, 1876-03-17

ALE NAA4A2Q AlHN ELEUAlUN6s
One of tho scrious nnnoyancos Incident to
tho adoption OF tho charter of 1872 for tho
local Government Of Chicago is tho occur
ronco within a fortnight Of each other Of tho
election of town officers and tho election OF
city officers. Tho oiTocs Of this circum-
stance this ycar, whom tho public attention
Is concentrated upon tho necessity Of seour-
ing reform element In tho Common Council
and among tho officers Of tho City Covern-
mont, is that tho importance Of tho town
elections Is too npt to bo ignored. Now, as
tho town elections occur first, and as thoy
involve not only tho useless expenditure of
aon1o 100000 Of the public money, but tho
bnsis upon which The taxes for State, county,
city, md town aro distributed, their import
Ia not second to TINT Of tho city clec-
ton; md, owing to tho peculiar npa-
these town elections, they are oven
moro likely to 60 by default than tho city
election. It must ndt be forgotten that tho
inequality Of ta1ation Of which tlcro hns
beon SO mitch just complaint for several
months is nil owing to failure on tho part
Of tho taxpayers 10 nominate and elect hon
est, competent men who would protect thoir
interests. Tho practice hns been to 1cavo
these elections In tho hands Of tho profcH-
sional br1mmors, and when thore have boon
two tickets in tho field thoro has been no
choice between thom, each being composed
Of incompetent and Enthusiastically men.
The Republicans nro this year for the frat
time giving tho town elections tho considcra-
tion which thoy dcsorve, and will put ticlots
in tho feld in the South, West, md North
Divisions. Thoro aro certain things, how
over, which tho Republican managers must
keep we'll in mind. First, 1t is not enough
to put ticket In tho field, but tho nepub-
lican voters must bo convinced Of tho I'M
portanco Of voting for that ticket. Al they
have not boon accustomed to vote Mt tho
town elections heretofore, it will be no easy
matter to get thom ont this year. Tho Ro-
publican town tickets will bo opposed by
hummer tickets, by which all those who havo
heretofore disputed among themsolyes tho
result Of these elections will now mako COM
mon causo against tho taxpayers and COM
bine to defeat tho tax.payers ticket, In tllo
no1t place, the tickets put forward by the
Republicans must bo good in every sense of
tho word that is, tho candidates must be at
onco competent and honest. Thcro aro two
things TO ba desired Of tho town officers, viz:
~ Tint they ahall be ablo 10 make fair,
just, and uniform assessmont aud thorough
collection Of tho taxea; md {2) that thoy
shal1 not vote themselves oxorbitant pay
for services TINT tho people might
we'll dispense with altogether. The actual
work Of the town officers is confined to tho
Assessor md Collector, md docs not extend
for these two officers beyond few woaks in
the year. It ought not 10 DO difficult, thoro-
fore, to find men Of charactor and capacity
willing to undertake tho work at fair pay,
instead Of irresponsible md incompetent
bu1nmers at oxorbitant ratcs. II tho Kopub-
lcans can do this. md bring the tax-paycrs
to realization of tho importance Of the cleo
ton, the evils Of IN unjust assessment which
have been endured this ycnr may bo avoided
next year, and, before tho succeeding year
brings about another town election, 1t il to
bo hoped that tho Legislature will relieve
this community Of the Town Board nuisance,
or tho people will havo voted themselves out
Of 1t in the mannor prescribed by tho law,