The daily Cairo bulletin., 1884-05-17
The Daily Bulletin.
LOCAL BREVITIES.


movement that involves the expenditure oI
money for public improvements, and loses
no opportunity to get in blow at tho i'm.
provements and expenses already provided
Tor aud under way. His motive is unQues
tienably good, 1t is desirable that there
should be no money spent needlessly, and
that all work done shall be prompted by
necessity and wise forothought for the fu.
ture general welfare Of the city, and be ex.
ecuted as cheaply as may be in order to be
well done. This, it seems to us, has been
the policy of the city government with ref
erence to expenses. There has been a great
deal of work done within the last year
substantial work the great benefits OF
which will be felt for many years to come
and It has all been done at the least pos
sibe cost to the city. The greatest items
OF expense have been for building side
walks, filing and improving streets aud
strengthening the levees, and there is no
man In this city, who has given proper at
tention aud thought to public affairs and
knows whereof he speaks, aud who can ap-
preciate the Importance of the work done,
who will say that there has been needless
or an eX'ravagant expenditure in any OF
these items. a WISE oconomony is deslra-
BILE, but wise economy often means liberal
expenditure Liberal expenditure ON the
levee, for instance, in time of low wat
er, will always prove to have been the
wisest economy, in time of floods. A Mig
gardly policy in the care of our levees would
be dangerous, probably ruinous; similar
policy with reference to needed internal
improvements, would be more bighting
than heavy bonded debt could possibly
be, especially in city naturally as unpre-
possessing in appearance as Cairo is. But
there is no need at all of nlggardliness in
the management of our public affairs. Cairo
is not bankrupt, nor likely to become so (;
she is in better condition financially than
she has been at any time in the last TWEEN
ty years; her bonded debt is only about
half what it was; there has been no increase
ia taxation, but a very considerable de-
creac within the last six or seven years !;
there have been many important public
improvements; the city is now more secure
from the rivers than she has ever been since
her Inauguration; there is n handsome sum
OF cash in the treasury, and, as a natural
consequence of all this, her prospects are
bright and future prosperity more certain
than it ever WAS before. In view Of all this,
it would be extremely unwise to inau yurate
policy of repression of rerogression, we
may properly term it-in the matter OF in
ternal improvements. The city needs much
improving internally, as every city does; It's
streets and sidewalks need constant watch
ing, more so here than in most other cities
OF this size, for there is much heavy traffic
and much travel generally over all our
thoroughfares and walks. Nothing renders
a city more unsightly and more unfit for
habitation than dilapidated walks and
streets, and timely, liberal and judicious
expenditure of money on these will always
be found the most econqAlc treatment in
the end. 1t would BE- difficult to find
matter in which the city government had
spent money unwisely or extravagantly dur
ing the last six or eight years, aud, there
fore, equally difficult to retrench now or
in thejfuture without injuring the city in
one way or another. And there is no popu.
lar demand for greater economy (O in the
management of the citys affairs, so far as
we can learn. II is true, the people are
heavily taxed, but not for city purposes
Some of the responsibility for the heavy
tax should be laid upon the State authori
ties which have assessed the same tax, now
that the State has no bonded debt, as they
did when it had heavy bonded debt to
pay; and upon the federal authorities who
collect an indirect tax of over hundred mil
lions in excess of the needs of the Govern
ment every year. But $50 far as the city
tax is concerned there will doubtless be, as
was recommended by the Mayor in his an
nual address, a material reduction in the
levy for this year, and that, too, without
necessitating sham economy in municipal
expenditures and an interruption of much
needed works of internal improvement
The school district tax will probably also
be reduced in view Of the large surplus in
the fund from last year. These reductions
will afford much relief to tax payers and
will probably satisfy, for the time being at
least, even those who feel the burden
heaviest. Let us have .judicious economy,
but save Us from the bllghting effects of
rash retrenchment
Sfotn Son0fnp