The Southern reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1876-1890, 1877-08-18
VINO Pays the Bills ;

Doubtless when a mob destrny prop
prty it is under the impression that
rhey are wreaking vengeance on the
owners. When Of late railroad trains
rave been wrecked, depots burned and
engines destroyed, the authors Of tile
mischief have supposed that the rail-
roads were the sufferers; aud in the
same way many unthinking people
through the country have looked &C
the matter. But this ii tar fIam being
lhe case The rioters, 50 TO speak, are
nly making sale Of this property for
- roads. The public mast pay for IL.
law ~ this subject ia most Of the
w il@k "a very definite. For example,
II Maryland, where the late trouble
commenced, the law specifically pro
yides that "if in any incorporated
town or city Of this state any church,
chapel or convent, any dwelling house
or any house used or designated by
any person, or any body corporate as
place for the transaction Of business,
ur the deposit Of property, shall
b. injured or destroyed, or II any prop
erty therein shall be taken away, ia
jured or destroyed by any riotous OF
tumult0us assemhlage Of people, the
fun amount Of damage so done shall
he recoverable by the sufferer Or suf-
ierers by suit az law against the conn-
ty, town or city within whose jurisdic-
ton such riot or tnmglt occurred
The language Of the law Of New York
is
when any building or other real
or personal property shall be destroy
cd or injured in consequence Of any
mObOr riot, the city or county IN which
such property was situated shall BE-
liable 70 an action, by on in behalf Of
the party whose property was thus de-
stro .ed or injured, for the damages
sustained by reason thereof" The
provisions If the law ID Pennsylvania
are almost identical with these; ard 80
Of New Jersey aud other states in
which there has Of late been violence,
either actual or threatened.
And the Interpretation Of these laws,
when cases have come % the cnurts,
has been as stringent as the provisions
Of the statutes themselves. New York
city received q lesson in the Draft
riots Of 1853, which, il j. TO be hoped,
she will not soon forget. For every
dollars worth Of property which the
rioters destroyed or stole the citizens
have had 70 pay. And IL would be
well il the riOting classes would always
remember that they have 20 bear their
share ia this Repayment. Every loaf
of bread they eat, every pair Of shoes
they wear-every article they or their
families consume, is loaded with adj
ditional price 20 help pay the taxes
made necessary by the lots. Men
who turn 0pt la riots are 4 biting their
own nOsesfr The New York World
goes into little computation upon the
bin lately run up 10 Pittsburg, WHICH
ought to be suggestive reading % all.
Ii dnes seem as III our taxes were every
where high enough, aud Onr diiiiculties
If living great enough, without in
cieasing them at this rate, or BY the
great expense Of the tens ot thousands
III soldiers called out ID keep the peace,
which, however, are Ouly items IN the
money account Of this s0rrOwful busi
ness.
The World says Of the destruction Of
property at PiItsburg: :" IL is prob
ably a moderate estimate 10 put the
total ofthese losses az 81 500, 900. The
assessed valuation Of PIttsburg i Sl72
600, 600. and il contains population
OF 10000 persons, many of whom, OF
course, have been thrown ont Of em-
ployment or subjected to losses and in
convenience by these scandal0us
events. The city, therefore, will have
to submit to n levy on its valuation
roll Of 50 81 IN 800 Of taxable proper.
ty, or rather more than one-fOrtieth Of
tie whble amount This Is equivalent
to a tiue Of @32. Is laid upon every man.
woman and child IN the city 20 com
pensate the injured parties, or TO m
annual impost Of S225 per capita t.
meet the interest at per cent. o
bonds issued to clear the Indebtedness
N. n. Mercantile Journal.