The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-01-11

was. Mayor Wilson absurdity of his
position sometime since He must have it at
least long ago the evening of the special election
October when it appeared that his application to the
pie for permit to create debt Of 100000 had been
refused, by overwhelming majority.
There nothing novel in the Mayors determina-
tion-prior to his electionto low rate based
upon heavy borrowing.
JUST THIS ExPEDIENT HAS BEEN ONE OF
IN AMERICA.
The candidate for nayoral office frequently be-
gins by ASSUMING that the average tax payer is stu
d sort of person, mainly concerned with low tax rate
regardless of what he gets for his money.
Such is not the Men who accumulate property
are at least intelligent who do not And, in
cumulatng property, such persons usually know some
thing about business methods and business management
Mayor Wilson will find if he takes the trouble to in
qure that average direct payerlet say the
of home has fairly definite notions about the
and of property about debt and espec
tally about the kind of debt that for long term and
bears interest all the time.
will find that the citizens of Bridgeport both d
rect and indirect taxpayers know
That it is profitable to LEND money safely at
interest than to BORROW money and pay interest.
to refrain from borrowing PAY AS HE GOES.
That il it becomes advisable to borrow" 1t Is best to
PAY off the loan possible.
That justifabe to borrow money at per cent if
it safely be used to make per cent.
That mortgage on the home may sometimes be JUS
tiable but that is burden to be lifted it be-
That city which creates a bonded debt for long
term of years mortgagng all its homes and requiring
all its homes to the principal and interest OF that debt
That city be justified IN creating debt to by
something which will pay the debt and PROFIT beside
but should seldom create long term debt to for some
thing that is unpfoductive.
What the average tax payer wants is his money IS
worth expended for reasonable necessities and conven
he doesn't want to 50 going cost him 81
to do it.
He doesn't want to be told that the tax low
and the city economically when in fact the
tax low only because lot of borrowed
to take the place of income that should have been obtain
ed from taxes.
Were it not for single circumstance Mayor Wilson
would be proclamng to the tax board the merits OF
the uniform tax rate of Is mills.
The intervening circumstance consisted in the refu
of the citizens of Bridgeport to authorize debt Of 3d.
100000 debt which would have brought in its train at
least OOOOoO in interest charges to be added during
term of years to the other charges of the city.
The time is when the citizens will demand
counting from the administration, which has been mark
ed with abandon and reckless extravaganza unequaIed
in the history of Bridgeport.
The grand been increased this year by more
than So 100000 through continuance of the process of
tax equalization inherited from the preceding Democratic
administration.
year earlier this increase was something like 3d.
O00O0O and these figures unmatched in all the his
tory OF the city before except upon one OCCASION during
Mayor Bostwicks administration, when property, then
being at nominal third of value increased
to nominal full value.
The imposition Of fifteen and half mill tax this
will raise sum largely in of the of
any other year in the history of Bridgeport
Yet it appears from the message of the that
fifteen and half mill rate will not suffice, except
that the mill for the construction of schools be
refused by the tax board the appropriation to the public
library be cut down. and all permanent improvements for
the almshOuse be denied:
commentary upon the political code
that Mavor Wilson SACRIFICES the proposed new aims
lice to enlarge the force the creation of nine offices
Of lieutenant of police and otherwise to make it amenabe
to political Influences
Is there anything which Mayor Wilson has demand
ed more DANGEROUSLY in and out of than the
amshOuse? He has conducted great agitation for it.
He has called the party workers together and instructed
them to hustle for it.
FORCE, WITH AN OFFICER IN GOLD BRAID FOR
EVERY FOUR OR FIVE PATRoLMEN.