Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-17
TERMS OF THE DISPATCH.
PITTsBURG. TUESDAY. MAR. II, 1891
THE STREET MUDDLE.

The Supreme Court wipes out the street
acts of 1887 and 1889 in toto, and directs the
city of Pittsburg to straighten up matters
and start again with a clean sheet. That is
the brief summary of the weigh'y opinion in
the test cases handed down yesterday.
While the Court plainly points out that
legislation can be passed by which work to
be done in the future may be carried on, we
are unable to find in the ruling any escape
from the conclusion that all the street and
sewer improvements lately finished or in
process OF completion must be paid
for by the general taxes. The Court
saws that the assessment of damages
bv the Board of Viewers is the in
itial step in all Improvements, and the
uncoustitutionality of that body taints all
the subsequent proceedings. "All the pre-
liminary reports made by it fail, and no
improvements can be ordered under them;
all the assessments Of damages and benefits
fail, and all the uncollected liens entered
upon the assessments 60 with the assess
ments; all work done or to be done upon
these improvements, as the law now stands,
must be paid for by the city," 1t follows,
of course, that while curative Legislation"
may provide for street Improvements in the
future. all work which has gone 50 far as a
preliminary aSsessmentDf damages and ben
efts by the Board of Viewers must be paid
for by general taxation. including the COM
pletion of what is unfinished.
The actual condition in which the city
and the taxpayers fpd themselves is we'll
nigh inextricable. There is one large class
OF property-holders who have recently paid
in the aggregate millions for Improvements
in which they were interested, and must
now have their burden of general taxation
largely increased in order to pay for the i'm
2rovements affected by this decision. There
is again the large class of prOperty-owners
for whom no Improvements at all have been
made, but who must help to pay for work
the benefit of which goes elsewhere. Such
hardships in multiiarious forms. are the re-
suit OF the disposition of the Supreme Court
10 wipe out the classification of cities, so far
as II affects methods of judicial procedure.
The law of course cannot be questioned, but
N0e SituallOu Is ulSulg SlupdIIdssAnB.
Where the whole system Of Improvements
is reduced to chaos. it is impossible at once
to outline plan of action. 1t seems that
practical justice cannot be done, except by
the adoption of policy which shall under
take the universal Improvement of streets
at the cost OF the whole city, so that all tax
payers shall share equally the benefit of
Improvements for which all have to pay.
Even that course will not make matters
even unless it includes plan for recompens-
ing those who have paid special assessments
OF late wears; and that would involve such
heavy taxation that it cannot be done other
wise than by gradual operation extending
over the course of years. This will hardly
be thought OF.
For the present it is plain that the public
must make up its mind to decided en-
largement Of the general tax levy. This
burden may be somewhat alieviated by
radical cutting down of other lines of ex-
penditure that have been proposed, and
which must wait until the fiscal course of
the city is made clear. The present condi-
tion gives pertinence to the proposition to
issue loan for park and bridge expendi-
lures, which, except by some such course,
must be postponed Indefinitely.