Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1852-09-03
Annual Assessments OF Town Property.

of intention to apply to the next Legislature for
Law authorizing annual assessment. or valuation
Of Town property which think is an important
movement. and we'll worthy Of consideration. Where
assessments made at ongintervals of time, great
injustice may arise in the matter of taxation as,
for instance, a case has been mentioned to us where
Mt the assessment before the last lot with buildings
on it, valued at certain amount. the value de-
pending chiefly upon the improvements. A fire came
and swept the buildings yet until the time for a
new assessment came round, the naked lot was
subject to taxation in accordance with the valuation
attached to it when improved When the time for
the next assessment arrived, the lot still in the
condition in which the FIRE left it, and SO valued;
and although now covered by valuable buildings
worth thousands of dollars, it still pays taxes as an
unmproved oi, and will do SO until re-assessed.r
Many such must necessarily arise in the
progress of a growing town and thousands, if not
hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property
sharing in the advantages and protection of NUM-
cipal government, be in great mesure exempted
from its burdens, which are thus thrown with great
or severity upon the remainder. We have not mott
ced how the matter stand in our towns and smaller
cities but we see that in New York. Boston, Phila-
delphia, and the other larger Cities the system of
annual assessment is universal
There may be objections of which we are not u
ware, and which our experience has not been sufi-
cent to suggest to US, and should be willing to
hear them; and if at all important, to give them
place in our columns but as the matter stands
with all The lights before US, strongly in ia
vor of annual assessments for the purposes of town
taxation for town uses.
Cape Fear and Deep River Nav. Co
A controversy with the management of this or
any other of our public improvements is opposed
alike to our interest and our inclination and we
have no desire to engage in business which can
result in advantage TO neither of the parties and
which. while awaking feelings of personal nature
against ourselves, must necessarily injure the Com
pany by creating a dstrust of it's final success
Need we say that both of these things are consum-
nations devoutly to be avoided 1t may therefore be
we'll believed, that in any remarks we have made in
regard to the Cape Fear s. Deep River Co., we have
been actuaed only by sense of duty, and a full
conviction of the truth of the few positions we
have assumed positions assumed quietly and mod
estly and enforced by very few remarks,-not, il
we recollect Alright occupying in all, third of one
column in the Daily Journal and by no means cal
culated to futter the Volsc in plain terms, ex
cite MIR. Thompson, the Engineer of the Company
to the extent which they have done; and for which
we cannot account. on any other suppositon thar
that there are some private grefs that know no
of, or that MIR. Thompson imag ined that the re
marks proceeded from some source more hostile t.
him than the real one.
We find in the Commercial of last Tuesday
certificate from highly respectable and honorabl
gentlemen, Directors and President of the Company
giving their opinion in favor of Mr.. Thompson's Blu
siness competence and energy. The ,Uord of thes
gentlemen upon question of fact, would erd tn
matter; but their opinion in this CASE is simply tina
OF any other six respectable and intelligent gentle
men worthy of careful considerations but by n
means conclusive-since others have the same of
cia sources Conformation, and can Judge of the pre-
ent state of the work for themselves with the advar
tage Of having their judgments free from the bias
personal friendship, which will, unconsciously
themselves, affect the judgments of gentlemen WI
have been in such intimate personal relations t.
with Mr.. Thompson.
AS for Mr.. Thompson's long letter, we do not i
tend, under present circumstances at least, to pr
any attention to it, farther than to remark upon Il
unnecessary incivility, and uncaed for and uniu
ti6able rudencss of the language in which he allud
to the article from this paper. We are never gull
ofsuch folly and although. as this case abundant
proves, We know how to make the CALLED Jade wine
we need not descend from propriety to do it.
Mr. T. says that the certificate of the Directo
sufficiently refutes the caIumnies perpetrated
ganst me in the columns of the Journal But as
have indicated intention in my reply to tho
charges, (Which the Editors of the Journal had n
the fairness to publish,) to make statement
facts" etc. Now there have been no caumnies
gainst MIR. Thompson in the columns of the Journ
and we repeat what said on q former OCCASION til
respect for Mr.. Thompson and for ourselves ali
prevented publishing the abusive rigmar,
which he dignifes hy the name of a reply and viii
he has sent to almost every paper in the State.
judicious friend at his elbow would have advised
suppression, would at least have told him that
is not usual for Editors to publish communicate
personally disrespectfu to themselves but like Of
men, expect to be treated with common cvilit,
But we have done with this ungrateful task n
shall not to the subject, unless forced to do
by attacks upon ourselves wherein mere expressi,
of opinion character zed as calumnies Sho,
such thing occur, we will not, perhaps, be fou
unprepared to defend our position, nor so un
formed upon the subject under discussion as mis-
be supposed; We certainly shall not stop until
have gone through with the whole affair.
ONE OF THE BEETs.-L H. B. Whitaker ESQ
Enfield. Halifax County has sent us two heets