The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-02-02
Cost of Running the City

MT EJttOC 4Uc HtateIO6ue Iu6Uc
in The lien some days ago to the
efect that the proposed license ordi-
nance was necessity. because the
city was borrowing money is not
necessary conclusion from the prem.
ises. To say that because the city is
borrowing money. therefore license
ordinance is necessary, ls. at least,
putting it strong If this be reason
sufficient, then there will always be
necessity for license ordinance, 80
long as the city fathers see fit to
make the expenditures exceed the
income. It 10 not my purpose to
criticise the present city council, for
l believe it has managed the city
affairs fairly well, at least not extrav
agantly To force a discriminating,
uofair. unjust license bill upon an un
willing people because, forsooth. the
city is borrowing money will hardly
satisfy the voters Of the necessity
One would naturally ask, is there
necessity to borrow money? The
answer to which question will involve
some insight into the status of the
city's finances
The fact is the city ha~ been bor-
rowing money in anticipation of the
collection of ita taxes. from year to
year, since wav back in the seven
ties, when through somebody's fault,
it fell heir to debt of some $4,000.
81, 900 of which was paid off gradu-
ally out of the income for ordinary
city purposes, and the other $4,000
the city is now carrying as part of
It's bonded debt In the early nine
ties, the city had about recovered
from the outlay of this $4,000. when
the building of the present Opera
House was accomplished at cost Of
some $32, 900. about $4,000 in excess
of the money realized from the bonds
voted for that purpose. and the insu
rance money received from the Town
Hall. This $4,000 had, of course,
to be paid out of the income for or
dinary city purposes. So the neces-
sity to borrow money in anticipation
of the taxes, is not occasioned by the
want of license bill, for even with
license bill, such as is now proposed,
enforced to the letter, the came ne
cessity to forestall the taxes by bor-
rowing money would exist In con-
frmation of this. it need only be said
that during the present fiscal year
the city has had to borrow some
Sl0,00O-the enforcement of the
Elicense bill would probably add
So, 900 to the revenues of the city.
But take it, Mr.. Editor, that what
you really meant was that even after
the city has borrowed what money it
can in anticipation of the taxes. and
even after all the revenues of the
city are collected and expended, then
there remains the necessity to borrow
money to meet current liabilities Ia
other words that the expenditures of
the city are in excess of its income,
AID hence the necessity of license
bill to increase the income. Grant
ing, Mr. Editor, for the sake of the
argument, that the expenditures ex-
ceed the income. might it not be
we'll before conceding the necessity
for discriminating, unfair and un
just license bill, one which bears
heavily on those who already contri
butte mainly to the support of the
city government; to inquire first.
whether there is necessity that the
expenditures should exceed the in
come? Second, if some more just,
fair aud equitable plan for increasing
the city revenues might not be de-
vised?
The income of the city for the
present fiscal year is about S22. 900,
which does not include the school
tax, which, ofcourse. must be applied
to the city schools. Out of this
| $4,000 there are certain fixed
charges which in all events must be
paid, as water rents, electric lights.
and interest on bonds, these items
amount to 1920. leaving a balance
of $l2.3SO for ordinary city purposes
I believe the city expenditures can
aud ought to be kept within this
limit The expenditures of the city
for the present fiscal year have ex-
ceeded the income about $4,000. l
am not sufficiently familiar with the
management of the finances to say
just where and how this $4,000 can
be curtailed. Something might be
done in the line of street expenses
The amount expended on streets is
something like 81, 900, to what pur
pose every voter can Judge for him