smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1879

n certain sum of revenue, as the people do
not intend to stand hig her taxation Il mas
to employ such force as it can command
within that revenue. The officers a]l know
this fact, and take and keep office accord
inqly. There ara ten men out OF Office who
are willing and anxious to accept the place OF
each man now in the public service, and at
the present compensation. The pay OF the
men in the employ of the city is higher than
anv of them can get elsewhere, and is higher
than is paid in any branch OF private EN-
ployment for the same kind and amount OF
labor. The number OF persons employed oy
the city is small in comparison with that
working for private employers, and when
the limited ability Of the City Government
which is but recovering from the very brink
of bankFuntcy and municipal disbandment-
is considaed, it is question which addresses
itself to every man in the city, why should
the municipal employees be paid more than any
other class Of peoplefor similar work. Unjust
be remembered that there is not and cannot
be q dollar of revenue obtained for the City
Treasury which is not forced out Of the
pOCktka u lAd ElA1Elos s&AeA kAeA0 eaA1 DA~A :"
who can pay it without denial and sacri~
ice. Why, then, should the people, who
can hardly live and pay present taxes, be
forced to pay increased salaries tothe Super
intendent and police force, and to ninety-one
additional men, when such increase of num-
bers can be dispensed with, and when such
men are already paid more than other men
in the city can obtain for an equal grade OF
services


The Common Council must remember that
the great bulk Of the taxes of this city IS
paid by families of comparatively small
property and small incomes. Upon this class
Of persons the decline in profits and in wages
and the scarcity of employment are resting
most heavily. It is q severe e1actlon
on these persons OF limited incomes and
earnings to pay their taxes and keep their
property. When, therefore, any members OF
the Common Council propose to increase
salaries, multiply oficeholders,' and other
wise add to the public expenditure, 1t must
be remembered from whom the money IS to
be extracted with which these increased
salaries and enlarged expenditures are to be
paid. The question is not SO much as to
whether the city shall pay man more
salary, but whether the hard-working, in
dustrious people, already sla7ins themselves
to pay their taxes, shall be compelled to give
more Of their scanty earnings to pay such
increased salaries It is not only question
Of salary, but also Of taxation, and the Alder
man who votes to levy extra taxes at this time
to pay extra salaries, or employ additional
oficeholders, must forget that he is grossly
plundering his constituents to crafty certain
men who want to live by ofhceho1ding.
Year: 1879

The City Of Memphis has legally ceased to
exist. The charter Of the city has been
repealed, the government Of tha city is
disbanded, and the ta1-gatherer and the
Sheriff can find nothing on which to levy
their executions. The story maT be briefly
told. The city was in debt; it had the fatal
authority to sell bonds; its debt was large,
its credit weak its bonds sold at 50 cents SO
long as they could be sold at all; it had no
money; property-owners could not or did
not pay their taxes the few who paid taxes
found themselves left in the 1urch- The city
had been subjected during the summer
months to the fearful scourge OF the pesti-
lence, in which business had been sus-
pended, production arrested, and the
city largely depopulated; the richest
end most enterpr1sing had perished,
and the city was practically desolated.
With the return Of frost and the fugitive in
habitants creditors sued the city, obtaining
judgments and judicial decrees requiring the
city to levy special taxes to pay such judg-
ments. At least q half million OF dollars
IVES required to be levied in order to pay
lAeSa eAti1 A%4Ae71 d41A otAEA OA1GAS Hc4o ~
follow. Taxes had already reached the
figure Of 3.o7 per cent The city was unable
to collect the taxes already due, and, IN
able to prolong the useless struggle, laid
down its corporate life. Some Of the public
creditors had applied to Court Of Chancery
to appoint Receiver for the City of Mem
phis, and it Was this action that precipitated
the passage Of the bill repeating the charter,
and, OF course, disbanding the legal organ
ization known as the City Of Memphis


