Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-01-21

just beginning 10 lift their heads out OF and
above the slime and filth of municipal COR
rupliou.
Utterly Opposed to the Report of the
Committee.
To the Editors of the Appeal:
Allow space in your columns to briefly
discuss The recommendations OF. the "Com
mittee," and the action of the Injecting" held
on Friday and its proposed action at its ad-
journed session. Perhaps the recomme nd a.
tious OF the majority of the committee is the
very best thing that can be Done will not
say it is not, minds diff.r, and we bave evil
dence of this in the fact that some OF the
committee refused TO sign the report, and
Judge Elicit conceded in his speech yester-
day that the whole report did not meet the
individual views of any member of it.
As g whole, am decidedly opposed to the
recommendations. I am unalterably Cd.
posed TO the coupon feature, and TO the
feature which permits the Taxing. District
authorities to have anything 10 do with the
settlement, or issuance OF bonds, or tine levy
OF taxes to pay it. The coupon feature is
too we'll understood to need discussion. To
adopt that as part of the settlement would
throttle the Taxing g-District government and
choke it TO death; besides, it would open
the doors again to sharpers and speculators
to riot and feast on the necessities of the
poor, and especially on the needs of the
police, 6remen, and other city employees.
The best drawn laws have barely enabled
our Taxing-Dis,rict government to avoid
liability and compulsory process to pay the
old city debt. 1t will not be denied that the
legislation we have had, has been the best
that could be devised for our security, and
that the result has been, that beginning with
THE DISASTROUS YEARS OF 1S7S-79,
and running up to the present, we have done
more substantial improvements within the
last four years than was done in the forty
SIX or forty-seven years of corporate exist
ence.
That the Taxing-District paid as it went,
does not owe dollar, and that the old city,
with levies much larger each year, incurred
debt OF about s6,0OO,eO0. venture the as
sertion that no city in America has, COM
paratively, done as much improvement as
Memphis has. And further, that no city,
has done half as much and
paid in cash within the same space
of time 1t has been often assert
ed that the city could never improve
until the old city debt was settled; the facts
do not warrant this assertion. When the
old city charter was repealed and the Tax
ing District government organized, real es-
tate was lower, and of duller sale than it had
been fer twenty years. The streets and all
leys were in worse condition than almost
ever known before, private and public
buildings we're rotting down for the want of
repairs. Repairs were not
made Tor two reasons: First, the want of
money, brought about mainly by the mis-.
management of State, county and municipal
affairs, and oppressive taxation resulting
therefrom; and, secondly. because no one had
any confidence in the future OF Memphis, or
that their improvements would benefit them
as much as the money expended.
At that time Memphis was little more
than railroad way station, now she is be.
coming
A GREAT RAILROAD CENTER.
She has attracted the eyes of the capital
and labor OF the outside world, and both are
pouring in. More manufacturing enterprise
has been developed than ever before since
the war, and real estate is higher to-day in
par money than it has been since 1861. Why
is all this? The answer is patent. Il is be.
cause ne hare a good gerernn,eat, a cheap eov-
ernnaent, and government that can't be manipu-
lated by lObbies and rings. 1t is cheap
government. Why? Because it hasn't the
power to be expensive; its powers and duties
are clearly defined. 1t can contract no debts,
it can issue no bonds, it can levy no taxes,
and no pouer ON earth ercept the State Leqis-
lature can empo,Uer or force il to do So DR..
Porter, who, we take it, is reasonably well
estimates that 81 As on the 500 Of
taxable properly will suffice to run the
Taxing District government another year.
Well-informed persons estimate that a levy
Of four per cent, or 81 on the 500, will be
to pay current expenses and provide
for the old debt under the settlement recon-
mended. Who ever heard of city prosper
ing under tax levy of four per cent?
What political economist ever advanced
such an idea? And yet we are told that we
must assume this g 55 on the 500 in order
that We may prosper. Tell the people that
10 put double or treble load upon q wagon
and it will run up hill more easily, ard they
will believe it more readily. The people of
Memphis have, indeed, taken courage, and
It is taking the shape of enterprise, but
THEY ARE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET. |
Thousands of them are pressed down with |
back taxes, which they are anxious to bat |
unable to pay. Already Judge Smith, repre-
'enting the State, and the county and Dis
.rict attorneys, have filed nearly hundred |
bills in the Chancery Court to sell town lots |
'or back taxes. Each bill includes probably |
.wenty pieces OF property, making, perhaps,
800 to 1000 lots already that are proceeded |
against by them.
In the case of the State of Tennessee ss. |
W. E. Butler st al, TO collect taxes due the |
I'D city of Memphis, the original and about
fifteen or twenty amended and supplemental |
bills have been fled, each Of which includes |
l large number OF lots; one of the amended |
bills which 1 have examined includes |
lots. Other bills are being pre- |
pared as rapidly as possible. This has been |
yoing on.for months; it is eutailing extra cost |
IN the taxpayer at least, it win ultimately |
result in the sale of his land This or her |
nome perhaps). They are anxious to pay.
some are paying, others cannot and keep the |
wolf from the door, and yet in this struggle |
Tor existence come cay hat additional taxes