Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-01-07
ACTS OFALDERMEN.
Discussions Attendant Upon
Last Nights Meeting.
PROPOSED TAX PAYERS PAMPHLET.

List-The Experts ON the City Records
Appearance Of Breach Of Faith in Paw
inE-Other Matter. Under Consideration.
Last nights session of the city
council was short, but it was all
sufficient to admit of some warm dis
cussion. After the opening prelimi-
naries, Mayor Knox called up the mat
ter of licensing s!eighs RAINING oyer
the ice between this city and Daven-
port. The city attorneys opinion
was sought on the subject and his
reply was that as long as the sleighs
did not come on shore in Rock ISL
and the council did not have juris-
diction. Aid. Tindall reported a
number of Rock Island hackmen
having been required to give license
in Davenport and he thought Rock
Island had equal right to revenue
from the same source-beside the
city needed it just at this time. He
believed in going after the hackmen.
City Clerk Huesing had already re-
quired number of the drivers of
these conveyances to pay proper
license. The license question having
thus been opened Aid. Schroeder
called up the matter Of the Mendoza
and Chicago Brewing companies, and
Aid. Foss brought up wholesale
liquor houses in general, the entire
matter after discussion being re-
ferred to the committee on license
and markets to report.
The List of Tax Payers.
Incidentally was brought forward
the progress Of the special commit
tee, composed of Aids. Foss, Kennedy
and Dauber, on the preparation of
the pamphlet containing the list of
city tax payers. The cost was in
guired into and Aid. Foss reported
that the total expenditure would not
exceed 1915. Aid. Maucker. who
was not present when the action was
taken, asked for explanations. Aid.
Kennedy briefly described the plan
proposed and the object, which was
that all might know just who was
paying the taxes of the city, and how
much.
Aid. Maucker remarked that the
present time and in the existing
state of city finances when nearly all
of next years available resources
were provided for the expenditure
was not necessary.
Aid. Kennedy replied that had this
work been done years ago the city
would not be in its present shape, as
the object was to equalize taxes. and
require that all pay their just pro-
portion.
Aid. Tindall held that the end did
not justify the means and he feared
the outlay would run up into the
thousands of dollars before the oh.
ject was carried out and each tax
payer provided with q copy.
Aid. Kennedy regarded the invest
ment as paying one in all respects.
1t had passed the council twice
once before the old council and once
before the present one-and it was
now time to call a halt.
Aid. Foss conceived that the end in
view would fully meet the outlay.
The custom has been that one man
with one-tenth of the property of the
city has been paying for three-tenths
of the property. as the pamphlet
will show. The work of preparation
is now nearly completed, and the
printing of 5000 copies. a number
sufficient to give each taxpayer one,
will not exceed $315.
Aid. Gall reported that there be
included in the pamphlet the list of
water consumers and the amount
each is taking. That, too, might be
of interest to show the inequality in
which the burdens of taxation are
AID. Maucker offered a substitute
to the effect that the special commit
tee on pamphlet proceed no further.
Mayor Knox refused at first to enter.
tain the motion. saying it was out of
order, but Aid. Maucker insisting
on the parliamentary correctness of
his motion, it was put and defeated.
Then Aid. Calls motion received a
similar fate.
The City Books.
Aid. Fender asked for information
on the work of the special committee
on the city records. He thought the
were taking too long and
that it was time to call a halt.
Mayor Knox made a sharp reply to
this, which led to an animated argu-
ment between Aid. Fender and Mayor
knox after the council adjourned, in
which the mayor declared that the
had found a shortage of
81, 475 on the books of the city and
he thought it was worth finding out.
1t has been ascertained, it may be
said in further explanation of this,
that the records are in deplorable
shape, many of the credits of returns
for special assessment warrants hav-
ing not been made at all, while
others are charged with what they
have rot paid, among others one
entire side of the Spencer Square
paving improvement having no ac-
count whatever, the trouble being
mainly with the methods of some of
the collectors. The records are in
terrible shape" the mayor declared.
land We are laboring to straighten
them out and expect to. but the