What will be the effect Of this action re-
mains to be seen It is pretty evident that
immediate payment Of the debt cannot be
made, even if the people were disposed, at
this time, nor for long time to come It
will require some years before Memphis can
recover from the effects Of the plague Of last
year. The city needs sewerage and street.
paving as preyentiyes,- s,-absolutely essential
sanitary precautions Overwhelmed with
debt and judgments, and without revenue, it
is helpless The repeal Of the charter will
call halt. It will give time for considera-
ton and action The creditors and the city
viii have an opportunity Of refunding the
city debt on long time aud at low interest,
and, with re-estabhshed public confidence,
expenditures reduced and limited the CITY
will be able to put on new official authority
AID begin official life on . new and better
footing.
Year: 1879

THE TAX-EATERS CRY FOR MORE


The s:Department heads of the City
Government have generally demanded an
increase OF ofhceholders. of expenditures,
and OF salary The Superintendent Of Po-
lice asks for an increase Of ninety-one men
That is, that ninety-one more men be put on
the pay-rolls Of the city. The Chief Of the
Fire Department wants more men and sn
increase OF salaries, and the School Depart
ment wants large increase Of money to
spend


The fact is that this is not matter Of
choice The city cannot make the increase
and pay for it. That ought to be conclu-
sive, but it goes for nothing with the per-
sons in Office, or those who expect to be ap-
pointed The expenditures for police pur-
poses some years ago are referred to but it
should not be forgotten that the e1pendi-
lures of past years furnish the exact and
very emphatic reason why such expendi-
lures cannot be made now. Then all the
city had to do was to issue scrip; now the
supply of scrip of that kind is prohibited.
Then there were from three to four millions Of
floating scrip lying around paying interest at
to 10 per cent, and increasing annually By
from S4oo: coo to Seoo,ooo- It was easy to
have regiments Of odiceholders, psy them
with scrip, and let the scrip take care Of it.
SELF. The more men employed and the
greater the salaries, the greater the annual
deficiency and the greater the unpaid float
ing debt. The time at last came when the
City of Chicago had to surrender its charter
and ceass to exist, or reduce lis e1pendi-
lures. It had to do one thing OF the other.
It had to reduce expenditures so as to bring
them within the amount Of the current rev.
enue. and also to econou1ize SO as to pay the
debt created By the previous employment OF
large bodies Of officers It had to keep on:
Of present debt and psy of the old one, and
during the last three years the peo-
ple Of this city have had to- pay
The cost Of maintaining the govern
ment and paying the salaries Of the
present force, and st the same time pay the
salaries of the extra and unnecessary force
of men employed in the days Of unliu1it-
ed scrip The reckless and was1eful expendi-
lures Of those days, now held up rs exam
pies for the present, furnish the imperious
necessity for not repeating the same thing
now. Within the year. Capt sEAyEE, who
had sala1y IT $3.50. vas promoted TO-: be
Superintendent at sslarx Of $500 and it
the Council should now increase his pay to
5000, thss@ c:ty would ei:lld have to leaTa':
some other persons wages unpaid to that
amount The city cannot collect more than
Year: 1879

One Of the "general" laws euacted BY
the Legislature Of Illinois, after the adop-
tion of the new Constitution, was the 'sact
to provide for the incorporation Of cities
and villages" approved April 10, 1872. This
net provided that it might be adopted By any
city when the Common Council thereof
should submit it to vote Of the people and
majority OF the popular vote should be in
favor thereof. But the act provided, further,
that the City Council might, by an ordi~
nance, at any time aud without submission
to vote Of the people, adopt the ninth arti-
Gle Of that general law, being the article re-
laing to 'sspeci1 assessments for local i'm
provements." The Common Council Of
Chicago, in September, 1872, adopted this
article, which theaceforth became the char
ter provisions on this subject to the e1cIa-
sion Of all previous laws.


This law is sadly defective. It stands in
the way of justice and right in making local
Improvements. The opening Of a street
through block in Chicsgo, which ordinarily
ought to be matter Of small cost aad easy
arrangement, is, under the ect in question,
OF such unknown proportions and possible
cost that bnt few property y-owners dare ven
ture upon the undertaking.


