The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1877-02-09

county would hardly have incurred this
heavy debt and ito exofbitant interest
But having done so, In obedience to law,
they now feel that il is no more than just
that the legislature should provide some
way Of relief tor them.'
Ex-senator Eugene Garfield, of Kane
county holds the same views. The peo-
pie of Kane county are paying 10 per
cent. on $l92 900 railroad bonds, and SO
long as the present system is maintained
they are steadily drained of $4,000. and
that, too, without reducing the princi-
pal.
Ex-senator VIM. Retidick, of LaSalle
cordially approves the proposed amend
ment, as his county would obtain relief
thereby.
Ex-senator VIM. IL. Green, OF Cairo
has given the subject much thought and
earnestly advocates an amendment look.
ing toward funding municipal indebted
ness. He says: A constitutional amend
ment under which the intereat-bearing
debts of counties, townships and munich
palities could be funded by
the issuance and acceptance OF
state Londs, should be regarded as
the most important subject for leg
islatlon by the present general assembly.
The welfare of the state would be more
advanced by it iii the amendment should
be adopted) than by all the other acts
which will probably be passed. Illinois
state bonds bearing 81 per cent. would
be treated in the stock market as better
security for Investments than county or
township bonds bearing 10 per cent.
and subject to irregular payment of in
terest. and possible reputation. The
amendment suggested, however, does
not apply the full remedy. The state
ought to assume the debts Of the coun.
ties, and for similar though less cogent
reasons, the debts of townships and cit
les. The counties do not bear the same
relation to the states as do the original
thirteen states to the Union. They are
created by the state, and are merely con-
venient subdivisions OF the territory Of
the state for the purpose OF the local adj
ministration OF the laws. Their public
buildings are erected, their officers
elected and the expense of their
courts incurred to enforce state laws.
Their debts were created i'm pursuance of
state laws, and especially the railroad
debts OF the counties we're incurred upon
the faith OF o state law-the railroad
grab-law OF lsG9"-which was held UNI
constitutional. If the counties are op-
pressed by taxation, and population and
property thereby driven away, the state
suffers in diminished numbers and
wealth. II the taxation in the counties
is greater than the property can bear, the
value of the property is lessened, and the
state again suffers In decrease Of the az
grexate source Of her revenue and II re-
pudiation-county acknowledgements,
the state suffers in character. 1t is OBJ
jected that the assumption Of the county
debts would be unjust to the counties not
in debt. This objection would seem not
to bear Investigation. Probably without
a single exception the county and town.
| ship debts, and mainly the city debts,
arose from the cost OF public improve
ments, such as court houses, jails, rail-
road. water-works, etc. Every
| railroad i'm the state built
by the aid of county or municipal bonds
has added to the aggregate wealth and
general prosperity of the state, although
the given aid may have made bankrupt
the particular county or city and by the
added wealth the percentage of taxation
has been reduced, while many of such
railroads have aided in building up it.
chief city. There is another and a very
practical view Of this question. In many
Of the counties the burden of taxation is
more than they can bear-the property
will not retain value under the existing
taxation. On the other hand, the state
can relieve them and not feel the burden.
If Vanderbilt had induced the public to
give credit to his sons to the amount OF
five millions without imposing any legal
liability upon himself, and part of them
had become unable to paw their creditors,
he would have been morally bound to
pay their debts for them and he might
properly have taken the interest upon
the expected inheritance OF all his sons
to liquidate the debts Of his less
thrifty ones. The state induced the pub
lie to give credit to these counties. The
state is not legally bound to pay their
debts, but in so far as moral obligations
may rest upon governments the state of
Illinois is bound to provide tor their pay
ment, and the assumed burthen would
be so light 1t would hardly be appre-
cable. The amount stated by the Re-