Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-07-08
The City Finances.

For the first time Tor many years the
city government begins Its fiscal year
without any borrowed money in its trea-
sury, and without any Indebtedness i'll the
shape OF a temporary and illegal loan. 1t
is true that there is floating indebtedness
of something over thirty thousand
dollars but that is far less than the usual
indebtedness for borrowed money, and it
is in such shape thut it will immediately
be repaid out of the July receipts and offer
no temptation to extravaganza, through
~ carrying il along" Us the previous
councils have done Till the Legis-
lature could be induced 10 add the
amount to the funded debt. The city has
been rup for less money this past year
than ever before tor long time,
aid it owes less in any shape
on entering the month of July than has
been the case for years, despite q
decided reduction in the lax rate. We
think the reduction WAS mistake, since
it made the Indebtedness incurred neces-
sary, but il is nevertheless greatly to tb Q
credit of City Council that it has reduced
expenditures and made the annual deficit
| less than usual despite the le:sening of
the burden on the people.
EVERY EVENING hes always been critical
of the management of municipal affairs
and some have thought severely so. 1t
led TO victory the fight against the old
ring, which fight broke the most impudent
and extravagant combination ever formed d
here OH the model of the rings OF larger
cities. IT hns criticised the ID Bmo :
cratic management with equal yigOr
and it invented and forced to suc,
cessfui end the device which
was adopted to prevent the present Couu-
| Gil from folio wing i'll the steps of / s pre-
dccessors iu the way of unlawfully hor-
rowing money, aud it is therefore with
sincere pleasure that it finds something to
commend III municipal management which
will relieve it of the imputation Of oppos-
ing those charged with that duty for die
mere sake of opposition, and it docs
say, whatever meu may think or
say of the present CITY Council,
that judged by its works il il the beat We
have lad fer Il long time 1t has reduced
taxation and il bus reduced the annual
deficit aud it deserves the commentator
uf sincere friends of municipal reform.
7 II nus made still another reduction of tux
which We again think unwi.e, but we
have no criticism to offer upon it provided
the Council will from the very
beginning adapt its expenditures
to Its probable receipts, as it
did in the latter part of the fiscal year
which ended with June, There is no
reason why the taxes in cities should III
crease as the places grow in population,
and We want to see Wilmington come back
to the old rate of one dollar on the
hundred us the total for both city and
| i..a,N a q
inside its receipts.
We expect to be told that this is imp1s-
sble, but we ask the people to make ii
possible by simply demanding that it shall
be done aud electiug men who will do it.
We know il can be done, and that the tax
payers and the people generally will be
better without anything they cannot get At
this cost, and all that is necessary to
do Ia accomplish 1t is to simply
do it. We care nothing for ar
gumeuts founded on the example of other
cities. for there is not, SO far rs We know,
a well governed city on this continent, aud
WE are simply addressing ourselves to the
securing Of efficient and economical
government for tns one in which We are
interested, Grd that we intend TO have il
the people will stand by us. What is it 10
US that th9 people who profit by extraVe'
gance elsewhere say that il is the
nature Of things that the tHS
rate ahali inGreasa us cities
grow larger. There is no proof Of it ex
crpt thar derived from evil example, and
Wilmington had just as well as any otht
city demonstrate the folly and fRlsity Of
ths Theory that If it taxes hundred
dollars 80 gsNe d hundscd men coed mum.
ciral guYerumsAt IL Will take three lnn'
dred dollars 10 secure equally good gov.
erumcut for two auGurtd men. That is
what tie tnea'y, ''the larger the con-
"muGly fne higher tho tax rnte'
amounrs to, sud wh deny it and ask vii.
m,f eioil 10 demonstrate itS falslty, and t.
-uy mat if all the other American cities
chul,e to 81 to the devil they may do 10.
Hut ~ fer Ms we intcod TO adhere u
oaouupiy ~ yet cat oi debt. The present
Oburcii las our heartfelt cnn!meudationr
Tor ioins something in this direction
Whether voluntarily Gr Involuntary they
have tol- II, and my oah who has an'
cnui tsrtd a." iusUiouGr ,ind recklessnes'
Of tha old ring M We hgvs. knows that il
Nag 10 little victory 10 get tln stand
iIr reduced expenditure taken even
by th"eats Of tgal coercion. We think
there nre men Ia Council who could verS
well be- gpprel fromit, bat it IL due TO iht
present Council II. q Whole to sag, rs W,
have seid, that judged by it, work is Tho
best we have had for years.
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