Under the law, in ell cases where private
property is to be taken for public improve
ment, the act requires two sets Of proceed
ings: first, there shall be valuation, and q
Judicial proceeding, and verdict, to ascer-
tain and determine the value Of the property
taken, and the compensation to be paid to
the owners. Haying reached this point by a
long and tedious course more or less costly,
ind the Constitution requiring that compen-
sation shall be made before the property can
be taken, then begins the other proceeding
to ascertain and apportion the value OF the
benefits Of the improvement upon the prop
erty to which the improvement is to give in
creased value. This second proceeding
does moi: take place perhaps for
year or two years after the first one This is
by far more difficult than the first, as pay-
ment is always more troublesome than con-
tracing debt Every man interested be-
comes defendant; every party to the pro-
eeeding resisrs s,renuously being taxed to
pay the cost Of the improvement. Where
the original finding may award to the owners
Of the land taken, es in the case of opening
q street, tvice or three times more than the
actual damages. call them the sum of $780,
0O0,-the award of benefits to result from
the opening may be- made to foot up not
more than $4,000 Ordinarily, the result
Of such double proceeding would be that
the improvement should not be made; that
it is not worth more than 20 Or 80 per cent
Of the alleged cost, and therefore should be
abandoned. But such is not accepted The
one side will not pay the tax imposed On them
and the other will not accept less for the
damages than the original swollen award.
The resrl: is that nothing IS done The
property becomes dead; it cannot be sold;
it csnnot well be improved: the old building
Year: 1879

Robert Smalls, the much perse
cuted colored Congressman from
South Carolina, has recently, in Il
quiet way, done AN act that would
make a white man conspicuous, but
in his case it seems to have been en-
tirely overlooked. He was a slave
before the war, and had kind mas
ter, who was financially ruined dur
ing the rebellion, and died in pow
erty some years ago. Smalls re-
Gently learned that his daughter had
become widowed, and was herself in
a distressed condition. In the most
delicate manner he arranged that
she should be provided with the
necessaries of life, and sent her son,
a boy of sixteen, an appointment as
cadet at the Naval Academy.
Year: 1879

the same old story repeated for the
thousandth time. Ii rich mems


sons will not endure the drudgery
by which nearly all of their fathers
secured money and position, they
must take a secondary place IN the
next generation; anu oItener they
drop out of sight among the idle,
worthless herd, if, indeed they es-
cape an association with loafers and
criminals. What say the labor re-
formers to facts like these, for facts
they are, without question Nea ly
every man in any leading position
in the community, began life poor.
Let the sons of our rich men take
warning, and go to work honestly
and faithfully every day, if they
hope to fill the position honorably
held by their fathers Chicago
Times.
Year: 1879

The selection of Senator Bailey
as one of the committee of four Sen
ators and like number of Repre-
sentatives to draw the important
political bills, which will embody
the only living political issue of this
session, is a mark of confidence in
his judgment and ability of which
Tennesseans will ali feel proud.
For one of the youngest Senators In
the service to be selected with
Thurman, Salisbury and Herman,
is a mark of confidence worth hav-
ing. On the same committee we
find the name of the distinguished
chairman of the House Committee
on Appropriations. Gen. j. d. G.
Atkins, whose fame is already high
throughout the country. The Sc
lection of Col. House as chairman
of the Democratic caucus was an
other mark of confidence in an IL
lustrious Tennessean, of which
Tennessee and the Capital district
may well feel proud.


1t is melancholy when we have
been wise enough to place me-
abroad who. reflect honor on the
State, that we are with one hand at
home undoing what we have done
abroad. Both our Senators and our
entire delegation in Congress have
done the State and themselves
credit by prudent and able counsel,
and hard work. We have, herhaps,
altogether, the best business dele
CATION in Congress, with as little
clap-trap and fireworks, and speak
ing for effect, as any, and as much
ability 10 discuss great questions
when they arise. If we we're as
particular about our policy at home
as we are about standing well
abroad, Tennessee would excel all
States of the North, and most OF
those of The West, in progress at
home and standing abroad.-Amer.
Year: 1879

Have you ever reflected upon the
very many funny things we do, for
which we can give no particular
reason? How is it that we do not
give five cheers, four cheers, two
cheers, one cheers, one cheer? Why
is it that we give three cheers and
no more? Who can tell?


