, 1877-05-05

religious interests of Rusaia, sho at tho snmo
timo sy,npathizcs with the political interests
Of Turkey.
AN opEN sCHEME uF REPUTATION.
The paasage by tho Legislature Of tho bill
| providing for tho collection Of tle unrnid
taxes Of 1879 and 1874 has excited auow the
wrnth of the Chicago 1'imet, which tc-
nonncca tho Inv aud the purpose Of tho Inv
"a something infamous. The facts arc few
and very PLAN, During certain years tho
city taxes wcro lcvicd Under special law Of
| tho Legislature. Threo-fourtl,s Of tha prop
orty.owuers OF tho city paid their ta1es;
the owncrs Of onc-fourth of Tie property
combined, employed counsel, and unitedly
resisted the payment OF the taxes. The
Courts decided that the lovy should havo
bcon matlo under tho general law and not
under tue special one. In the meantime
tho appropriations represented BY those un-
certificates Of indebtedness, aud Thus lad
floating debt payable ont Of tho nncolloctcd
rcyenue. Undcr thin dobt tho city staggered
for several years. Tho owners Of ouo-fourtl,
Of tho taxabto property OF lilo city
tll,a escaped taxation, aggregating during
lilo several ycars over two millions OF dollars.
Tho question ws: !. Shall this t1ebt be ro-
.,udtated2 2. 6hnll tho proporty-owncrs
who have alroa1y pail tlcir tax now IN nd
lition tax themselves to pay tho taxes on the
properly Of otIscrs? or, 9. Shali the tax 10
ro-levied and collected from tho property
which owes It?
From tho first to the present timo the
Chicago Times has insisted that tho tlobt DO
rcputliated, TINT It DO declared void, aud
tint no ta1 Of my kind DO lowed to pay 1t.
II Inns denounced MI tho attempts to secure
legislation for tia collection Of these back
taxes; 1t las urged that every possible
means DO taken to dsfoas tho execution of
tho Inv, and has nppenlcd To tie lowest nnd
basost instincts aud motives. TO do what
To compel the city to ropudiate the debta
1t incurred In good faith, and under the full
assurance (aa did nl1 other citiea In tho 8tato)
that tho Inv On tho statute-book was sufa-
cont to warrant tho proceedings.
Hero Ia case Of one.fourth Of the proper.
ty Of tho city avoiding taxcs, wllilo tho taxes
havo been paid by tho other throe-tourths,
mud every effort to mnko the do1lnquont pay
tl,sir aharo is met by q domand TINT tho dabt
10 ropudiated. For several years that meas
,,ro las been peraistontly urged by the Chi
cago 7tmts, to tue disgraoa OF that paper
and II possible to tho injury OF tho city.
There ID not rodeemiug foaturo in tho Ills
tory Of this whole opposition to the collcc-
ton Of those ta1oa there Is not and move.
: was pretenso that tho appropriations made
by tic Council were not for legal purposes,
and fully within tho powor OF tho Council |
there is not protcnso that RIO expenditures
, authorized by tho appropriations were not
1nado, or that tho certificates wero not Is
not " protenso that tho city ha1 not tho logal
. authority to have tax levio0 upon oil TIT
property to pFoauco tic re'onua to Moot
, tho expenditures Ihere wero Two "c.s OF
D tla Bsatuto'oook Indicating couEao OF pro
} coeding by which tno ta1 conla 10 4o'ied'
J Tho city chooso ono o. Inoso laws Wnoa' lhe
Court sa1d'H oagns 70 Aave seleo1ed tho otnef'
at no stage OF tho pfoeeednsa "as ~ eso1
wh'spoEeu that tao LAX "as unlass' tnas t"a'
discr'mfnatoFy' or tnat IL WIS leS'ea ioF .. u
, illegal or improper purpose. 1no efoas Dull
i OF the people paia 1no tn& l'Ro honest mon
; TIC o1ncfs coho'nea 70 eaeape 'a1a'loa nut
, compal o1ners 70 pay tnoit taaoS' lucy maui
! upapnfso 70 nlfo men aeteas tho eoa'oet'on O
: tue sosonue. Iaeso peop!e naSo oe'"oet' wv
! anu thfee ml!lloaS OF aoHasa ot tae cry row
0 ehae ~hiea tneS se!oso TO pHy o'ef. aat
0 which thoy aemah" slall Do sopud'ated, ans
4 paper to the advocacy Of THIS ropudlation In t