, 1877-02-05
MUNICIPAL DEBTS.
What Fifty Leading Illinois
Cities Owe To-day,
Compared with Their In.
debtedness In 1866.
Assessed Valuation, Taxation, and
Population in 1855 and
1876,
Debt Increasing Faster than
Wealth and Popu-
lation.
What the Cities Have to
Show for Their
Money.
Railroads, Water " Works, School Houses,
Gas-Works, Town.Halls, Etc.
Abundant Evidence that Debt
Has Reached Its Maxi
IltlHt.
uou the Present State Laws Regulate
aud Control Debt and.
Taxation.
Interesting Information for City
Fathers and Taxpayers.
Railroads, Water-W orks, School Houses,
Gas-Works, Town Halls, Etc.
Abundant Evidence that Debt
Has Reached Its Maxi
1l1uts
uou the Present State Laws Regulate
aud Control Debt and.
Taxation.
Interesting Information for City
Gathers and Taxpayers.


~
70 He Editor af TAs tribune.
RocKFonp, H., Feb 3.-Thcrs are few moro
vitality Interesting topics to tho taxpayer Of I'LL"
nots than tho debt, tho asscsscd value Of prop
prty, tho taxes, and tho population OF the mn
nfcjpa, corporation In which be residcs. Tho
debt his property Is Indirectly responsible for;
the assessments must be paid with never.
failing regularity; the assessment shows the
proportion lle must pay; and the population
Indicates the chances OF the burden being
lirhtened by an increase Of taxpayers. There
arc many obstacles In the path Of one who
undertakes to present trustworthy statistics,
aud cspecttalty Ia this tho case Wien the GEurcs
relate 10 city, debt, valuation, and taxation.
Tho aim In this case has been rather 10 give
what Is given accurately t1an undertake to ar.
rive at conclusions from figures which in them
selves amount to nero guesswork. The
statistics presented in this article, with tho
exception Of rhoeo marked ~ estimated" cuu eo
implicitly relied upon, aud have I'll oycrY in
stance bssn ootalasa directly from tne nesoa
ports neither time nor expense has been spared.
Tho tal-kops records IN some cit!es have III not .
few instances 'usde 1t tmposelblo to ASCERTAIN
FcaFa ago: ID otncf cases tao necessary !Ae'e
could only be got At BY weeks o. hard "ork' ~
the following letter 1ronl taa mayor ot ff'hse'
ton' Mr. Chafles naloTtn1 sun!e!ent'y a1ls"n'
pntseG1sas. IT,. " M an x.1a, !: nt p,cen,n 1
has bcc,. tccciycd Wa hayo no assessments mni,
BY cur city or town: our tax ts levied on to- stass
e. snad 9.ohay y gScnm,c ~ iro 81 th1Ss ,ttks Or
jaihI Iat Idbor to give you tho Information you ask
Yours respectfully, UuAHhEs BALDWIN.
IN ouly ono ease TIC Information "as posi-
lively refused. Ottawa says TINT tfc PUBIC
Eootl demands that the debt, value, md taxa
tlon Of that city bo kept profound secret,
request VIC readily coEnp!y With.
9-iG LESSONS TAUGHT nr THESE FACTS.
The great Interest manifested by the people
for this class Of facts, aud the lessons Of eeono-
my In city affairs TINT tiny must unaSo1daoly
teach, alone pays foF tle labor necessary 10 pre-
pare an article upon such subject. In some
States Massachusetts, wc believe. u one) the
Inv requires III annsial statement Of the cntaEa
Indebtedness, tho valuation of both real and
personal property, tho amo'lns NJ money ra'seu
for taxation, and the amount expended, to b.
'uade and recorded AZ tho state Capitol sueh
statistics would be highly Valacu ny State Ike
our own, uud would bo tho means Of showing
TIC expenditures Tor various pu6llu pur"
poses throughout the state 1t
earnestly to be hoped that some steps
may soon 10 taken py our Lcglsla-
turc IN this direction, nn1 means provided to
gather information OF such great Importance TO
every taxpayer.
WHO Is HOLDEN ZOE cfTf pHaTt
In tho New Engla1ni States the individual cit
tzc1i OF city or town Is directly holdep Tor tue
lawfuliT-consracted debts Of the city, should tho
city fail to nay. In 1853 DnlLel Webster held