Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-21
THE MEMPHIS CASE.

! EDS. RECORD UNION 1 am glad to per-
ceive by your editorial of Thursday that you
notice the "Memphis" case To my mind
your conclusions seem Observation-Disclosures
tainly just and honorable. l can't make out
the policy of Saeramentos evening Journal
in pointing out this case, as one of the de-
cisions of which is only to the effect that
debtor may defraud his creditor by reason of
the latter being unable to seize the property
or the former in payment Of his claim. It
looks to me like an endeavor to bring pres
sure TO bear on our newly elected First Trus-
tee, to become as derelict In his duty as some
of our former Trustees were. If anything
was settled at the recent election of First
| Trustee, it was the question of honorably
paying the city's indebtedness. The Bee
made point of stating over and over that
the real issue was "one or two per cent. tax,
viz, Green and one per cent, or Brown and
two per cent" The people elected Brown,
and the Bee, commenting on the same, said in
substance: The people have declared for
the higher tax, and seem to like it, and, l
will add, much honor to them for being will
ing to make provision for paying their Just
debts without being forced to do so. It is
not possible, perhaps, to give the reasons that
have adjusted the former Trustees of our
city in neglectipg or refusing to lew
the tax as provided by law, and which
there can be no question it was their duty to
have done; but the consequences are that by
their failure the indebtedness of the CITY has
increased very largely, and will, if not met
as the law has provided, continue to
increase to such an extent that every
piece Of property will before many years
be mortgsged for about all it is worth.
And IL occurs to me that as the railroad
company is large taxpayer, and have very
extensive and valuable properties in this city.
whether they may not become alarmed at
the state of things, and look around for a
more promising location for their works.
Our city is not in the position of an insolyent
debtor; it cannot claim that it is bank
rupt; 1t has an assessment roll of
ten or twelve millions of dollars
worth of property, the real value of which is
perhaps half as much more, and owes in city
bonds something more than one million dol
lars, together with, am sorry to add, several
hundred thousands of dollars of unpaid cou-
pons which ought to have been and could have
been paid. Now what is the meaning of this
whining about our poverty, and the hardship
of the poor taxpayers being forced to pay
each their share of the city's debt? Why,
last Christmas the Bee published an issue
that boosted to the world that Sacramento
was one OF, If not the most prosperous cities of
California that our wealth, population and
business were rapidly increasing. and predict
ing lofty place for US in the commonwealth;
but now it practically advocates repudiating
our obligations on account of poverty. This
blowing about our prosperity when we de-
sire to make show, and pleading pow
erty when we are called upon to
pay our debts, is not to my mind.
1t is not on every occasion that the advice of
the Bee has been advantageous to
the citys interest. 1t will be remem-
bered how strenuously the Bee advc-
Gated the adoption of the Holly Water
Works system indeed, no paid advocate
could have exerted himself or worked harder
for its adoption by the people of the city
than did the Bee. Well, it was adopted,
at an expense to the city of $3.50 900, but it
was soon found that it was totally inadequats
to furnish enough water for the city use, and
the then Board of Trustees-Messrs. Green,
Knox and McCleery-applied to the rail-
road company, and by consent of the Presi-
dent, Governor Stanford, an engine and
pump was constructed at the railroad works
of such capacity that with less expense
for working and repairs, from two to
three times the volume Of water is
supplied to the city, and the total cost of
said apparatus was $50, 000-being differ
ence of only $3.50, 600 for machinery in every
respect superior to the complicated Holly
the Bee cannot be speaking its own senti
ments on this debt question, but is craftily
misled by parties more interested and with
less regard for reputation and honesty than
that most respectable journal.
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