Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-12-04

hard times. The result will be that
many persons will be sold out of house
and home. And who will this benefitg
Not the people that are desirable citi-
zens, but the pawnbrokers, class of
men that horde their money and will
not spend dollar to advance our city
but sit waiting for a victim in distress
so that they may suck his life blood,
and, in this case, take the homes of
our citizens for the street assessments
against them. Why has the city coun-
Gil all at once woke up to the brilliant
idea of preparing an amendment to the
charter to sacrifice the homes of our
people at time when it is not DOS
slble to raise money! Did this brilliant
idea originate with the city council, or
did it originate in the back-office of
some honorable (9) money-sharkq
This is not the only vice that this
proposed amendment to the city charter
has in it. Every lawyer knows that
when a sale is made under execution
that the sale frees the property from
the whole judgment. If the property
should be sold for an installment due.
would it not free the property from
all the remainder of the claims that the
city of Salem has against the propertyf
Mr.. unruh, who is an attorney at law
and a member of the city council told
the city council that this would be the
effect Of such a sale. Would this not
be grand thing for Hon. (O Pawn
broker after he has bought the property
in for one or two installments that are
due to turn around and sue the city
to remove all the other asse ssments
that the city has against the prOnertvg
Mr., Pawnbroker does not do things
by halves but will always insist on
you giving him the whole earth and
also require you to put fence around
it,
In conclusion, it has seemed TO nv
mind that all public improvements
should be by general taxation in which
all would share according to the prop
erty that they own. There are very few
of the people that own their homes and
in front of which the streets are paved
get any benefit from farther than to
avoid the mud in winter and the dust
IN the summer. The public get more
benefit from the pavement than the
particular lot owner that has TO nav
the whole assessment for its cost ns
well as for five per cent more for be.
ing assessed by the city therefor. The
people Of this city have wisely voted
to make the city build all its sewers
by public taxation. The property own.
er gets more of direct benefit from
the advantage of sewers than he does
from the street that is paved in front
of his property. 1t is not possible for
great many of our best citizens to
own automobiles, and even If they were
able to own one, there are many that
could not take the time from their hon
est endeavor to support their family TO
ride in them. There are q great many
of the people of our city that are not
able to pick up money without any Of
Fort but have to labor incessantiv to
pay their bills. 1t may be said TINT
the city cannot afford to have this ex.
pense thrown upon it as it would make
the taxes very high. In answer the
overburdened citizens can most truly
say we can not stand it either. What
advantage are we getting out of the
many foolish expenditures that the citv
is incurring every day. Let us get
back to first principles and If the eitv
cannot afford to make an Improvement
let us fix our city council 80 that the,,
cannot reach down in the pockets Of
private citizens and make them mako
the improvement.
4 ~ RTCu ApnopNr