, 1876-03-25

OF characteristic vulgarity In tho effort to
show that Tnn Tribune Inns been incousist-
ont in ita troatlnent Of tho city certiacntos.
We arc not hopeful TINT We shall DO able to
penetrate tho dull comprehension Of tho
Times man, with whom personalities pass for
arguments; but that othors may not DO mis-
led by his moro assertions, NO rcstato
our assertions in tho matter. Tns Tn1p-
uNE bus mover, rs tho Tines IeMls ifs
readers To boliovo, Joined In tho effort OF the
iattor to reputiiato the obligations Of tho city
and force the municipality into bankruptcy.
But, whom tho question arose Of renewing
the certitlcates that Ind boon issued under
tho old charter, VIC criticised tho retention Of
tho old form in which it was proposed to
render thom under tho now charter. Wo
pointed out tho palpable illegality Of issuing
certificates under tho warrant Of charter
which WIS repealed md nnllifcd by tho
adoption Of the charter Of 1879. But that
InE TRIBUNE never intended to question tho
validity OF these certificates, Il Issued in tho
manner and form permitted by the now char
tor, is best attostod by the fact that TIM
I'n1nuNH nt tho same time and in tho same
article indicated fornuln which should bo
adopted.
The inability Of the Times swashbucklor TO
distinguish between tho substance and tho
form in this instance is accompanied by
oq,1al obtnsoness concerning tho prohibition
Of m increase of indebtedness mndo by tho
Constitution aud tho charter Of 1879. Tho
language in both is materially tho samo.
Tho Constitution says that no municipal cor
poration "shall bo allowed to becon.d inac6t-
Ell" in e1coss Of t per cent On tho value Of its
taxablo property; md tho charter Of 1879
says tho city "Rhall not 6ecoms indebted" be-
yond this i per cont as ascortainod by tho
last assessment previous to tho sneurring Of
such Indebtedness" The language Of both In
dicatcs Enthusiastically TINT tho prohibition Is
to becoming Indebted and ineuryiRQ ind<5tt1z-
ra<ss III excess OF tho Per cent limitation.
The issue Of certificates ia not tho act of h.
coming INDEBTED Tho certificates themselves
aro merely tho embodiment Of debt already
incurred They aro not aud cannot be
illegal, unless they aro issued to represent
a debt which was never incurred We
do not understand that anybody sota up TINT
tho certificates in question wero go issued,
or that they arc forgorics, or that they repre-
sent debts for which thoro was no Appropria-
tion. Then tho certificates themselves aro in
no sense prohibited by tho Constitution, il
they arc isauod in proper form Of Inv. They
are aa lsgal AZ any other evidence OF tenn
porary debt, md they arc entiroly lawful and
constitutional in themselves it tho dobt for
which thcy arc Issued was lawfully incurred.
THE Tn1nuNE objected that tho old form OF
tho certificate was unlawful untlor tho new
chartar, but never that tho debt which tho
certificates represent is unlawful. II tho
1tMes makes tho point TINT tho temporary
debt itself il unlawful, then there is proper
issue; but it does not justify tho Times in q
deliberato Misrepresentation Of our position
We hold. and have always held, that the TOM
porary debt represented by tho certificates
WIS not rlnlawful!y incurred. This kind OF
temporary indebtedness is necessarily and
constantly incurred by the city. Il te1n-
porary debt il created every month to
policemen, frclnen, b1idgo-tonders, school,
toachcrs, and others in tho employ Of
tho city. Ia this debt unlawful because it il
incurred ut timo whom tho mouoy Is not
actually In tho City Treasury (without bor-
rowing) to pay tho monthly salaries2 These
aalarios aro In the nature OF bills payablo-a
doht-and the city has bills receivable, in the
Shape Of uncolleotcd taxes, to meet this debt,
Rut tho people to whom tho salaries aro duo
want their money, and their clains aro tam
porarily transferred to bankors who aro will.
ing to wait for the money until tho taxes Gun
10 collected Tho evidences Of this transfer
are called certificates Of indebtedness. There
i. nothing In constitutional law or co,n,nos-
ciM custolua to warrant tho donunciation Of
these evidences or certificates as unlawful, ii
they are issued in proper form aud represent
q dobt which has actually boen incurred. Tho
1Snaes rcally admits as much, and thorcby
contradicts. its previous utteranccs, by reiter-
aung The TniBuNE's statement that "tho
prohibition OF tho Constitution IL not to tho
firm of indebtedness"
The rcal question, thon, is whether, tho
temporary dobt wss lawfully or unlawfnl]y
Incurred. II the Times maintains that tho
city cannot lawfully become iadebttd telnpora-
siy, 80 aa to pay It's salaries until the ta1es
can be collected, then tho 1Ynks cannot
aSoId the logical conclusion OF such q ,,osi.
tlon. This conclusion, mud the inevitable re-
sal1 OF such ruling, IL that Chicago must
cioae np It's schools, abandon its bridges and
luollo works, discharge its policemen, dis.
paao tno faro department, and 1eavo the
lives and property OF nearly ha!f q million
people unprotected for whole year. 1y tho
1ttAty prepared to say that thia ,nnat ia