The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-01-28

| JOINING the otntf tnfee may
orally candidates in tho Open
Forum OF The Star. G. ID. Ray.
| mer. socialist. candidate for
mayor will address YOU from
| this platform Saturday
the other. am sure had either
the mayor or Mr.. Erickson been up
for election when God made the
world. he would have taken the
credit and claimed II was made In
one day instead OF ak.
When Did He Reduce Tasr
The mayor declares he should be
elected because he says he reduces
taxes. He Is surely a champion tax
talker. When | was a boy | was
told that to be great one must he
able to talk FOR half an hour on
the head OF nail. The mayor can
almost do that on the head OF a
tax. Let us praise him for such
nesr.greatness
But as 10 reducing a tar. when
did the mayor do that, While he
was I'm the old council tho city ran
riot In taxes and assessments.
| Not only that. but the old council
deliberately. year after year. 10.
nored charter and state law, plain
and emphatic. that sinking funds
must be established seven years be-
fore any bond issue fell due.
In 1911. when the new council fell
heir to the chaos In tho city hall.
IN sinking funds ought 10 have
been established by the old council
Not one was
About $4,000 900 OF our then debt
ought to have been paid or provid.
ed for by these II sinking funds
when Mr.. GIN gave up his office In
1911.
believe a city debt like . private
debt. should be paid whom due. For
that reason I am slow to 20 In debt.
either for the city or for myself.
A man who would reduce taxes
must know how TO pay debts. and
what 10 more. how 10 reduce ex'
penses.
Quotes rsx Figures
Bu, during the tar raising carni-
val that reigncd supreme under
Mr.. CHS old council. there was
plenty OF money extracted from the
suffering public. m these following
figures show e
Begin With 1906 Our valuation
was s5s.s7t.000 and tar rate las
mills. From then until 1911, when
Mr. Gil left office. both valuation
and rate went skyward ~ leaps
and bounds. until in that year the
valuation was s2o5. .ss 900 and rate
1890 mills. Altho Mr.. GIN left OF.
flee In 1911. he fixed this last rate
IN 1910.
No doubt the mayor would Ike
70 reduce taxes ~ boy would play
with q toy. but reducing tases 10
serious business. and 7 question N
our mayor 10 apt a. serious bush
ness.
Couldn't Run Peanut stand
In off moments. the mayor ~
very candid. end doubt not that
II strangling taxpayer were at
that psychological moment to In
quire how and when he had re-
duced taxes. the mayor would ad.
init that he could not run a peanut
stand or q corn cob business. much
less rsduce the taxes or handle the
finances OF this great and growing
city.
Our mayor processes to be expert
at fixing the budget.
Let us take the budgets for 1910
and 1911. for which he must be
held mainly responsible before the
new council got full control
For 1910. deficits were s7s7,b76
and abandonments were s2t0.205,
making wild guess In budget
making or OF the needs OF the city
for one year equal 10 ti.0o7.7 si.
For 1911. deficits were S347,6f0
and abnndonments t447 .G33. or an
other Wild guess OF s7sb.263.
Gill Allowed High Interest
Every one will recall how we
were all choking to death with
street assessments exceeding
81. 900 900 year when Mr.. Gil was
shaping the policy OF the old coun-
ell.
Take another sample OF Mr. Gilrs
ability. foresight and tender care
OF poor taxpayers.
While other cities In the state
we're paying per cent. We were
paying 7 per cent on street I'm
provement bonds beyond ak mil
lions In amount year. For In.
stance. out OF lo7 special improve
ments not yet under contract,
August 1. 1911. only were at G
per cent. all the others being at 7
per cent.
Eighty-nlne were flve-year bonds
/ only. ten were ten-year bonds and
the remaining eight we're immedl.
/ ate payments These l07 improve
ments amounted In estimated cost
\ TO s2.TSO.42
|! Endless Wrsnales
I At my instance. the new council
reduced the rate OF interest from
II 7 to g per cent and heightened
time Of payment TO ten years on
nearly every one OF these 1917 i'm.
prove-pents.
At my instance, the new council
also fixed the rate for all new
street Improvement bonds at 6 per
cent and time at ten yesrs as
relief 10 an oppressed people and
also radically reduced the number
of such Improvements
Anyway, how can mayor who
engages in endless wrangles with
brother officials reduce taxesY
In my other letter 10 the people
have shown how. under Mr. Gllls
fiscal genius. our taxes are soaring
thru the clouds, in spite OF his vo.