The daily Cairo bulletin., 1884-05-16

had given birth to child, Tor which ehe
had no clothing but shawl in which she
had wrapped 1t up. When released, the
jailoi gave her dollar, and the other Off
cials OF the Court House also contributed
each small sum to enable the young
mother to purchase few necessaries.
Next Sunday the Cairo Commandery
of Knights Templar will hold their annual
memorial celebration at Beech Grove Gem
etery over the tombs Of the departed
Knights resting there. The celebration
will be grand affair, for il will be attend
cd by Communicates from jackson, Tenn"
Paducah, KY, Metropolis, Belleville and
other towns in Illinois A special train on
the Illinois Central will convey the party
there end back. The ceremony is that pre-
pared for such occasions by the Cairo Com
mandery some time ago. The Cairo City
Band will also accompany the party.
1t the Argus of last evening quotes
Alderman Woodward correctly, that gen
tleman entertains very gloomy view OF
the city's financial condition. view that,
to our mind, IS not at all warranted by the
reality. But the question is, does the Argus
quote him correctly2 In view OF the TACT
that Alderman Woodward served term in
the Council some years ago, during which
he must have gained some
knowledge of public affairs, and
has. doubtless, since his latch
election, given the affairs Of the city con
siderable attention and knows the truth,
we are inclined to believe that the Argus
does not do the Alderman justice. 1t is
true, Alderman Woodward was not in the
Council when that body had to contend
with the great dangers which have threat
ened us in the last few years, and did not
have to rack his brain to provide ways
and means to protect the city against what
would certainly have proved its utter ruin.
To accomplish this was an absolute neces-
sity and required some nice iinanciering un-
der the circumstances. But Alderman
Woodward knows, If he knows the truth,
that there was not a dollar expended need
lessly and uselessly AS result of all this
the city is in splendid condition so far as
security is concerned, and it is also in good
condition financially, considering the diifi-
cuties that had to be met and the work
that was done. While it Is true, as the Ar
Gus makes Alderman Woodward say, that
there are thirty thousand dollars Of antici-
patton warrants outstanding, it is also true
that they were issued against tax levy
of forty thousand dollars which the sheriff
is now collecting as rapidly as possible.
As for the fear that the collection will fall
short of the amount in which the taxes
were anticipated, it is not reasonable at all.
1t was to provide against just such an
emergency as this, that the ordinance was
adopted limiting the amount Of anticlpa-
tion warrants to two-thirds of the amount
of the tax levy; and the fact that, in spite
of the heavy extraordinary expenditures
the city was compelled to make, there has
not been one dollar anticipated above the
limit established by this ordinance, IS mat
ter for congratulation. 1t would have been
preferable, indeed, to have been able to do
the work necessary and carry on the city
government, without issuing any antcipa-
ton warrants; but, then, that would have
involved the necessity, either of avoiding
the unavoidable and accomplishing the i'm
possible or letting the city 60 to the devil
by way of the Mississippi or some other
route less damp, perhaps, but equally un-
pleasant. Alderman Woodward knows, no
doubt, Just as well as we do, that the an
ticipation warrants are limited in time to
one year, the year against the tax levy Of
which they are issued; that they must be
paid out of said levy and that the interest
on them ceases after that year. So that all
the floating debt the city can possibly have
at any time, will be seventy-flve per CEN
tum of the tax levy for any one year, and
this debt MUST OF NECESSITY BE ExTIN-
GUIsHED AT THE END OF EACH YEAR out of
the taxes levied for such year. The Alder
man knows, also, no doubt, that the proba-
Bile wants of the city government for var-
Gus purposes during any one year are estl-
mated in advance by the City Comptroller;
that this amount is appropriated by the
Council, and that the property of the city
Is levied upon for such amount less the
amount expected to be derived from licen-
ses, etc. Thus the tax levy itself becomes
limit for each year, beyond which the au-
thorities cannot 90 IN their expenditures
that year. When, therefore, the Argus
makes the Alderman express the fear that
there will be an increase of the floating
Indebtedness Of the city, we must conclude
| that the Argus does not renresent the AZ