Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-01-18

an indication that the taxpayer is
more and more impressed with his in
ability to support the burden of gov
eminent, and wishes to put ii off as
long as may be, or finally shift it onto
future generation, if possible This is
the doctrine OF economy" that the
City Hall ring and its organs preached
to us in the campaign last fall in sup
port of the outrageous refunding prop
osition, in opposition to which the
Register among all the newspapers
stood alone-and won. 1t was propos-
ed by that ordinance to shift a debt
that belongs to this day and genera
ton to our children thirty-four years
hence. The same argument that makes
this scheme OF deft-refunding attrac-
tive to other cities was used here. We
were told and retold that future gen
erations would get the benefit of the
this arrangement and should be made
to pay for them or stand their share
of payment for them. This contempt
ible plea appealed to many taxpayers,
but, thanks to the good horse sense
and honesty of the average taxpayer of
Wheeling, it did not attract him. The
ordinance to refund our present debt
for thirty-four years was beaten over
whelmingly, and this victory over sell
fish greed and representation, is a
mark of honorable distinction for
Wheeling, for most Of her sister cities
in the United States are enamored of
the attractive practice of refunding
their debts when they fall due instead
of paying them as they may through
economy, and are pursuing this dan
gerous practice to an extent that is
alarming.
For the day of reckoning must come.
Then what?
Will we all be SO rich in that day
through having put off payment of our
debts that we will be able to liquidate
them on demand? If this were true,
if the average taxpayer were growing
richer and not poorer and more hard
pressed this practice of putting off the
payment of municipal debt would not
be so popular as it is in most of the
cities of the United States. 1t would
seem to be a sign Of distress rather
than prosperity, this piling up Of debt
and leaving it for future generations
to pay 1t is unwise and every intelli-
gent man knows it is unwise.
Wheeling has been saved from the
consequences of indulging in this easy
way of getting out of slight present
difficult by shifting it onto the Shout
ders of our children who will come
after us, but the practice is prevalent
throughout the country to-day, and we
hear of one municipal corporation af-
ter another voting to issue bonds IN
order to refund an old debt about to
fall due, and to meet which it would
have to practice economy or increase
taxation. and these are in amounts
compared with which Wheeling's half
million refunding proposition was pal
try. 1t is a growing habit among our
cities that is next door to vice. 1t is
attractive, as we have said, to the
hard-pressed taxpayers of to-day, but
what Of the furura2
These debts must be met.
The longer they are delayed and the
higher they are piled up the scarcer
will credit become and the more rapid
ly must the final day of settlement APP
proach True, it may be delayed TWEEN
ty. thirty. fifty years, or longer, but
what then, should this habit OF pro-
crastination keep growing, if not re-
pudiation. a final crash-the deluge?
Is not pay as you CO. within rea-
sonable bounds, the safer policy not
only for the individual, but for the
municipality?
Wheeling may be heartily congratu-
lated for having escaped the prevalent
craze of putting off and piling up her
obligations.