, 1877-10-28

Lul4 VI LILO oillI1a1 EOlAOAA{ttAOAA LII AoaO ~
~ the control of city affairs. 1t is an outcon
~ which should be combatcd by all good cit
- zcns, whether Of American or foreign extra
= ton, as menacing tho common welfare Of til
:. community.
= THE DEFICIT IN THE COUNTY FINANCE!
The people of Chicago have not, VIC feal
given that attention to the proceedings G
tile County Government which their interest
demand. In 1873 the Peoples party electe
a Mayor AID Common Council which in tw'
years and half reduced the City Govern
ment to condition of bankruptcy. Their
was a floating debt exceeding three mil1ion
Of dollars, an authorized expenditure largel,
exceeding the revenue, credit gone, end tht
city's paper under protest. Public interest
was aroused, public indignation expressed
and the people, sinking all ordinary differ:
ences. united in putting both Mayor and
Common Council out of office, and placing
public Offices in the hands of other and more
competent and trustworthy men.
i like condition Of affairs prevails in the
County Government. The county has now
two floating debts. Tho first of these con-
sists Of expenditures made to an amount e1-
| ceeding $3.50. 900, for which there is no pro-
| vision. except such money rs may bo col
lectsd from back or unpaid taxes, extending
several years, even rs far as 1872. The sec
| ond debt is Of tho present time. The first
| item Of this is for money paid out in excess
| of appropriations this amounts to about, if
| not moro than, S450, 600. The appropria-
tions for all the county purposes were pur-
] uoscly made too low, in order to include one
Tor the Courthouse. Having reduced the
! appropriations, :ho Commissioners have re-
fused to reduce the expenditures, but have
largely increased them, and especially By tile
creation of new Offices and q liberal increase
Of salaries. The result has been q deficiency.
which by December will amount to half a
million Of dollars. In addition to this debt
of $s00,000, it is understood the county is
largely in arrcar to the contractors on the
Courthouse, to the extent, probably, of
$500, ,o0c, showing an aggregate of one million
Of dollars, which cen only be carried by
temporary lonns and SO weak hns become
the county credit TINT these loans cannot be
obtained Of s per cent, while the city can
borrow all it wants at 6 per cent. The men
who have brought the county to this condi-
ton Of financial distress wero elected in 1874
and 1875, by the same gangs who elected the
Mayor aad Council in 1878 !; and since tho
outraged people rescued the City Government
tho gang has giEen especial attention to
piundering tho county. The county debt
has now reached that point that it requires
all the revenue that can be lnwfullv collected
(75 cents on the 800 of assessed taxable ya}-
uation) to meet the current expenses OF The
county when honestly and economically
managed. There certainly can be little or
nothing spared for the Courthouse. Those
members Of the present Board whose terms
expire this fall lavo been repudiotcd by nil
parties, aud the Board will know them No
more forever. Bat the ssBoss tho man
who sits in tho County Clerks Office, and
who manages the politics and directs the Leo.
lslatlon of the county--is still in Office: and
is candidate for reelection. IF tbe Do,,o-
cratic Commissioners (who VIC believe ars
respectable and honest men) should be
elected with L1En they will Of necessity be
ruled by their party chief, and Lu:D, if re-
elected, will justly claim and exercise ab-
5oluto control. What his control means NAV
be seen By the pay-rolls of his office. pub.
ished elsewhere. The number OF his SUBJ
ordnates, names giVer, was 22G, and the
payroll in September aggregated $11,C3o, or
1t the rate ct $13o,CCe year, wien three
years ago he offered to run the whole Office.
rec OF an expense to the county, for $45, 1000
year, he then aVowiug he could make .
$4,000 year profit at that rate. The er-
raordinary expenses Of tho Clerks of;;ca
I'LL account largely for the deficiency in the
ounty revenue. Twenty years ago the pub =
'c protested against the magnitude of that
1nce; but the expenditure Of $40. 600 q
eer Tor salaries alone exceeds even tho
''ldest notions Of waste and ex- :,
raFosance Tho service performed bv =
Is clerks may be guessed at when =
Is hno"n they composed laree :,
ortlon OF the Working1nen's and the Dem :,
cratic Conventions, Whenever he wants n d
u1nmer for politics he puts him or the NV O. 9,
oA' and has him paid 81 d. az out of :,
10 county Treasury. We shall not be sur ::
rlsed If the payroll of the County Clerks - -
mce Tor October reach $15,ooo,-the extra u
ZEN being employed to work for L1Eu's e1ec- u
on oi
The county finances, however, require at- -. ~
ntion- The county will be, On the 1st Of -. ~
eeember, perhaps sl,o0o,ooo in arreor. r
I'd how is it to be extricated from the diff
lt1es? There is q question submitted to Ct
?pular vote directing the issue and sale ne
S5oo,ooo of bonds On account Of building fu
9 Courthouse. Shall this power be nj.
anted? The credit Of the county is ri
bausted. a large Aoating debt exists. ! tb,
d must be paid. Not cent can ba int
ared from the ordinary revenue to an
applied to the Courthouse, and that SIN
rk must stop, unless these bonds be voted CO,
is grave question to stop the building at u.s.