The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-06-26

wishes and instructions of tho Board of
directors; but am not yet willing TO be-
licve that he would do anything in m
official capacity, at the command of any
corporation or nlnn, which he would not
have done in his own individual capacity,
and because he believed it to be right.
l will assume my share of .hc response
bliity' and shall never attempt to shirk
IT by throwing it off upon any one else.
Others shall do the same. / have no
fault to find with the uction of the bnnk.
for still believe TINT action was Just
AMI right; but l do find fault with the
effort HOW being made to throw the en-
tire responsibility for the increase of
the city debt upon Republican Coun-
Gil, which simply took up the lines
where Democratic Council laid them
down, and paid what it believed to be
honest debts, but some of which now
seem to have been little less than swim
dies
1t is true that the city debt has been
increased by large amount since 1870,
but it is as unfair MS it is unjust to
throw nil the blame for this increase
upon the Council which paid the debts
created by their predecessors. AS we'll
hold an executor of an estate TO an ac-
count for the payment of the debts
created by the deceased proprietor, rs to
hold one Council guilty Of increasing
the city debt by paying bills contracted
by its predecessors. All persons would
be glad to believe there was no partisan
ship in this movement, and might have
done SO, had there been any attempt to
hold the Councils prior to 1870 respon-
slble for the misDlanaoemcnt which cha
| racterizcd that period Could the com
mlttcc not discover something wrong in
fthc Issue of thousands of dollars more OF
! city currency than was allowed by law?
And was there no diversion of city funds
from 1866 to 1870?
an quite we'll aware that the rate of
taxation has been increased nearly double
what it was in 1870, but this was by no
option of the Councils, but was manda-
tory and could not be escaped. The
Legislature compelled the Council to
levy {" special tax to pay the interest upon
the city debt, and that special tax has
been relisiously applied to thnt very
purpose, as the books show. Not only
was oil the money realized from the spe-
cinl tax paid for the purposes for which
1t was levied, but hundreds of dollars in
addition, so that not dollar of special
interest was ever used for any other pur-
pose; but, on the contrary, more was
paid out each year than the levy pro-
duced, and where did it go? 1t went to
tho bOndholders, those who purchased
bonds for about half price, but always
clamored for interest upon the par value
of the bonds. Had the Council paid less
heed to the bondholders and expended
the money received from taxes for the
improvement of the city, the new CITY
Hall would long since have been com
| pletcd, the streets would be in much
better condition, the lnborers would not
| be without fhpl1. t,or l,,,t 4 4,
bondholdcrs would he several thousand
dollars poorer than they arc today, but
no more clamorous. These are facts
which the working men, the mechanics
anu men of small means, should ponder
upon. Nearly half the revenue from
taxes each year goes into the pockets of
the bondholdcrs, the wealthy classes,
those who hold city bonds, but pav no
taxes on them. These men never fail to
push the city to the very verge in order
to get their money. 1t matters not to
them how many poor workmen 60 with
ont their scanty earnings for months so
that the city pay them their interest
when due They care nothing for iM-
rrovcmcnts or anything else VIXEN it
comes to waiting beyond the allotted
time for their interest money
There has been waste, cXtravngancc,
mi5managcmcnt and other kindred evils
accompanying the administration of city
affairs, but it is by no means confined
to the i've years since 1870. We need Il
h''tt n and more economical city govern
lacnt than We have, or have had, but
submit that the proper way to secure i.
has not been suggested by the report Of
the Citizens Committee with the subsc-
4ncnt action Of the meeting ut Irwins
HALL
That this is a business transaction,
no one vii! deny, when it is conducted
en- business principles; but to abuse and
hold up to scorn the official who pays
the honest debts created by those who
went ahead of him, savorS very much of
political prosecution. l, is just this and
nothing less.
| am glad to find that discussion Of
TINS character can be carried on as this
has been in the public prints without re-
sort to abuse and villiticntion. 1 make
no doubt whatever that many men in