Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-02-16
A PERTINENT QUESTION.

Is the city of Sacramento in such imam
cial strait as to justify repudiation? If there
is mite of offensiveness in the form of the
question, the substance of it should be closely
regarded rather than the form. Reputation
means refusal to pay debt. On the part of
the debtor it also embraces the idea OF dis
owning the obligation. To the injured party
this distinction is a distinction without diff
ference. The term has usually been applied
to cities, states and nations which refuse to
pay their debts, rather than to individuals
who, in doing the same thing, are simply
guilty of violating their agreements The
individual is morally excused when, through
no fault of his own, he is unable to pay but
in the case of large body of people aggre-
gated in the entity of a municipal corpora.
ton, the benefits and advantages of which
entity they continually enjoy, the plea of in
ability is inadmissible, because it never, or
rarely ever can be true in point of fact.
How is it with Sacramento? To pay its
debts, and at the same time add a
little more to its food defenses and i'm
prove its sanitary condition by more perfect
drainage requires little more taxation
this and nothing more. There is a certain
amount OF surface popularity in the outcry
for reduced taxation but probe little
deeper, and touch the conscience of the peo-
pie, touch the pride begotten of an honorable
fame and the hope of brilliant future, if
you would seek popularity that is solid and
enduring. When it is said, as it often has
been said, that Sacramentans have In times
past, with admirable heroism, conquered fire
and food, suffer it not any longer to be asked,
''At whose expense were these victories
won :" The American people have acquired
as much credit in the world by paying the
cost of putting down the rebellion, as by put
ting the rebellion down.
II it is question Of ability on the part Of
the city, let the facts be examined
The city tax in 1880 was spread ont as fol-
lows: General taA, Il cents; Fire Depart
ment, 30 cents school tax, 80 cents; levee
and drainage, Is cents street repair, intersec
tion and sprinkling. % cents; police II cents
bond redemption under Act of 1872 "A
cents Fowle bond redemption, II cents Lii
brary, ) cents; sewer repairs, cents. Total,
81. The general tax Of Al cents constitutes
the general fund; 30 per cent. of this
equal to % 55-100 cents-was placed in the
sinking fund belonging to the creditors the
remainder, equal to IS 45-lOO cents, sufticed
to pay the salaries of the city officers and the
other demands not payable out of the several
special tax funds above named
To meet the demands of the creditors it re-
quires the difference between % 55-100 cents,
which was put in their sinking fund, and 80
cents, which the law required to be put
therein. Cannot this difference be made up
without an actual increase of taxation This
difference is 81 10 100 cents, or, upon an as
sessment of SlO,0GOOOO, the bagatelle of
S32 500.
The Fund Commissioners, under the Act
of 1872. ask only 10 cents The Fowle bond
redemption tax does not require more than Z
cents. The water works being now out of
debt. 40 per cent of its net income, equal to
SIS. 200, or, in other words, equal to the pro-
duct of tax of Is cents, is available under
the law for The uses of the general fund.
Here, then. upon these three items there is
gain for 1881 upon 1880 of 81 cents-more
than enough to make up the deficiency men,
toned If the taxes for levee and drainage,
street repair, intersection and sprinkling and
sewer repairs, which, in 1880, aggregated AZ
cents, and other special taxes, are not in
creased, the rate of taxation for 1881 can be
less than in 1880 and yet be sufficient to
meet the legal demands of the creditors.
The necessities for an increase in some of
these special taxes may, and probably will,
carry the rate few cents above the 50 of
1891