, 1880-04-08

A41A o411olAcO L -
general uprising Of Tho community III 1S7G.
1fow inncl, tho people Of ChIcnE, Owe 10 tho
,nen wlIu have served thu city In tho Council
since 1S10 Is known to but comparatively
few persons. 1t has required courage anl
utility to 50 tllnnngo tho affairs Of tho city III
Ia rcscue Chicago from tho nctuat bankrupt
cy which was then imminent,
At tho time, In 181b, when tllcra was, nr-
der tie new chnrter, nm entlrely liaw C0un.
ell elccte tho financial condition Ut the city
wns Mt tjlu lowest Binge, only short Of MI
nctrni suspension of tile City Government.
The city uwcA n bonded debt 80 far In excess
of tho constitutional limit tint It could not
borrow h tto1lar by tho sale Ut bonds. 1t
owed III atlttion nearly four millions of
toatlng debt, represented by tntercssrbcarlt,g
piper, which was wholly Illegal anil
void. This paper Ind been Issued 80
yoiuminousty TINT IL could no longer
10 sold except at a discount, nnd
ut Inst tho city WIS unnble to raise enough
money on II 10 pay tho scmi-annual interest
OIL tho public debt. Tho legnlity OF tho scrip
was questioned, mil Mt inst the Courts i'd
clnretl It's tsslte to bc illegal. Tho city was ut
aa.andstill. and It's paper was formally pro-
tested. The protiigate legislation ut tho
Council, its EXCESSIVE appropriations astl
rt1nutls tnx.leylcs, lad created spirit Ut re-
vnlt; tnxcs were not paitl, aid many openly
tlctictl tho city TO enforce Its leyics. 1t was
at tlts time TINT tho now charter. adopted
sonao year or more lHforp by tho baln,1aers as
IL means of perputuhtlmg tlleir own official
existence, went into operation, md forttltl-
ntety provided for tho election Of an Gil
ttrely now Council.
Popular interest wns generally excited.
Thery was corttial union Of tho general
public agninst tic dishonest crowd TINT Ind
81 long abused public confidence. Political
divisions were abandoned. md there wns Il
Council electeh composed mainly Of tho best
class Of citizens, md Of clnss that llad too
long neglected nil participation III ely
politics. THO effect was immediate. Public
confidence was restored. Tho Council Mt
once bcgnn tho work of retrcnclment. So
far rs they llatt the power they repealed md
suspended appropriations md limited ex-
pel,diturcs. During TINT and tho succeeding
year, by the abolition Of useless Offices aid
tho reduction Of salaries they reduced tho
! expenditure OIL thnt account 10 per cent.
They suspended tho renewal Of the oil
scrip. THAR appeal to the public was
| followed by tic payment Of taxes.
OF the whole tax-lcvy for 1916, % per
ceut was collectc}l.-a proceeding which
was unprecedented III the history 0f the city.
The levy for 1877 was two millions lcss tl'aM
that for 1s55. Such WIS the economy III ex-
pt7si.nro that there was brgnn surplus
fund In the Treasury. Tho same wise ecoh~
only ant rigid accountability WIS. followetlin In
1877, rs, and 10, ut the c'tt Of which time all
the city expenses weru either pait, or the cash
for that purpose was I'll tlo Treasury. Inter-
est On scrip was stopped. Tho lnw officers ut
tho city obtained from tho Legislature au-
thority to rcleyy tic taxes Of previous years,
which, being improperly leyict, i,ad never
bccn collected. Substantially, III less tllnlt
four years tho City-rreasury had been res.
cucti from bankruptcy. The four millions Of
floating debt had all been taken Up alld paitl,
the funded debt Ind been reduced s..50, 900,
md there was nearly million Ut dollars Silt
plus revenue accumulated In tic Treasury.
Tho present Council made some desperate
efforts, In framing tlle appropriations for the
present year, to 8Wcll tho tax.1evy md to
stluanler the surplus In the Treasury. To
the flr1nness Of the Mayor and the CITY Con-
trollor tte public fs indebted for tic dcfcnt
Of most of these schemes, Ono ycat more Of
honest and economical government will see
tho city linal,ces SO fur restored tlat the
City Government will be able to TO a casl
business, without having to borrow dollar
antl yet hnye its affairs administered lnore
efficiently thin they ind ever bcen In ule
days OF the most l'rolllgato expenditure.
| A. -.