Why is it that the majority of
people use their right hand in pref
erence to their left, and cannot help
smiling at those who use the latter


Why is 1t that a man cannot see
a bundle of tOothoicks without
helping himself when he does not
need them at alp


Why is it that a small boy can
not let the thin wasted wasp fly in
peace, without furiously going for
it with his new straw hat: or why
is it that the small girl always in
sists upon Juggling home a kitten
that has not even learned how to
open its eyes!


Why is that when any one asks
us how many days that are in a
certain month, we always say over
to ourselves,


Thirty days has September,


April, June and NOvemborl


Why is 1t that we turn to the
right instead of the left, when the
left is far more preferable, and II
adopted woald save many an accci-
dent on railroad ana highway? The
driver always sits on the right of
his vehicle; in turning to the right
he is farthest away from the wagon
he passes, and unless he is an ex-
pert canot tell how close he comes
to the wheels Of the man who goes
by him, whereas, if he turned to the
left side, he could look straight
down, see to the fraction Of an inch
how close he was approaching an
obstacle, and thus avoid it. The
engineer runs upon the right hand
track, and sits upon the right hand
side of his cab The long, narrow
locomotive, with its sand tower, bel
fry and smoke stack in front of him,
cutting off his outlook and imped-
ing his observation. He can view
only his own track, while the oppo-
site track, save at distance, is al
most wholly unseen to him. (On
some railroads the reverse is the
custom.)


Custom, ,owing to a cause we know
not of, has established these curious
precedents, and from observation
and education we unwittingly do
thousands of things that are, to
say the least, funny, and that we
cannot possibly explain.
Year: 1879

But who would have the effrOnt-
cry to claim that is a generous mo-
tive which prompts men to tempt
their fellow-men? Strangely enough
he is sometimes called a warm
hearted, whole souled man who
leads his nelghbor up to the bar and
urges him to partake OF that which
may deprive him of situation, self
respect and reputation. Reflection
does not improve the complexion Of
this worse than burlesque upon lib
erality, to the sad effects of which
there are thousands of wretched
monuments to be seen In every
large city.


Even though stripped of its ruin
ously injurious features. the custom
of treating would yet be a ridicu-
lous one. Imagine its application
TO the purchase of other commodi
ties than liquor and cigars. Think
how ludicrous would be the propo
sition of a young man to his com
panion, while they were promenad-
ing the pavement in the Arcade, OF
such an idea as this:


saw, come along, say, and have
a pair of spectacles with me; want
to wet this new hat"


What if one of a company of
young gentlemen on the street
should say:


Now, boys, want TO set 'em up
for the crowd; come in and have a
chrome, or bracket, or something
with mer'


Yet which would DE more valua-
bic to man and his family, chro-
mos, brackets, or even spectacles,
or liquor enough to make him
drunk?


II is lamentable fact that "treat-
ing' is custom as purely Ameri-
can as it is ruinous in its effect.
And yet, with this, as with many
other injurious practices, PEI pie
recognize and acknowledge their
evil influence and power, but will
not abandon or condemn them be-
cause they happen to be customs
largely observed by those who have
the name OF being generous, and
stunned by the stingy, hard listed
class Rochester Democrat.
Year: 1879

1 Look at the date on the printed


label on your paper, if yours is di-


rected in tha5 manner, and pay up


if your time is past. This in


cludes all who receive their papers


In single wrappers, or at the Pu-
laski Postoffice, or at the office of
publication, who have not made
special arrangements with us. Do
not fail in this if you wish the
CITIZEN continued to your ad-
dress.
Year: 1879

The president OF one of our iarg


est banks said to US day or two
since, that rich mans son had
Just left his place, and he was the
last of that kind he should ever em


ploy. The man was faithful and
honest, fulfilled intelligently and
we'll all the duties required of him;
but as he had just become accus


toned to his work, he found out
it was too confning, and raw
clerk had to be put in his place.
A bad look for rich men; but il is
Year: 1879

If there is a noble human impulse
or virtue perverted and abused
worse than others by Americans, il
is that of generosity. And perhaps
one of the very worst perversions
of this beneficence may be found in
that degenerate custom commonly
known by the term treating" Pos
sibly its origin may be traced back
to spontaneous generosity, but if
so, how widely has it diverged from
the first principles OF the admirable
virtue which gave it birth
Year: 1879

