, 1879-08-13
The City Called On to Garry De.
linquent Special Assess"
ments,
Helping Ts1paytrs Vie Hatd Ind Tear In
Which 10 Hs1p Themselves.

II appeared, upon careful inquiry, that tho
special assessment ia qucatlon was for iuprov-
Ing North Wol1s street under Warrant No.
8,151, dated July 9, 1873, 1eried and H.
scsscd BY authority Of the City OF CHI
cago for paving the street IN front OF suu-
dry lots, from Granger street to Meuominee.
The assessment amounted to about S2,5G6, an
average Of trt1c over $40 each, among afty-
h7a propcrty-owuers. Among the dcre1ict OWL
good business, and in condition to pay up,
while tho poorest Of them hAvo had ample time
to liauldate their Indebtedness to the city. Tho
whole matter appcarA ridiculous upon the face
Of It, an1, unless the parties Who worked It
through The Council can explain, It must appear
in bad li1ht.
The c.ty, 10 the natural order Of things, ap-
piled for and obtained judgment in the County
Court, and upon this Judgment the County
Collector was to soil the property At the present
tax-safe.
THEN CANE T1B oWNERs or THE sA1D FnoF-
EHTr
With long petition, pleading hard-timca and
poverty. aod praying tho city to etvc them
thirty days in which to square up" promising
to dp 1t Vt the end Of TINT time. The petition
was% presented to some OF tho Aldermen
together With an explanation from the Special
Assessment clerk that thin WAS doubtless
the eaatcht way to get the taxes upon the prop
erty. hut there waa an obatac1e In the way.
Ths County Court had come 70 The end Of IL
summer session. nrd had adjourned until the
fail term; consequently the Judgment could not
b. staycd, a.,li thu proncrty must be sold. II
sold, It would pass Into The tias'ds OF the fax-
esle scaIper, aud he would charge the ownsss Is
per ccnt to redeem It; nnd 10 the order wns
drawn np, authorizing TIE cosnptFoller to buy
up the lots at The sale and protect ths owners
| uutt heY could paw tho assesstnent. The order
nassed the Council by
VOTE or II TO Il,
as follows: .......
l1m-ni.on. s.ndsrs, T4,nsr; MfAn1sy, Gal-
:1e tosss asysa as.
te;sr. Meicf Is, ,1iesaih}, Biffett, jon...1s.
;S assss Tssns s se2s s.exs sgs5z gvz.,s eisass Rass
| 7hompaon, Wnldo-1:.
sfnnv among the old eulploycs around the
ciss-llall whose duties for senrs hare been TO
attend TO the details Of similar matters 40
One questioned the legal right Of tho city TO
enter into the tax-buYtnE business. mud
thought that, ut 1eaht. It WAS setting dan-
gcrous precedent. Another vas not pos.tive
! that sueh q matter would roquiTc vote of
ninetean, ar a majority Of the entire Council,
without respect to bare business quorum.
| Speclal-AssessmontC Clort Jones, huvever, took
| different view OF the case. lio thought IL vas
| legal nlul right, md the best thing tie city
could do under the circumstances True, the
city could gHt its money, 10 mattcr tntn whost
1l,,sHis thu property passed.; but It would work
| a hardship u:oo the owners to eust them 70
the wall, while buying up the property could
do Tic municipality no Injury, nu' would in-
Ilnv!ng consulted the above parties and ob-
ta!uctl The facts, the reporter c'mbsd 10 the
| den Of
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ADAMS
whom he found busy upon knutty poinr ot
lay which tie Mayor or Somebody had submit
"lt Is perfectly legal" he exclaimed, after
hearing the statement Of The newspaper tluu,
"Why, Of co,1ssc the cttv hns q right to buy up
tax certificates; why mott" lic Thought that
ind ht thought It was wlse provision. lilo lla'l
loikcl this matter III nnce before, and he cog.
b,lcrrti tt1t 1t VIA NJ! right, aId no prssrdcnt
ut aIl; thAt It lad been frequently loue.
