Daily Republican., 1880-11-23
a Repnlchre Of Democratic Bkeie
tOnO.

into power in September in 1873 was
funded BY an act OF the Legislature
giving the City Council power to borrow
sl45, 900 for that purpose. This amount
covered every dollar Of the floating in
dsbtedness Of the city, including all
bills that had been contracted and
were due up to the first OF January,
1879. At that date, which was the
commencement Of the financial year, the
Democracy could have started with q
clean financial sheet with not q dollar
Of deb. 10 pay had they been as dssir.
Gus Of doing so as they were to make
showing Of economy for their party for
the sake Of catching votes. The first
wrong step they took was to reserve
$4,000 Of that money which was Dor
rowed to pay eff the floating debt and
apply 1t to the current expenses OF the
city. By so doing just that amount OF
notes and school bonds went unpaid
and some Of them are unpaid yet. By
reaervipg s34, 900 and applying 1t to
the current expenses of the city, en-.
abled the Council 10 cut the tax rate
from 81 20 down to $l.l5 when it
should at least have been kept up to
81 20. Then arose cry OF economy
by the Demo ,ratic party. Both Of the
Democratic papers joined in the cry.
The public were informed from day to
day that the city government had at
last reached the plane Of honesty and
economy. Great was the god Of Dem
ORGY! The REPUBLICAN exposed tbs
fsIlacy Of this pretended economy. We
showed that it was myth that had no
existence except in the phrensied i'm
agins ton of some OF the deluded fol
lowers who threw themselves beneath
the poudeIous wheels Of this great
D ,mocratic Jugernaut. The subsidi-
Eel Democratic organs told their readers
that the REPUBLICAN was Hntruthtul,
unreliable, ignorant, vicious, in favor
of high taxes, in favor Of fraud, dis
h NEST, had an interminable spite
against the meek, honest, lamb.like
Democracy and everything else that
was by them considered bad. We did
not mind it however but kept on in the
even tenor Of our ways, freely applying
the scslping knife, exposing corruption
a1d showing the emptiness Of all this
pretended cry Of economy.
Then came another city election in
1879. The Democrats had done so mu ch
on the hollow plea Of economy and
honesty that they had to be sustained
at the ballot box. How they were
sustained is well remembered. Ore.
fourth Of the Republican party was
Aisfrauchised by the Democracy and
could not be made available in the
contest Still the Democrats dare not |
meet them with their honest vote.
Democratic Office. holders, policemen and
and leaders flooded tie city with re-
pestsrs. A farce called an election
WIS held. A Democratic President of
Of the City Council, Democratic City |
Treasurer, Democratic Councilmen from
the Third, Fifth, Eighth and Ninth |
Wards took their seats who were only |
elected by the votes of r-pcaters and
other illegal votes. Tnis step about
bro e the back Of the Democratic par
ty so far as honesty VAS concerned.
But something e'se had to be done.
The party had lost caste at the city
election but still the farce Of economy
could be carried on awhils longer. In
looking around to fes how the revenue
of the city would foot up, $22, 900 was
found in the Treasury Of the Board Of
Education. Happy discovery Though
there was 3 floating debt already Oh
hand, here was q chance by laying
claim to this $4,000 to still further
reduce the tax rate, and it was accord
ingly reduced to $l.10 on the 800
The Gazette chuckled with glee, and
predicted that by another year the rate
would be reduced to $l.0O. This pre-
diction may come true, but II 1t does 1t
will te in a new assessment and high.
er valuation Of property. The REPUs.
LCAN still exposed the false pretences
OF the Democracy to economy and was
still denounced by the Democratic or
gans. However we knew our day of
vindicat'on could not be much longer
delayed and We kept along. We knew
that retribution could not be far off
We knew that the mask would have to
drop. We knes that this sepulchre
wou.d soon b. opened and the ghastly
skeletons Of trend, deceit, dishonesty
and moral imhe'ility would be exposed
in all their revolving characters.
II has cons p. last. The mask Of
economy has f@rlsn IF The sepulchfe
has been upPTtd
The Every Evening has turned
tsr's evidapc4 Il cpnfesses that
tn. City rnd.r he Democratic rule