Year: 1876

| THE ELECTION AND THE CITY CREDIT,
One Of the most striking and beneficial ef-
| fects OF a complete change in the City Gov
ernmcnt, the election Of new Council CON-
posed of business men, and the election by
them Of an honest business man for Mayor,
| will be the general revival of public conf
| dence.


The city is in Immediate want Of money to
| avoid protest On paper falling due. It has
tried other markets and has failed to obtain
it; it has tried the home market with no bet


ter success The reason Of these failures has


been that those in Chicago who might nd
vance the money have had no confidence in


the executive management Of the Mayor, or


in the integrity Of the Common Council,


in the wisdom Of its appropriations, or in


the character Of its expenditures. The whole


character of the City Government resting


upon the conduct of the Mayor and Council


has been destructive Of public confidence and


respect. The capitalists Of other parts Of


the country have lost confidence in a city the


people Of which have not the patriotism to


give time enough to vote for an honest City


Government, and leave all things to the rule


Of the criminal classes.


At the election on Tuesday the people OF


Chicago can do much to restore the conf


dence which is now wanting. The election


of q new Council with majority Of two
thirds composed Of honest, wen-known busi-
ness men, and the election by that body of
Mayor Of different class thnn the present
ono ut11 1ova %ha afFoo+ ~ ro
storing confidence both at home and else
where.


There is large sum Of taxes unpaid, and
they are unpaid largely because of the char-
acter Of the City Government The continu-
ance in Office OF the present dynasty will
swell the sum of unpaid taxes. So universal
and deep-rooted is the distrust of Co1vM
and his Common Council that no man feels
the least hesitation in declining to pay taxes
to be expended by the Common Council. A
radical change in the character OF the men
composing the Council, and the placing of
the affairs of the city in the hands of men
familiar with business, themselves tax
payers and deeply Interested in the
welfare of Chicago, will remove this
popular distrust. There will be a gen
eral willingness to relieve the city
Of its embarrassments,- "a readiness to
cooperate, by the payment Of the overdue
taxes, with the new Government in the e1-
trication Of the city from its present financial
discredit. There has never been the least
intention to repudiate the city debts or to
repudlate taxation The diserust has been
of the Government, and the purpose has
been to keep from it the possession and con-
troll Of the means Of perpetuating its own
official existence. Had aIr. Co1y1y resigned
q month ago and invited the people to
choose their own Mayor, the city would not
have been subjected to the financial hunil-
iations it has experienced since then. Mr..
ColvH would have enjoyed degree Of per-
sonal respect he can never hope for as an
The election of next Tuesday will.
therefore, if the business community and the
hard-working artisans do their duty in the
selection Of Aldermen, be deliyerance OF
the city from the disgrace and discredit,