II It IA no precedent, II seems strangs That
tic old employees Of shs Comp, rollers Office alnl
,t.e otllus OF ths City Clerk should lavu torgot-
ten all about IT, anil slontd cxprc.s their doubts
rs to whether 1t ,vas all right. 1t a1so seems
sonlless corporation like the great Ciiy Of CHI
cago playing ti1e role ot q pahlahthropist, step
ping In u,1 shielding few iMpefunloua cttzeps
from all troubo ecrailso 1t happened to bo Ill
they wtrc cue.
THE RESULT WILL nE,
ns soon ~ this 1ction OF tic Council Ia general
Is known, thut all the other individuals who asu
rcpor.ed a. de!n9uonts II ths doteu ota ,F, paFes
| containing special assessment WARRANTS on which
Judgment was applied for will rush Into tho
Cuu1.rll With their petitions PRAYING that thu
city carry them also for few months, There
M w bs Ss 90 casv many to fof Hi 'e" poo 's on.. !.
br.cfng nearly two thirds Of the Aldermen.
AL tlIost III dividuals who arc year or more
behind in 'naysnS. tl1ei. assessments for street.
sosvco-plpcs, ETC., will, tho moment they aeu
whit l.as bcclI lona for the unfortunate Inhab-
liauss Of North Wells street. baswecn Merotnf'
nee mud uranccr, claim t!lnt they, too, arc en-
of Chicago slla'l kindly advance to them the
money Which It u their busnuss to pay TO the
city. 1t hus uften bcen tho custom to for
@ @, s.p sa 's p.y to Ill liz sy sy s4 ass ~
whit hs owed It, with tie penalty to which Il
va. entEtletl. But hero y propobtt1on tint illo
c!ty, which has to pnY tts employees In scrip,
over to thu County Collector. who viii in turn
.y buck to the city tor um benefit Of eortail,
special nssrssnlent fund, d,-that Is for the oeucht
of .ha contractors who are goins to DO certa!l,
work. 1t y apsropoaition 70 tase money bslony;;
luz to tl4e. General Fund, which should
bu usess for :. iI's payment ot sehoo
teachuts alid pottcountl, alld tlreInen, n.nl pay
II t,yer LO tl.a Special AsaVssI,ul.t tuul for llc
buneiit ul4umu iud!yt4uu|a who are too azy to pa,
their own tnxcs, 1a for tho benu!it Ut some coti
tractors VIM arc ilaktnp sssoet improvements
When the C0rpor4tton.C Counsel Sotl'cs 10 thinf
| tltH luAAkGE QftE II - A0AUktu& WNGtAef MIL "
ablo to iinl uny precedent for It, autl ceEtali
that he will not bs at!o 70 3na any loyal WIZ wy
illlt tax-buycrs should purchase these
things, thus !ncoavcnInnc|Ig u'a uarsons VIII
have laii ycar's ttmp Eivef
them In which to pay u,eir assessments rattle
tilan that thu eit7 should .emtnrk upon q prse
tice oldouhtfuI iegullty' which will result finally
IN nobody. paying up spectai assessments foI
two years from, ths tIma that tIo assessment |!
,1,adc, natnnK uno yuar by n'u laws delavs, aud
.naklng tho city pay the money ~ atyaieo ~
thcm for another year. II would Ut leaat bavt
been pEuper for these petitioners to havo lEo
posed TO tho ely to pay It interest for III
iuuney, tho bouci!t Of which theY aFo " haVt
for several months.
How soutt. .Darollnn CorbIa Fsld sto. o0d
fur Worthless sGo1A " Tricks.
Iknr<r t1t4.t Esnt, Aug. 2,
The lHtvs ior souu days past haa been III pos
session Ut facts conceFll'l: bold swtndllne
guns that wns successfully played in tlsis c'ty
last wrolt. The party who "a tic sufferer py ta,
s,yl,uilc Is llo !tas q personags than UniIru ~
stalrs acl,stor Corbin, OF South Carolina Inc
Il iP1Ug lila El1Uff FL