, 1876-07-07
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.

SnAEANVj Vs-lu AlAEGbAlDH lHG cases
which lave resulted in the nnal decision that
ovcstl,rows bill 800 and oil special option laws,
many counsel have bee,i engaged and have pre-
sciItcd many questions of practical application.
Among them wero those decided In The Otis
case ast year, and the case Ut tic City Of 0lncy,
published In TnE TRIBUNE ycs.urlay. None of
the counsel lad the personal reasons TO attack
tic law which Ind; md. 81 fur as cur lcar,,,
nole of them did attack It's validity. In 1871
Ind q number Of Conversations with {}by.
Palmer OIL the subject oi such laws, at,,l urged
hi'n 10 veto every law Of that character. Ny
opinions were clearly formed, n,l hcca,nc fully
eon,nittcd to sustain them. 70 tho nutllora of
nllI tHtt to tho mcn,era Of the Committees VI
tho Legislature, anl tn lllc unver,lnr rcpcatc,l-
y slttl, that the passaBc TT such laws would
compel me to ccnicAt them Us IL lawyer, aisl
hlig!lt bring disastcr which could easilync avert
cd by nil nttcnll,t' TN tho part OF chs statute
nlakers to obey tllc suttctne Inv.
hlurs than 'iftcon spec!nl laws have THUS been
passed agat,st iny carncst pcr.unul protest; !ani
N sumo eases tcrsnnal tispasager,,cnt To inc
h'ts been added tu tile assertion ol city ,nnlli3u
lat1ra that tlcy wu,itd tlo what tAuy plcnsc.i
and We could not help ourselves. Tl1cse things
caused inc !" force n,i the Court In oral usgt,-
lne'lt the question of the validity Of tho iaw.
| took in tho rccord; told tllc.i, that It c,ll-
Draee.l morc tl,an quarter of the taxes nf the
city; narratc! The increase of sncl cnntcsts,
hy the rs'ots W. would bring nll Chicago next
time. At tho argument tic O]ney ease wHs
mentioned BY unc u tho Judges, utIl another
sail Tint I. dit ,..'t apI''y to thls iuint.
ton, Ont Of the Judges remarked that they lad
spent considerable time constituting the pruvls-
Ions 9f tue rty tax uct; but nov they were
rallel on to lleciIe wlct!rr there .ras any law
ut nl'. flu sad substantially that thu q,,cstinr,
of the constitutionallty Of such laws WINS forced
upon tem III such II manner II, this case that
tltsy would have to decide IL forever.
The opinlon appcars to llavs becn Trained at
that, but does not follow the form Of my
printed brief filed In the eutse, and It appears
- refcr to the 0lncy case ailti uti,cr cases Of
t,as e!ass cited M 1r SPOKEN Of ut " ttc If The
.ylicthcr such lRXs arc local Or spccAl within
the 'ncanlni, of tile Constitution llas never bccn
dGcidt1 here"
, In IN TIL tl.is contest W. haye been In car'cst, and
tended to ublftcrate false SYSTEM of City
Huvcrnnlrnt, and II its overthrow causes hnrf-
SLIP, h1u Its existence Inns caused a wrong tu
many cil3zcl's, those who created aul supported
1t Art tile o,lcs 10 blame.
Thesc Is a''othrr wrong IN orr City Govern
ncnt tliat VIZ may bc compelled To takc up nll
attempt to refornl unless pllerile tritillg with
tho slbJee; md retulant childish cxrcdicnts
County Treasurer, in(uruis INT thnt of
tic tax levy u 1915 the city l. received about
Sl.7lM,oO+ THIS Is enough to pay all the cx-
teilses from obituary till May. Yet 1t Is said
that the sCiluul-tenelIgrs mlErci,lc, clerks u,i
employees or The city arc ut,iMi,l, il tjat Tic
regular daily expenses OF the cIty iinyc not been
u,iu will nut b. pai,I u,lt ol tt.r ,nuryr leysl,
collected, aud appropriated fur tint pi,r,n,sr W
the only power il.at can appropriate dollar, II
there Ii m uttc,lspt tu or,!yrzz!e tlIrsc funds,
UNI! le,ya thu city nptlfrrrc Ur its uccrs MI.
paid, anil seuucntly l,oI,cjess nu,l inefficient,
md use the o,cv to nay III unlawful DEBT, We
slal be compelled to .,sc tt,p rc.llccs tint ~
pear to be II, uur hands, .,i stop tie payment
Of that debt at lhp sune time lie ts,irnrd
power TO run us In debt is ,lcsiyoyei forever!
EDWARD Kony.
Eonp1No TIE POOR, ORPHANS, AND WIDOWS.
10 lAt Editor ar ne Triauus.
Cuc.oo. Jnlv O'-lSur I:.nrra.mt,,Iv. f,or.
tor II t1,s.,a,,a ,,a" ,,,,t H., ~, ,...s s
VI ~ n"stAo''' il''s puI h's ioo' 'hto p'etty
mudale. liz saw with Ills fnr-sccsng eye tllnt II
lie could rob the widows uf tlleF luwcr, tho