The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-16
is DETERMINING Ayo1DARLE?

MI Igraitus y. sullivan Mayor of Hartford, Conn,
expresses opinion in his interesting message to the
City Council that in the future municipalities will rot
have debts For nearly fifty years, it is illustrated.
Hartfords financial obligations Lave been the same
and at the end of one term the city has incurred in
Hartford has thoughtful Mayor whose nten-
lions seem to be excellent and who offers suggestions
of considerable practical value But he will not find
many executive officials and Political economists who
will take his hopeful view of debt-extincion.
Nor will many practical men accept his theory
that share Of the burden for permanent public i'm
provemeus should not rest upon the generation.
nor his theory that dcbeflectcd public work is not
permanent Improvement.
Yet his assertion that municipal government is
special science requiring special training in managing
officials and Subordinaes will meet with general in
dorsrment
If city were t" have coed fortune forever il con-
ditons would remain always the same, If the increase
III population were TO adapt itself to municipality s
ordinary resources. if the requirements should remain
unchanged from generation generation if accidents
and emergencies made impossible if municipali-
flies conducted al public utility plants and derived
large revenue therefron, If officials should err
and if Il city were pause in development. financial
matters could he fixed Oh a permanent calculable
basis But cities. like individuals, are subject to in
iuences conditions and vciSsitudes and the larger
they the greater become obligations and the more
urgent become demands
Certain improvements are necessary at n certain
epoch in citys advancement Say waterwor;s
plant 10 cost million dollars would have to he built
The city would not have the ready money unless the
requisite amount had been acquired ut least partly
by assessments against previous generation The
city could not in fairness, make the present genera
Ton endure the whole cost rs the Improvement would
pass on most Of the benefits to the next generation
What would be more logical, in thai case than bond
issue?
At thc end of another generation a city would he
confronted with and probably necessary enter
prise Thus. in the of time its debt might be
the same or deviae slightly, become larger or be-
come less, become temporarily extinct But if
city progress, it will have occasion going into
debt at periods, and there is scarcely possibility that
it eyer will stay long out of Gel There might be an
Isolated case of nodeb city, but that city would be
an exception without cmulators.
Churches get large revenue, they should. and
still most Of them in debt. The largest corpora
ifons are in debt Many wealthy individuals are in
debt. There is debt against majority of infants born
into the world There is probably debt against the
average man throughout his whole life. And large
is 4 mans estate may he it is not unlikely that he
viii leave the world in debt. Debt is about as certain
about certain most municipalities as are exist
ence and progress Solvency and business power are
not designated by freedom from debt but by the rea-
ton of assets debt and by the productiveness of
energy.