The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-08-22

Il Municipal Suffrage to be Restricted ,
Among the proposed amendments to the
Constitution Of this State now officially pro
mulgatcd and referred to the next Lcgisla
lure, is tho new article relating TO the or
ganization and government Of cities. The
most important part of this article is that
which provides for n Board of Finance In
every city government, which Ia to fix an
nually the amounts To bc raised by taxation,
and make the appropriations for which the
money Is TO be expended. In regard to the
proposed manner Of clocting this board, We
think that the trainers of the article have
made a serious mistake. 1t 10 mat
ter Of great consequence to tho city
Of New York to bo rid Of the annual
Interference of the Legislature In its
fiscal concerns; but as the election of the
proposed Boards OF Finance has been rcgu-
lated In the amendment upon a wrong prin-
ciplc, the whole plan should be defeated The
plan proposed is to restrict the suffrage, in
choosing the members Of these boards, to tax
payers and rcntpayers. This proceeds upon
the assumption that the classes who pay n
tax upon q certain amount OF property, or
who pay a certain amount Of rent for prem
ises actually occupied by them for pur-
poses Of residence or business, are alone
taxpayers, and are alone fit to be trust
ell In the choice of the public officers
who are to levy the taxes and appropriate
them to the expenses Of the city. The idea
IL that a municipal corporation in that part
Of its functions which relates to the contri-
button and expenditure Of money, ought TO
no iad IA i'm oh
nobody should have voice who does not
pay either a tax on property or rent.
Now. 1t Is not n sound principle to have
universal or general suffrage for the cleo
ton of one class OF public officers, and n re-
Btricted suffrage for the election Of another
class. But even If such a discrimination
could ever work well, II is apparent that
the trainers Of this amendment, in order to
pbviate a difficulty, have made provisions
that are not consistent. After they had
adopted the false principle that the tax-pay-
Ing class are the only proper constituents
Of the public officers who are to levy
the city taxes, they thought that this
discrimination would exclude from the
right OF suffrage numerous persons, who,
Hftneds NOT pa 80. ~ p ''f'e'e!'
or payers of taxes on the fixed amount of
property, ought To be allowed TO vote just
as much as the taxpayers. They there
fore extended the privilege Of voting for the
Boards Of Finance to persons paying GER
lain rent.
But how does the payment OF certain
rent bring the rentpayer within the same
principle 90 tho taxpayery The latter
Is admitted to the suffrage because the
taxes that are to be levied by the board
fall upon him, and are to be paid in part by
his money. The former, who pays no tax on
property, but merely pays rent to 4
landlord, is not In the same category
with the taxpayer II the money of the
tenant helps the landlord to pay the taxes
on the property, II must lie remembered
that the landlord, In voting for the Board of
Finance, has already hal his vote in the
choice, rs a taxpayer; and to give his ten
ant another vote must be done for differ
ent reason and on different principle
which are, that the tenant who can pay n
certain rent is personally qualified To judge
how his vote ought to b. cast. But a.
soon as you admit that the personal qualii
cation of Intelligence and good judgment
ought to be made the basis of suffrage, and
then adopt as the measure of that persona
qualification the payment Of certain
amount Of rent, you exclude many persons
who have just a. much Of that qualification
as those who are rentpaycrs.
o. account of this and other difficulties
We should have preferred n square issue
whether the people Of the State will now
coniine the choice of municipal Boards q
Finance TO the citizens who pay taxes or
property If there is to be any discrimina
pa''''u"r nu"'''ons w''ch certain Gus