The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-18

Wills avenue bridge. 1,9bo. 600
These are only q few of tho new works which
the city has undertaken to complete. Besides
these, the repaving Of numbers of streets has
s Keen SsFaeF rsw s aoak sut 5.D baths Sen bous nsw 70, Hall iS Of
Fire DEPARTMENT, FIVE or six other bridges. q
viaduSt at M Sl;Sse Webster and Brook E ssEonues;
pues, a grand concourse and boulevard, school.
houses to cost over $4,000 900, and armoriee
balances Of bonds authorized to be issued on
Aug. 81, 1897. for various other improvements,'
amount SIS, S71. $40 Is a city debt already. and
G5s.241 $50 soon will be debt.
but many. whose sanity and business sagaoity
have never been questioned, who say hat the
the city yn shall build u this un Meesror Or rosd
should take some account. of tho vast improve
m nSa;t;o nov , in progress nesn before ssn 1e.ristorsss saddles IDLE thi'
have to pay for them and it. They insist that,
as a n,sa,icG of p Pn ths policy; G quite distinct ddPt , from
the business Of building lin railroads s.ihs ssyuMndde r ~ 'nsS
nicipality to present the melancholy spectacle
Of beginning great undertakings and leaving
OF course, there is always a way left for q city
to pay its debts; Its assessors can simply raise
have to pay the taxes or give up their property
holdings. Most taxpayers think the real estate
yElSssiG Will Il 9 psf%iI. q One sie e t e. the Factors rsyep sSss
entered largely into the election of the Demo-
cratic candidate for Mayor was that the taxes
years. II the election Of Judge Van Wyck was
q demand from the citizens for lower taxes. how,
up still higher taxes on an Overwhelmed peoplel
But it is not the direct taxpayers. alone who
scheme: Tho great army Of rent payers are as
much II NOT more greatly Interested. The own
wealthy. They can, IL they have to, bear heavier
taxation and stili not want. But II they were
b b9 RAISING aleh the sSe To reHt %e fhs sh %a lhSIsss Of t fs1 oitS!s
rent payers, are the city's bread winners. The
that rents were away out of proportion to the in
comes OF the rent payers. Compel the city to pay
all it's other debts and build an underground
DO repudiatet and the city's credit impaired,
almost beyond mending, or the taxes must go
WI Willie eG a. the the t ssms a si&Se sR Run Up 3 IS Of t'f families nsnss;
will be compelled to sacrifice comfortable homes
Pre- prospect Gaetp L is 1 little " w9 sSSe that ta Masy ssv and
rent payers alike are Interested In this under.
E tns eIty n ps,lFP SS de sGRs%s i Sna a II, praying that
The Rapid Transit Commissioners and some
others who are interested. for one cause or an.
moment the liability of the city for any Of tho
say this the gentlemen forget what some of the
Judges OF this same court said about this very
Of the Coudert commission in 1896. In his
opinion, handed down at that time. Presiding
at is to DO further observed that tho plan
which has been suggested to build this under,
ground road IN sections assumes that the Board
OF Rapid Transit shall mortgage, for a consider
able period OF years in the future. the debt.
creating capacity Of the city. Under this
provide for the purchase of land for and the
building OF public schools, the improvement of
docks. the furnishing Of additional water sup
ply. and the establishment of additional parks
all improvements of a permanent character
Tor By byf bones to @Ai be- payable %Ss Rso N Ike II FUTURE pr"si and
the city would be helpless, bound hand and foot
transit contracts"
I'm tho same subject, Justice RumSoy eX-
pressed himself as follows:
III 1t should be necessary to build school
houses, or to improve tho water front, or to re-
pave a street, each of these things could be done
for 1t should be raised at once by taxation. The
serious consequences of such u condition OF
affairs can be easily understood. The actual
necessity Of leaving some margin of the power
to incur indeb edness 30 that the city may pro
coded"
The Rapid Transit Commissioners, for some
reason probably best known to themselves, have
been so extremely anxious to give the city rapid
transit, by means OF a tunnel, that they have
assumed many things to bolster up their report,
which. IL Is said by those who should know, they
have, no right to assume, They assume,
for instance. that notwithstanding all the
improvements the city has undertaken,
como Of which have. been mentioned
above, there, viii DO ample revenues TO meet
all these liabilities from the natural annual in
crease in, assessed valuations Of real estate
Here Is what Justice RumsGy, In discussing thin
very question, In giving his opinion on the re
III 1t be said that the natural increase OF val
ues In this city Will be such as within no long
time 10 permit u great increase in Its debt, tn,
answer Is that we are dealing and must doa
tracing indebtedness goes hand in hand with
the increase IN the power 10 do So"