The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-04-19

lures may be mentioned In the excellent
condition of the Rock river bridges, which.
with the completion of the new south chan
mel structure, are not likely TO be source
of expense for many years to come.
OUR TAXES
have been felt to be peculiarly burdenseme
for some wears This is not on account of
the aggregate amount the city has required,
but because of the reduced valuation, which
increases the rate on visible property. Ii
is plain from the personal aggregate, winch
has fallen from 81, Is, $40 in 1879, to 500
$50 in 1881, that great deal OF personal
property remains hidden and escapes as
sessment, thereby unduly burdening that
which is found and which has to pay Tor
that which is not reported. / would sug
gest, as affording at least a partial remedy,
that the city clerk be authorized and re-
uuired to employ a competent person to
look up this nonreported personal property
such as bonds, mortgages, money and va
rious securities properly taxable. and that
the result of his labors be officially reported
to the Assessor in time for use before the
closing Of his books. If this is to be done
this year, it requires your immediate at
tention 1t is certainly great inj usfi6e 20
those.who pay that Others should escape
their just share of the public burden. The
merchants stock of goods and the working
mans house and lot cannot be hidden from
public view and never escape taxation, but
the bonds, mortgages and money of the
capitalists are too often locked up in some
secret place, impenetrable to the Assessor,
and in the limited time the law obliges him
to do his work in he cannot well institute
an outside search. For this reason L
think the city would be amply justified IN
employing person to search the records
of this and adjoining counties for mort.
cages and other recorded evidences OF
wealth, and to utilize any other channels
of information that may be open.
IT rs EIGHT YEARS NOW
since there has been any codification OF
our city ordinances. Since the Revised
Ordinances of 1874 were published many
great changes have occurred. The old
charter and its amendments have been su-
perseded by the general Incorporation law
and various state enactments dealing dl-
rectIy with municipalities have undergone
radical changes. Very few of the ordinan
ces included in that book meet our present
condition and requirements, Very many
of them have been altered and amended
and there are large number of
ordinances that have been passed since
which can be found only in the City Clerk S
office or in newspaper files. The ordinances
which include vested rights must be pre-
served in their entirety, but all others
should undergo a careful and thorough
revision and classification, throwing out
that which is useless, adding that which is
wise and expedicnt bringing our municipal
code into thorough harmony with the laws
of the state and the requirements OF our
city. The revision of cur ordinances
should be entrusted to our City Attorney,
under the supervision of the Committee
on Ordinances, with instructions to pre-
pare the work as rapidly as possible with
due regard for the interests involved.
There is no need to include in the volume
the general incorporation law or any of the
state enactmcnts which are readily obtain
able in another form, and with this bulky
matter omitted the expense of printing
need net be great One of the first fea-
lures OF the new code should relate to ap-
pointive city officers, whose respecting
terms duties and compensation should be
accurately fixed. Where this is done the
officer can not engage in private enterprises
that may be claimed to conflict with the Of
fetal duties and plead custom, ignorance
or individual privilege as sufficient ex
cuse.
According to nv Interpretation of the
general incorporation law
THE TERM OF AN APPoINTivE CITY OFFICER
in the absence of an ordinance to the con-
trary, is two years, and my appointments
last spring were made accordingly. The
term can however, be made as much short
er as the Council desires, but think the
highest regard for the public service will
make the co extensive with that OF the ap-
pointive power The Mayor, City Attor-
ney, City Clerk and City Treasurer and
Aldermen are all elected for term of two
years. and am at a loss to discover any
good reason why minor officers should
have a shorter or different period of service.
A healthy check is preserved by the power
of removal or suspension, which the May
or can at any time exercise for cause, and
the power of reinstatement if the action is
disapproved, which is possessed by the
Council. Changes for mere political rea-
sons are always to be deprecated and the
city is generally the loser when experience
ed and faithful servants are removed to
make place for untried men. The right,
however, to make general changes is a
necessary part of our political system which
may be freely exercised at the inaugura-
ton of a new Mayor and should be guard
ed against at other times by assuring to
the subordinates the same tenure of office
that the Mayor possesses. conditional on
their fidelity to the trusts reposed in them.