The Portland daily press., 1877-03-13

doubtful issue, thereby virtually annulling
the right of property, and vesting every citi-
zen earnings or accumulations in such ma
Jorlty rather than in himself
Listen TO the words of experience and wis
dom coming from an author whose work on
municipal corporations is standard authority.
"Io invest them, he says, with the powers of
individuals or private corporations, for OBJ
Jeets not pertaining to municipal rule. is to
pervert the institution from its legitimate ends.
and to require OF it duties it is not adapted
satisfactorily to execute. Some of the evil
effects of municipal rule have arisen from
legislation unwisely conferring upon munic-
ipalltles, at the suggestion, often, of interested
individuals or corporations, powers foreign
to the nature of these institutions, and not
necessary to enable them to discharge the
appropriate functions and duties of munich
pal administration. Among the most con-
spicuous instances of such legislation may
be mentioned the power to aid in build
ing of railways, to incur debts,-often
without limit, or any which is effectual, and
to issue negotiable securities. The result has
too often been, that debts are incurred so
large that they press with disastrous weight
on the municipality and its citizens. Extra
ordinary and extra municipal powers have
been too often uncautiously or unwisely
granted and the charters or constituent
acts carelessly worded or loosely construed
The remedy suggested by experience con-
sists, IN part, in constitutional provisions
prohibiting the granting of special charters,
and requiring all municipal corpora
tons to be organized under general laws.
The Legislature should also be prohibited
from allowing municipal corporations from
engaging in extra municipal projects, or to
assist private enterprises, or incur debts, or
levy taxes for such purposes. The powers
granted to such corporations, especially to
levy taxes, should be more carefully defined
and limited, and should embrace such objects
only as are necessary for the health, welfare,
safety, and convenience of the inhabitants.
The amount of indebtedness that may be in
CURED, even for municipal purposes, should
also be limited beyond the power to be
evaded," thus showing the wisdom of the
action already taken by our city in this
direction.
have made these remarks too extended,
perhaps, thinking that they might not be
wholly inapplicable to the present situation
of our city, and hoping that they may aid in
to the old policy,-of confning our expenses
strictly to purely municipal objects, and of
adopting for the future that good old-fash-
ioned practice of not running into debt, but
of paying as we go. If have succeeded,
gentlemen, in awakening in your breasts a
livelier appreciation of the benefcent uses
and influences of our municipalities, one of
which we are called to administer for a short
period, and the Importance of preserving and
guarding them with jealous care in all the
purity, integrity, and simplicity of their
earlier days. then shall have accomplished
my object.
FINANCES.
The late report of the Commission on the
Portland and Rochester and Portland and
Ogdensburg railroads, in which the city is
interested, has called public attention to its
finances, and set forth fully their condition.
1t will therefore be unnecessary for me to go
over the ground again. Suffice it to say, that
our city debt, not practically provided for, is,
in round numbers, $4,000,000, secured only
by whatever property it holds in these two
roads. Both having defaulted in the pay
ment of the interest on the amount of aid
granted them respectively the city, in addi-
ton to its other expenditures, must provide
for this interest, amounting to $l50,000 per
annum. How can this be dones Our valu-
alton already is high. and ought not to be in
creased, as Portland. with one seventeenth of
the population of the State, pays more than
one seventh part of the whole State tax, be-
sides $4,000 more school money than is re-
turned to it from the State. All are agreed
that our taxes cannot prudently be raised
above the high existing rate without exerting
disastrous influence upon the growth and
prosperity of the city. have already ex-
pressed my views on the subject of excessive
taxation. l cannot be insensible to the fact
that the burden of high taxes does not fall
upon the wealthy alone, but ultimately, in
lor +bo yhola Of
population in the form of higher rents, and
increased prices of food, and of every other
article they consume, and it bears with far
greater hardship upon those who pay their
share by denying themselves and families the
comforts and necessaries of life, than upon
those who pay them by simply diminishing
their net income, without encroaching upon
their means of living. Therefore an increase
of taxes is out of the question. The following
seem to be the only methods of solving the
problem.
In the first place, fortunately, during the
next fiscal year beginning April first,
about $4,000 will be saved in in
terest by the retirement of city bonds
which have matured and have been
paid within the last fifteen months, and this
sum will go, by so much, to reduce this $780,
900 railroad interest.
duction of the sinking fund, under the recent
change of the ordinance relating to that sub
ject, it is estimated that 100000 additional
may be saved.
Thirdly, by the efforts now in progress to
discover and to subject to taxation property
which has hitherto escaped; by enforcing
more thoroughly equality and uniformity in
valuation; by relinquishing the practice of
abating taxes on slight pretences, and making
no attachments except for manifest errors and
injustice; by economy in the amount and
price of supplies and materials purchased
by saving the odds and ends and stopping the
little leaks,-the unconsidered trifles,-that,
in the aggregate, make up large amount;
by these means, 1 hope that at least $4,000
more may be gained for the treasury.
And fourthly and lastly, the balance of
100000 can be met in no other way than by
retrenchment pure and simple in our annual
municipal expenditures.
Thus, believe, we can provide for the in
terest on these railroad loans without inereas-
ing the rate of taxation, and am fully salts
fed that the foregoing reduction of expenses
can be made without essential detriment to
the city's interests in any of its branches.
individuals, corporations, and municipalities
around US in all directions are curtailing
their expenditures in order to keep within
their income, and it is not only duty, but
necessity, in our existing financial situation,
to follow their example. Our municipal ex-
penses proper, including salaries, have been
continually and almost imperceptibly creep
ing upwards for the last ten years, to the ex-
tent, on an average, in the whole, as l esti-
mate, of between twenty and thirty per
cent since -7,-while prices have been 60
ing down and the purchasing power of
money has been constantly increasing.
The Commission in their report say "now
that additional burdens are thrown upon US,
we must curtail in every way possible. 1t
will not be too much to ask our next the
present. city government to examine the
cost of each department, to go over thor
oughly the list of appropriations in detail,
and ascertain what savings can be made, and
restrict expenditures in respect to many
things which, under more propitious fnan-
cial skies, might be properly incurred" As
mayor, l feel bound to carry out in practice
what advocated as Commissioner. And l
shall rely upon the hearty assistance and
active cooperation of the legislative branch
of the city government to do its part toward
the accomplishment of this most desirable
end Should we succeed in the endeavor,by our
united efforts, we shall have the satisfaction
&I .,,ct of