The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-01-13
COX PROCLAIMS 1T
CITY CLERK PROVES IT BEYOND A
REASONABLE DOUBT.

Smith Shows by the City Records just
What Is the Bonded Debt-He Then
Proves That Tax Levy of Per Cent
+ on q Cash Value Assessment Would
| Very Nearly Pay It The Paving Bonds
Charged to Property Holders Are Not q
City Debt--something That Every Lady
Should Know.
City Clerk Smith stands ready to
prove the assertion of Mayor Cox,
which was to the effect that few cities
are in better financial condition than
| Wichita.
The efficient city clerk declares that
taking into consideration that Wichita
| has one of the finest city buildings in
! the west and a number of buildings
| for the use Of the fire department and
| all the business streets paved, that the
city of Wichita has a small bonded
debt
People usually suppose that because
Wichita has these improvements and
has secured railroads enough to make
I this the railroad center of the south
west that she must of necessity have
Sitdt OOllOtd dtDt 10 JAoI NiIGt
Mayor Cox disclained and now Mr..
! Smith comes forward with the proof,
| and he gets the proof from the records
in the city clerks office where perfect
account of all the business transac-
tions of the city are kept.
When asked if he could give the eX-
act amount of the bonded debt of Wich-
ita Mr.. Smith said of course he could.
He then stated that while the paving
bonds We're guaranteed by the city that
they We're no more a city debt than
school district bonds are a state debt,
because their payment was guaranteed
by the state.
The obliging city clerk brought out
his books and after adding up a long
column of figures he said: There is
just the amount of our bonded debt"
The footing showed s696, ,604.36. The
amount charged up 20 Main and Mar
ket streets and Douglas avenue for
paving bonds is just S343, ,004.95, leav-
ing the bonded debt of the city $685.
599.41.
These figures Will be found to be
much less than even people here in
Wichita who have not kept posted on
the city's business supposed they were.
Mr.. Smith declared that there was no
more probability that the city would
have to pay the paving bonds issued
for Douglas avenue Main and Market
streets than there was that the city
would have to pay for the business
houses built on these business thor
oughfares. Then anybody who can
figure will be BILE to tell whether this
debt will ever be likely to prove a bur-
den to property holders in the city.
Mr.. Smith says the assessed value of
all city property is S5,2s2, 900 on basis
of 80 per cent of cash value. a tax
levy of per cent would give $780,
$4,000 This would pay the pres
ent bonded debt of the city and leave
more than enough to pay the amount
voted to prospect for coal or gas. 1t is
generally supposed that the legislature
will pass law compelling the assess
ment of all property at cash value for
purposes of taxation. If this is done
the assessed value of Wichita property
would be about s17,e0O,O0O. In that
event a tax levy of per cent would
very nearly pay the city's bonded debt.
WICHITA WOMEN WHO WRITE.
Mrs Richards writes much poetry
that receives favorable mention.
Miss Winans. who has quite a talent
with the pen, was married last week.
Mrs. Leases new book "'The Prob
lem of Civilization will soon be out
Nannetta Daisy has given up the
pen and gone to farming in Oklahoma.
Mrs. Leases first literary effort was
a poem in the Eagle several years ago.
Miss Blanche Guthrie is clever
writer and has journalistic ambitions.
Mrs. 70. Norris is a clever writer
She is at present at work on a long
story.
Mrs. Mary Todd wields ready pen.
She has written number of juvenile
stories.
Mrs. E. L. Mckenzie superintended
a department in a Chicago paper for
some time.
Mrs. ]. NJ. Knapp frequently con-
tributes to the local newspapers in a
poetical way.
The sale of Miss Leila Hardin Bugg's
novel Orchids" has been greater than
she expected.
If Miss Rea Woodman We're disposed
she could make her fortune as an edi-
torial paragrapher.
Mrs. Hoss can write beautiful verse
and has, but her efforts in that line are
few and far between.
Mrs. H. G.. Toler has written q num-
ber of plays and is a regular contrib
utor to several eastern papers.
The Misses Millison, who edit the So
ciety paper Jibber-Jab. surprised their
friends with their literary talent.
Mrs. ]. T. Bush, who used to write
for the Eagle, is now a regular con-
tributor to the Pacific coast papers.
A Wichita woman, Mrs. Frank 3.
Smith is at the head of the best even
ing paper in Kansas, the Wichita
Beacon.
Mrs. Charlesworth's literary efforts
appear 10 have ended with her single
contribution TO the Arena on wearing
boomers.
Mrs. P. V. Healy has written poetry
which has been copied extensively.
She is a contributor to the Nineteenth
Century and other magazines.
Mrs. L. B. Priddy has an excelling
faculty for book reviews and dramatic
criticisms although she is not in
clined to indulge it to any great ex-
tent
One Of the most valuable contribu- !
tors to the Eagle is a woman. AL
though she signs a masculine name
and is supposed to be a man. She /
talks more about free silver usually, /
than she does about dress.
Mrs. Jennie E. Hobbs. a number Of /