The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-04-05

ibOard OF county commissioners, SIT
ting as a board of review, will stanl
by the assessors (Which they did no
do last year)-what then?
How much money would that pu
into the city's worse than empty
money box? measley $4,000 a year
gentlement,-no more!
Last year the personal property in
Cairo was valued by the assessor al
l$2,197,62 Under the state law fix
ling one-flfth of the assessors yalna'
tion as the taxable value, the city's
taxes were extended on S439,525. An
Increase of Is per cent OF this taxable
value would be $109,SSl; and the 2
per cent corporation tax on that sum
would be S2,l9762.
! How far. pray, would that go to-
/; ward wiping out the city's $4,000
annual floating debt toward giving
the city needed fire protection at a
cost of $1,000 for equipment and
several thousand dollars in additional
annual running expenses, toward
giving the city systematic street
cleaning to save it from epidemics
and make it unnecessary for ladies
and children to serve as scaVengers
for the sloppy people of the city?
II may be claimed with truth that
the personal property valuation of
Cairo ought to he raised SO per cent;
in most eases it ought to be raised
100 per cent; in many instances it
ought to be raised 500 per cent, in
order to be what the law requires It
TO be: "a fair cash value. 1t is
well to keep In mind. however, that
the greatest strikers on this class of
taxes are the big fellows who derive
most benefit from government be-
cause they have most to protect. and
who usually are the most vigorous
and the most successful "kiekers. :
The personal belongings Of the ma.
iority of the little fellows has small
market value, and The usually pay
much more than their just proportion
of IL xes in comparison with what
The big fellows pay
But he is a dreamer who believes /
that any considerable number Of /
people whose taxes ought TO be raised I
are going to offer voluntarily 70 have /
them raised OF the valuations are I
raised so that any appreciate H. /
crease in revenue will result, /
It will have to come through .
Inc exercise of power on the I
part of those who are placed in posi- /
ions of authority-we must have I
among the county officials. what we
long have needed also from our city I
officials in some directions a
clearer and more consistent recogni-
lion OF what is right than what may |
seem polite. a stronger regard for I
the interests of the community than
for individual or class interests -
more government and less Letter
just to please Gallagher
1t was Emerson who said: OF all I
debts men are least willing to pay !
the taxes. What satire is this on /
Everywhere they think +.
they get their moneys worth except /
for these .
The distinguished essayist was
right in his statements of fact, what,
sver may be said of his exclamation.
People do resist taxes. and only too
often they have right o feel that
hey do not get their moneys worth
in the way of good government. But.
as Mr.. Hurt said, government must
be maintained (even though it be
but a pretense hereof in some re-
,rectsl. aud it costs money to main
Tain it. whatever 1t may be.
But there. is another phase of Mr.
Hurts sermon Saturday which seems
to call for comment IT Is his refer
anee to saloons and the proposition
10 raise saloon licenses. One serious
which Mr. Hurt seems to
have made. and which others have
made who have spoken on this sub
iect is that the movement 10 raise
saloon licenses is prompted by
anmity toward the saloons or toward
saloon men as 2 class. aul they desjg-
nate the movement with some show
Of Indignation as Jumping on the
saloons"
As a matter of fact the proposition
70 raise saloon licenses is a forced
lne-a necessary means n an allim,
eortant end. The rehabilitation of
he city's treasury is the thing of
paramount concern In the minds Of
1ublic spirited men and tho raising
If saloon licenses Is the only bridge
,ver which the city government can
scare from bankruptcy at the end
If the present fiscal wear This is
he ooncensUs of opinion Of all the
strong men who have gone into the
natter with an eve single to the in
.erest5 OF the communty-who are
not moved or Influenced by personal
n class interests stand in he way h
IF. or tn deliberately sacrifice. the in
erests of the city 1t was the con /
elusinn reached after weeks of con II
and careful Investigation by
the gentlemen who composed the com