged eventually by the
income from the water-works, which was
$3.50, 144 in 1854. The floating debt is
largely Offset, too, by the taxes past due but
not paid Chicago is fortunately restrained
from increasing its debt; St. Louis probably
is not.
The current expenditures for Chicago are
likewise grossly in excess of those Of st. |
Louis. The appropriations Of last year IN |
Chicago for five departments were as fol- |
lows:
Public Wozta. ,1s05D6
b2t.682
poI;na n14S
63y,749
Totsl sS7:,4i6
Exeess tn ,A7,s2o
The ST. Louis Rtpu1lScan's abstract Of the |
Comphoners report does not give the de-
partnents in detail, but we assu1ne this |
aggregate to cover the five depa1tm We
have enumerated for Chicago, since we do |
not find their expenses charged under any
other caption in the report, # this assump-
4on H.