, 1881-09-25

sTATE, COUNTY, AND TOWN DEBTS.
Mr.. Robert T. Porter notices in II recen
article In the Princeton Reuloip that near
~ half the State debts are located In the
Southern States, nenrly half the county
debts in tho Western Stutes, and one-llalf tho
municipal debts in the Middle States." Tht
CAUSES of this division OF burdens are moi
fully stated in Mr., Portcr's article. They
are indications Of different political organt'
zNtions i'll tic sections referred to. The
State has been the principal debt-contracting
power III the South. Big plantations AMI the
use Of servile labor caused the mfnor civil
divisions in that region to lave little i1npor-
tancc. They were neither safe nor conven-
lent political units. Their credit w:ts colll-
| paratifely snail. The average intelligence
of the voters i'll any one Of them WAS low,
and they were dominated by few wealthy
planters. Hence the State Government was
the only power competent to contract debts
! OF Il large scaIc. The subsequent repuiia-
| ton Ut debts by many vi these Governments
| Was merely Il symptom of the unsollhdiess
| OF the political system Of which they were
| parts. They were like so many inverted
pyramids, supporting their weight and great
extent Of surface upon their apeXes.
| The county governments became lmpoE-
| tant i'll the Western States through the curl
GUS combination Of two political systems.
The planters of Virginia and the small farm
crs OF New England derived their land
tenures and municipal institutions FROM pre-
cisely the si.lt.e source in England. But III
practice they soon began to differ widely.
E1,.a IL Sx>
New England. Land was granted in parcels
SIX miles square to associations, not to in
uivid,l,lIs. Sixty persons could take up 4
township, dividing it into sixty.thrce lois,
one being reserved for the minister, one for
the school, and one for glebc land or common.
In Virginia, on the other hand big, plnnta-
tions were required by tho necessities Of
tobacco-plantil1g. The township was not
lurgc enough for civil division. Owing to
the character Of the population, which was
composed mainly OF poor whites md negro
slaves, with sprinkltng of wealthy plant
ers, the parish or the township was toe small
for Il safe municipal government of its own.
Thus tIie county came to have all Importance
which it otherwise would not lnye Possessed
kentucky aud Southern Ohio were settled
mainly from Virginia. Tile pioneers took |
tile land system and municipal institutions Of !
the Old Dominion with them. The county |
was their unit. As the population of these |
regions Increased it swaruc4 over into |
Southern and Central Indiana and Illinois. |
Meanwhile the New Engand township sys-
tenn was also travelling westward Oh its par |
alltl Of latitude. This two systems met III |
the West. One was superimposed upon the |
other. Northern Illinois, Indiana, aud Ohio
first had experience OF township gofern-
1ncnt while the southern and middle pitts OF
these States had taken up the c0unfk' gov
erlllentS. y compromise was Naue b l.wcen I
them. Both were retained. In the course
ot time different functions were assigned to
each. Tho town officers gradually became
the assessors and collectors Of taxes, while
tho county officers graciously consented to
spend all the Money they could get, III somo
instances they spent more than they had.
They ral III debt. As the larger politfcal
power, the counties had more credit They
began Il course Of riotous living, plunged
into debt for railroads, court-houses, turn-
pixies, etc, and ended by becoming the most
famous debtors i'll the West.
The cities have bee: the principal borrow
rrs in the Middle States, BECAUSE there are
more Of the1n; their necessities have been
GREAT, and they have been ridden by mobs of
ignorant voters aud spolls-huntcr5 who have
pundcrcd them ut every turn. New York
City alunc has debt which exceeds that of
Il dozen Western and Middle States. "Ille
let debt CT all the cities i'll New York having
a population over 800 is llo less than $177,-
,a5i, and OF the Pennsylvania cities above
he sallle limit S77,6SS,GS3. Tho Ohio cities,
III the other hand, owe but $50, ,j11 474 AMI
lie Illinois cities only sts,4so, $50.
The following table prepared by Mr.. por- !
CT will show 1T Il glance tic relative propor-
ion OF State. county, and municipal debts of :
he various sections: