Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-03-08
THE CRY OF Low TAXES A FRAUDU-
LENT PRETENSg.

In the first place it is to be noted that
Mr.. Green himself has never asserted IN /
public that he was in favor of low taxes.
When he was asked this question before
the Convention the other day he answered,
with commendable caution, that he would |
g look into" the matter. But his personal |
experience in the Mayoralty no doubt |
convinced him that he could not pledge |
himself to the per cent. proposition with |
out undertaking contract which he must |
have known to be impossible of fulfill
ment. When he was Mayor, as our cor
respondent X" showed yesterday, heneyer
found it possible to carry on the city gov
ernment with levy of per cent. On
the contrary, at time when the property
on the assessment roll was 81, 800, 900 more
than at present, he levied tax of 81 "a,
though only cents of that was for levees
and drainage. Yet the taxpayers of Sac
ramento are now asked to believe that
with an assessment roll of only SIC, 600. 600.
and with mora urgent demands than ever
for extra outlays, Mr. Green would be able
to carry on the government upon tax of
percent. The idea is preposterous onits face.
The pretense that one per cent. Is
enough for all purposes is a false one. No
such rate could, as has been conclusiyely
shown, raise sufficient amount to carry
on the government with. It therefore
amounts to this, that if Mr.. Green is really
in favor of one per cent. tax only, he is
in favor of depriving the city OF the pro-
lection it stands in need of, and in so cut
ting down the necessary expenditures as to
leave no fund whatever for drainage and
sewerage, street repairs or street sprink-
| ling. Whoever seriously advocates such
method Of governing the city must prefer
penury, filth and disease, together with
constant danger from floods, to security,
health and prosperity. If the election of
to-day is to be made upon any such issue,
the people must understand the true nature
of the proposition that is made to them.
They must understand plainly that there is
no question of superior economy behind
Mr. Green's position, but that his friends
claim for him purpose to reduce taxation
at the expense of the prosperity, health
and comfort of the community.
Low taxation is fraud in another way.
Those who are raising the humbugging cry
pretend that they are in favor of liberal
expenditures for levee purposes. This po.
sition is absurd If we are to have the
low rate of taxation they propose we can
not have the levee defenses of which they
talk. No community can achieve the i'm
possible feat of obtaining moneys worth
without the expenditure of money, yet
that is what Mr. Green's friends undertake
to do. 1t is therefore clear that they are
not sincere when they talk of tax of one
per cent, or that they are not sincere
when they talk of extending the levee de-
fenses. Judging from Mr.. Green's past
record it may be suspected that they are
not sincere in either particular, for when
he was Mayor we did not have low taxes,
and neither was any money expended on
the leyees.
1.-The truth is that all this talk about low
taxes is nonsense, and those who use it
know that it is nonsense. This city has
obligations from which she cannot escape,
and needs which she cannot igGore or post.
pone. The man who at such a juncture as
the present pretends that it is possible to
carry on the government and strengthen
the levees at the same time that taxation
is reduced, is no better than a. charlatan
and is not dealing candidly with the pub
lic Sacramento must be put beyond the
| danger of inundation. That is the uni
versal opinion of her residents The
wisest economy in such a case is the
policy which boldly confronts the neces-
sity. 1t is not economy, but denagogery, |
that proposes to reduce the tax-rate at a
time like the present. Low taxes can
mean nothing but neglect of the most vital |
interests of the community. Low taxes
mean leaving the inhabitants of the
southern part of the city at the mercy of
every food. Low taxes mean dirty streets,
foul sewers, neglected drainage, and all the
signs of decay and decadence which drive
away business and herald the collapse of
prosperity.
If Mr.. Green was elected, and "loolsed
into the situation, we are satisfied that
he would find it necessary to adhere to the
tax rate already levied. Neither he nor
any other man could bear the responsibility
of depriving the people of the protection
and the conveniences they have right to-
To employ this cry of low taxes now is
therefore thoroughly contemplate and dis
honest subterfuge, which can only deceive
those who never think for themselves, and
which every business man and intelligent
taxpayer knows to be a spurious pretense.
Those who are willing to profit by such
fraudulent issues, however, are obviously
untrustworthy, and the taxpayers will, if
they are wise, shun ticket which is being
put forward under such disingenuous and
hypocritical pleas, and which makes-be-
lieve to be in favor of policy equally i'm
possible and undesirable.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
1t has become evident that the new
Constitution will have to be largely
amended before it can be regarded as
satisfactory, and the need for some of
these changes has been clearly shown by
the workings of the instrument. During
the past session of the Legislature, for in
stance, one of the heavy subjects which
failed to be considered was that of county
governments. Now the difficulties attend.
ing this subject are nearly all inherent in
the Constitution itself The trainers of
that instrument undertook to apply rigid
forms of county government to the most
various and dissimilar conditions. Their
provisions for classification are incapable of
being applied. for the sufficient reason that |
there are almost as many different sets of |
&c tLora 80 oo,,>4,oo /