1t is not such very unpleasant
thing to be prodIgal son when the
old man has comfortable mansion
and big pile of bonds and securi
ties. But the prod. who has no
wealthy dad to fall back upon must
stick to his husks or bust.
Year: 1879

In most European countries there
are industrial schools for almost
every branch Of industry; and when
boys and girls leave school, they
have a knowledge Of some trade or
occupation which will earn them a
living
Year: 1879

A negro named Joe Armstrong,
committed suicide over in the edge
of Robertson county near Roney's 5
last Saturday by hanging himself
with a drawing chain. The cause
assigned for the deed was grief on
account OF the death of his old mis-
tress, a very old white lady, who
had raised him. This is the only
incident of the kind on record
I Gallatin Examiner.
Year: 1879

History, modern and ancient
shows that a party of fshermea
may start of and forget their bait
or some of their tackel, but the
quart bottle containing ''medicine"
in case one of the number is bitten
by a shark or sea-serpent, or an
alligator, is never left behinds
Year: 1879

The pencil marks you see around thi
paragraph (thus) mean thai your sub
scription is out or unpaid, and that you
are requested to pay up at once. We
would take great pleasure in exteBdI1g
credit to our friends and patrons. but
cash alone will yay our eNpenses, and
we are forced TO adhere TO a strict cash
rule. We hope you viii comprehend
and appreciate the necessity OF such o
course, and renew your su scription
without delay. We solicit your favor.


E%- We enter no new names on our
hooks without the money in advance
Year: 1879

New York Observer: The land
Of their promised inheritance is
rapidly becoming their own fee. If
we compare the present time with
eighty three years ago, when the
Sublime Porte permitted only three
hundred to live within the walls of
the Holy City, the change is re-
markable. Forty years since the
Porte modified this original order
so that larger number could abide
there: but they were shut up in mar
row and filthy quarters, next TO the
dog and leper quarters, the object
of contempt and cruel expressions.


But even this quarter restric-
ton was removed ten years ago.
And now the ruling power is in The
hand of Great Britain, and the scep-
tire itself is in the hand of an Isrs-
elite, and Baron Rothschild holds q
mortgage on Palestine as security
for.200, 100000 francs loaned to the
Sultan of Turkey. 1t looks very
much as if accomplished fact had
put itself in the place of prophecy.


The Jews, after the quarter re-
strictions were removed, bought all
the land which could be obtained
within the gates, and have built en-
tire streets of houses without the
gates. With the improvements in
evitable from liberty and the pos
Year: 1879

The average Northern citizen has
learned much to underrate the sol
dierly qualities of the late ex-Con-
federate Gen. John B. Hood. To
most people north of the old slavery
line he is regarded as the rash and
improvident leader who left Sher
man to his own devices at Atlanta
and flung himself northward on the
impregnable position of Thomas of
Nashville.


Doubtless he was all that has
been conceded to him as a daring
soldier. His previous record shows
that conclusively. But history will
eventually clear him of the charge
OF desperation and injudiciousness.
He took his first great command
when the cause of the CoDfederacy
was hopeless, and succeeded the
really greatest military mind of the
rebelling South, Gen. Johnston, un-
der very much the very same kind
of popular pressure-only more des-
perate-which afflicted Mcclellan
with the idiotic shout of "On to
Richmond"


The movement on Nashville, had
it succeeded, would have placed
Sherman in a very awkward posi-
ton, with his northward lines cut
and all open to the Ohio and be-
yond. There would have been no
march to the sea, but a grand
scramble to get back to the threat
ened States of the Northwest. The
disaster at Nashville was the end of
the Confederacy. 1t needed no
smashing of Lees lines at Peters
burg, nor any surrender at Apo
mattox to complete it. Hood was
an infantry Murat who was in bad
luck. He had only one chance and
that in almost the death struggle of
the rebellion.


1t is bad taste to call him rash
leader when he was never called
upon to lead but in the last grand
emergency of his people. Had he
whipped Thomas he would have
been one of the greatest generals of
the South instead of being foolishly
characterized as the man who
ruined the cause of his friends
[ Brooklyn Eagle.