Year: 1876

municipal affairs, chicago mas more at sIahe
directly in the action Of the State Legislature
than she has in the action Of Congress. This
city owes debt Of s., 900, 600, and there are
due to this city over SO, 600, 900 Of unpaid
taxes. The city is in that peculiar condition
that she can make no legal provision for the
payment of the debt, except ont Of collec-
tons from the unpaid taxes due her, and she
is deprived of any power to enforce the col
lection Of these taxes. Placed in this anoma-
lous and embarrassing position, and helpless
except through remedial legislation, Chicago
is, Of necessity. interested in having dele
cation at Springfield composed Of respect
able and experienced business men. Last
spring the city was in peril by the threaten
ed reelection Of City Council of the char
acter OF those that had preceded it. The
peril was serious one, and, having been
brought home to the knowledge Of the peo-
-ple, they turned out and elected enough
business men-respeotable and intelligent
men-to have more than a two-thirds ma
jority Of heBoard Thenew City Government
has done much, but it is helpless in many
things, being hampered with bad laws and
embarrassed by defective laws, It is Grip
pied by defects in the Revenue law, which,
if not corrected, must bankrupt every mu
nicipal corporation in Illinois. Under these
circumstances, the election Of twenty eight
Senators and Representatives from this city
and county selected from experienced and
respectable business men to the Legislature
is Of even more importance to the city than
Was the election Of the Same class ofs1nen
last spring to the Common Council Unless
we can get Legislative amendments and cor
rechons to the Revenue law the reform
movement Of last spring will be largely de-
feated. The city must have revenue, and
to have revenue it must have the means Of
collecting taxes. The law as it now stands
practically leaves the payment OF taxes
optional with the property-holder,-a state
of things existing in no other part Of the
world, and utterly fatal to the maintenance
Of any Government.


The Republican Conventions have before
them the example Of the Democrats. With
three exceptions, the nominations bJ :Eat
party are utterly disgraceful, and are dis
creditable to the people OF a large CONNER
cial city These Democratic nominations
will be repudiated by the bulk Of the Demo-
Gratis; and, if the Republican Conventions
select candidates of like standing, then the
Republicans should spurn the nominations
in like manner It is useless for men. acting
Individually or through conventions, to force
themselves upon the public. The public
have the power to correct oil this business
by defeating that class Of candidates. If
the Republican Conventions shall nominate
unfit, and incompetent, and inexperienced
men as candidates for the Legislature, moth
ing will be easier than the nomination
of other candidates, and combination Of all
reputable citizens, as there was at the last
charter election, to elect Legislative delega-
ton such as the emergency Of the public in
terests so earnestly demands II the Re-
publican Conventions will nominate men Of
the class which compose the Common
Council they will draw to the support OF
their ticket men Of all parties, just as their
Congressional ticket will command general
support,