The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-03-03
The Last Sensation Romance.

The Last Sensation Romance.
We have before us work which is decidedly
the greatest romance Of the season. far more fasci
patiDg than the last story by Dickens the reports
of the Bond street murder trial, or the latest i'm
moral play by Dumas. Our romance has a prosaic
title-"A List Of Persons, Corporations aud Co
partnerships resident and nonresident, who were
taxed according to the Assessors Books, 1856
T." 1t contains the names of the lucky indiyi-
duals in this city who hold collectively property
valued at over five hundred millions of dollars
William B. Aston heading the list with four mil
lions. The book contains about twenty-seven
thousand names, and if the assessed property
were divided equally, each taxpayer would have
about twenty thousand dollars. II it were d.
vided among the entire population, it would give
less than ten dollars each--so the city is not so
rich, after all, according to the legal valuation.
We suspect, however that it would be difficult
TO buy up our rich men with the figures standing
against them M'tts TX book, and herein lies part
lished some excerpts from this charming romance,
we have received several letters on the subject
Our correspondents take matter Of fact view
of the subject One is the owner of house and
lot, upon which he pays taxes at the rate Of one
dollar and thirty eight cents per hundred dollars
of valuation; he is shocked to find that while
real estate is so heavily taxed personal property,
both in large and small amounts, escapes the vi
GLANCE OF the Assessors. He gives as examples
the cases Of Messrs. Bowen & McNamee silk
merchants, and Duncan, Sherman Il Co, bankers
Both these great houses, doing millions of bust
ness per annum, have, it appears, no personal
property subject to taxation, which includes, it
will be remembered, everything except bank
stocks. In other cases holders of real estate es
cape taxation by under valuation. For instance,
William b. Astor pays forty thousand dollars on
three millions Of real estate. He is reputed to be
worth fifteen millions, and should pay two hun
dred and thirty thousand.
Mr.. Astor's case is only one Of thousands.
Other people swea- off taxes on personal proper
ty by having mortgages upon real estate. Pro-
fessional men, with incomes or salaries from one
20 five thousand dollars per annum, are rarely
taxed at all. This. Of course, lessons the valu-
alton at least one.third, and proportionately in
crtases the rate Of taxation. The large real
estate proprietors are the only gamers They
escape taxation on half their wealth, but put up
the bousc rents as II they paid the whole. Thus
the man Of moderate means, whether he
owns house, inhabits lodgings, or
sets up an establishment Of his own,
is sure to suffer. II he owns single house
and lot he is sure to be taxed up to its full vslu
uttr hn l,.I, h.
pay double what is demanded anywhere else in
the world, because the taxes are so heavy. The
author OF the tax book complains of the stupidity
Of the Assessors and carries the fact to the credit
Of the "blighting influence Of politics" But it
is certainly very hard that A, whose sole pos
session is house worth ten thousand dollars,
should have TO pay a crushing tax while b, who
has a million, escapes with only half the pro-
portionate burden of his poorer neighbor. Ths
romance writer's always make the rich richer and
the poor pooter-the author of the tax book
gives us, in bis hard facts bases for plots Of an
hundred novels.
There is another feature of this pleasant
volume which is still more interesting. Among
these names are those of many men who have
not q cent or a cents worth in the world, but
who pay taxes on a large amount to keep up
their respectabllity. Plash for example, is an
unfortunate merchant, who has seen the day
when his bank account was represented by six
figures. lie has, however, been eaten up by the
hears or gored by the bulls In Wall street.
He has large and expensive family, including
two or three manageable daughters 1t is Q
laudsble desire on the part of Plash to settle
these young ladies in the world-to settle means
q Grst class house, carriage, two parties
month, subscription TO the Opera, husband, and
other Injuries. The women may be beautiful, |
accomplished, amiable-that isn't enough The
young merchant before be invests his capital In |
any thing must see something tangible 10 meet IL,
and the main question Is, "how much money |
has the old man got ~ II is not necessary to |
pay any cash down upon the delivery |
Of the property, but there must DO some In cx.
pectancy Before the sutton goes into the ring |
Of the young lady's admirers, be makes inquiries
rs to her financial prospects. The father, being |
duly prepared, figures in the tax book for cool |
hundred thousand, when he has not enough TO |
buy out one Of the Celestial segsr stands around
Inc Park. Sometimes the game Is played on the
other side-sometimes on both. What better
for the plot Of a comedy or a ro-
nance in real life could be found than in the APP 1
parently matter Of fact volume before usH
The style of the tax book Is not Oriental.
With the exception of brief preface, in which
be author has one joke about clergyman who
prefers brown stone fronts in good solid streets
% LCu.Ls LIZ. made wi.h haLLs, e.Slnal "A lie !.