Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-12-22
TAX Reform DEPARTMENT.
EAST ST. LOUIS TAXATION PROB.
LEM.
Tow Great and Rich City Could BE Made
Out of n Bankrupt Town.


Tow Great and Rich City Could Be Made
Out of n Bankrupt Town.
Our sister city of East st. Louis is in
peck OF trouble. at time when
public sentiment seems to be fairly
represented By her city government,
the penalty of former municipal ex-
travagance and mismanagement must
be paid by the present generation of
taxpayers. The law wills it, the courts
have dccreed it, and the debt must be
paid even though ali property and goods
within the corporate limits ''be COTS
cate to Venice" in order to satisfy the
judgments of the city's creditors.
In the halcyon days when the city
was in the hands of political monde
scripts, debts were contracted and
bonds were issued to the tune of
81 600, 600. And now, by legal decree,
taxes must be levied to pay them. But
how can the industry of East st, Louis
survive under so heavy a burden? How
can it be hoped that single new in
dustry will be established there if
threatened at the outset with prohibit
i've taxation? Capital is not only free
to stay away if the prospect is uninvit-
ing, but is free to move away
if burdened there more than
elsewhere with repressive taxation,
thereby reducing to an utter impossible
ity the already gloomy prospect of free
ing the city from the principal and ever
growing interest of its municipal debot-
While the ablest financiers of the city
are bordering the problem, and COM
mittees are devising ways and means
out OF the trouble, they are confronted
ut the outset by Il constitutional diff
Guilty which presents an obstacle almost
insurmountablc. The constitution OF
Illinois provides that all property and
values in the state shalt be assessed and
shall pay state taxes il equal ratio.
This provision applies to county and
municirai taxation as we'll, although
corporations ana individuals through
out the state ev:.dc the law every year
by sccretin-. or or'y partially listin"
their personal property to the assessor,
yet tlcs ca: not successfully evade the
law when capital seeks Fixed invest
ment And, therefore. every fiXe,l in
vestmeIt, every manufacturing and
productive enterprise IN the CITY
and state contributes It's p-oportionate
share to the public revenues The tax
on enterprise. though hitherto not oner-
Gus enough % be proli bicivc. Is. never
theless. sufficiently heavy to- dampen
the aT.cr OF those who would engage in
manu- occurring or in productive enter
prises of any kind. from the building OF
factories down to stock raising. Though
the trainers OF the constitution PROB
ably did Eot contemplate such results.
yet the steadily growing state taxes are
just Us steadily operating to discourage
thrift and enterprise throughout the
state. Ect row, vixen it shall be neces-
sary (eo- the court DEGREES it, for Il
municipal government, under this con-
stitutional provision, to quadruplc and
quintuple the taxes on ali enterprises
within its municipal confines. from roll
ing mills down to provision stores. then
will the industrial outlook for such q
city be gloomy indeed.
If. on the contrary, instead of placing
further burdens on industry ard pro-
ductive enterprise, the existing load of
state. county and municipal taxes could
be lirhte ned, or Indeed abolished, then
would enterprise NEE: with SO much
greater recompense in East St Louis
than elsewhere that capital would flow
the hum Of industry and the songs of
happy artisans be heard in a few short
months where now the lonely gardener
hoes the succulent cabbage in the truck
patches of the American bottom. Were
the constitution of Illinois so modified
as to permit county, township and mu-
nicipat governments to exempt from
taxation all personal prop ,rty within
their confines, then the problem of East
ST. Louis would be solved. So soon as
that city adopted the method of raising
its revenues by taxing real estate alone,
and eXempting from taxation every
product of industry and every form of
enterprise, there would at once set in
flow of capital and OF labor to East St
Louis
The greatest inducement to the es-
Establishment of business enterprises is
to exempt therefron taxation. Where
manufacturers prosper population
grows. The recommendation of Ex-
Mayor Hewitt that personal property
be exempt from taxation in New York
city is but straw showing the rising
current OF popular opinion. and not the
least improbab BILE action of the next
Legislature OF Illinois is the submission
to a popular vote of a constitutional
amendment giving local option in tax
alton 10 each county,