The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-20
The Odions Road Tax.


and has been, to our knowledge, since the
charter was adopted 20 years ago. Previous
to that it was days work or 81 day COM
mutation--and it is now pretended that a
poor man can be sent to Jail if he don't
pay this odious tax. The ordinance passed
July s, 1868, provided that the tax may be
recovered by said city from such persons
in the same manner as provided by an ordi-
nance of said city for the recovery of fines
and penalties, together with the costs of
suit" And the 9TH section Of AN Ordi-
nance for the recovery and appropriation
of fines and forfeitures and the enforce
ment of penalties reads as follows
| SEC :. Whenever any judgment may be ren
dered against any person or persons, for any sum of
money fine, forfeiture penalty for the
| breach, or non-spservance of any Of the ordinan-
ces of this city, and such person or persons shall
| refuse or be UNABLE TO PAY said Judgment, and
il such person orpersons shall have no property,
real or personal within this county, any debts
from VIII ch the same can be made, IL shall be law
! full for the magistrate by whom said judgment
was rendered and he is hereby required TO COM
| NIT SUCH PERSON OR PERSONS TO JAIL for
period Of many days as the number OF collars in
! said judgment; Provided, that the marshal may,
and when practicable shall compel such pers IN or
persons, so committed, to labor on the streets,
upon such other public works as may be in process
of construction, during the period for which such
person or persons may have been committed.
The ordinance levies an onerous tax
and then declares that aChen q man IS an
able to pay he shall be sent to jail. The
attempt to enforce such a penalty on a
poor man would result in the biggest kind
of riot. right here in Rock Island. 1t
would be an outrage so shocking to the
good sense of the public as to make it a
very hot town fer the people to live in who
attempted to incarcerate poor man in
Jail who was unable to spare the money to
pay this odious tax without depriving his
family OF the necessary comforts of life.
The only apparent relief for the poor
man is found in Sec 3,of the miscellaneous
provisions of the amended charter as fol-
lows:
Neither the mayor or city council shall remit any
fine or penalty imposed any person for violation
OF any law or ordinance of said cityor release from
imprisonment. unless two-thlrds OF all the alder
men authorized TO be elected shall vote for suCf
relase or remission.
After lying in Jail until some regular
meeting of the city council, if the case
should happen not to be postponed to the
next meeting, aud if I out of the 10 alder
men should graclously vote that the mer
j in jail and who were incarcerated because
they were unable to pay the ta1
! might be released, why, then they could
go home, if they had any home, OF if, il
the meantime. their family had not beer
sent to the poor house.
o no, the Union has told US nothiu,
5 new,-but it has insulted every poor maj
= By saying;
c The tax is no more hardship than any other tax
There is no man so poor but has his labor, and ca
O work his three days on the streets,
: It's his labor that he depends on to sup
t port himself and family. He canno
a leave his regular employment to work on
5 his tax, and he cannot afford to pay tn
!, communication,
e The property of the country is neye
$ taxed to its value, and great deal of
e is never taxed at all. Special and elias
. legislation in the interests of capitt
enables men Of property to escape the
lust share of taxation, But the poor mar
e who has no property, Is required to pay {
II go to jail. High tariffs, increasing til
+ price of everything poor man needs i
a his family; school rules which burde
u. him with unnecessary expense for III
10 necessary books; business depressions
rs consequence Of legislating for capt.
1g aud against the interests Of labor; an
ly breaking down the business and the il
dustry of the country, all these depriy
: him Of employment or SO reduce his wage
W that he can scarcely keep the wolf fror
a his door. If he is sick, then there is I
10 resort but the poor house, If bis tami
,, are sick, or funeral occurs, be gets
N debt and deprives himself and family
III some Of the very necessities of life in ord
OF to keep from the poor house Go and loo
a at Supr Aster's books to-day and see no
" many people are suffering and are beiu
T. helped and then think of the larger nun
a Der that are suffering lut contrjvc son
r. way to keep from being a public charge
r and then say what you think about tn
ct odiOus tax. ana about incarcerating a ma
re in Jail who is unable to pay it.
The Union says:
- If the poor man were relieved of this he won
be entirely freed from any share of the public du'
And therefore the Union wants to ser
him to Jail if he don't pay it. The Unic
forgets that these men are liable to
1T called on for every public duty" in Ii
~ ~ that the rich man is liable for Will IL
IS. Union please name some public duty
or that the rich man is legally liable for tn
OF the poor man is not. Let the men wi
- are able and have the property pay Il
taxes, we say. Aud let this odious roi
tax be abolished.
officers of the State Lodge, A. O. q. Y
- The state lodge of the A. o. L. w. co
IS Guided its annual session at Peoria Ia
ne evening. after a three days meeting viii
ny was highly satisfactory to friends of t
IN order Yesterday forenoon tie officers {
ID, the ensuing year were elected, and t
list furnished US by DIR. Geo. W. Lawrent
= who was delegate, and who arrived hor
last evening, viz:
NO GMW-E G Palmer Rock Falls.
- q I'm Piggott, Quincy,
Is OSersecr-W Mccormick, Beardstown.
G. Guide--( Geo IL Wells. N nth Strpator