The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-03
How American Cities Are Taxed.

How American Cities Are Taxed.
The city of New York is just now convulsed
ON the subject of the Mayoralty election.
There are three can didates in the field-Wil-
liam A. Darling, radical Republican, whose
chances of election are not worth considering;
John 7. Hoffman, present Mayor, Democrat;
and Fernando Wood, ex-Mayor, Democrat;
and between these two the contest lies. As
the most experienced politicians of the Empire
City cannot venture to predict whose chances
are the best, we certainly cannot tell. But
the contest is rendered decidedly spicy by
Fernando Wood coming out in favor of re-
duction of the expenses of the city, and of his
accusing Mayor Hoffman of inordnate extrava-
gance. In reply to this, Mr.. Hoffman and his
organ the New York World attempt to prove
that in reality New York city is not over
taxed; in fact that we of Philadelphia pay
almost as much in proportion, as do our
brothers of New York, and that Baltimore in
reality pays most of all So far as the Monu-
ment City is concerned, she can speak for
herself; but it strikes us that unless we make
most grievous error, New York pays annu-
ally exactly twice as much as we do. But we
will let Mayor Hoffman present his theory
"In 1850 the taxes assessed In New York for
SGS tSeS were s5 In Boston they We're
increased during ihesame period from So 1924. .533
10 81 1924 .02: in Philadelphta from $26Si,252 to
s5C84 539; in Cincinnati from 81 298,62l to
S2SlO,922 in Chicago from S373.3l5 TO ST. l7l9.O64
From 1860 to 1866 the whole taxation per head
city, State, and national, not to speak Of indl-
rect taxes-was increased in New Hork from
sl22 to s33l3 in Boston from $40 ~ to SSS42 IN
Philadelphia from So 68 to S23 80; in CINCINNATI
nom Sll2 25 TO S25'S4 in Chicago from S6lS TO
S23 SO. The average for these fiye cities was
about ten dollars q head In lo6O ana ABOUT
twenty. six dollars head In 1900"
From this, it would appear that in PhiladelT
phia the rate of taxation has in six years in
creased four times, while New York it has in
creased but two and half. On this exhibit
the Mayor dwells with peculiar JUNCTION. But
we are at loss to see what satisfaction can be
derived from that naked fact. The relative
addition of taxation in New York depends en-
tirely on the relative size of the rates of the
two cities In 1860. If at that time New York
taxed 81 to our 81, then, by the Mayors
own story, New York would be to-day paying
IS to our $4. AS his Honor carefully avoids
giving us the data of 1860, we are unable to
tell whether this proportion is correct or not;
but we are certain that at that time the rate
there was much greater than it was here. 1t
will be noticed that Mr. Hoffman shows tho
total county tax in 1860 in both cities; but
when he makes up his estimate Of the per-
centage he discreetly adds, ''the whole taxa
tion, city, State, and nationalist that the
figures given do not authorize a comparison
from the relative proportion. No inference as
to the relative burdens can be drawn.
But in another part of his speech the Mayor
gives us some figures, which enable us to
make up little trial balance of our own.
He says:-"During the year 1866 the total
taxes of the city of New York were
$40, $50, 1880" Now, although it may be
very we'll for Mr.. Hoffman to say that the
taxes of Philadelphia have increased at a
much greater rate than those of New York,
yet the actual amount OF taxes shows a
balance decidedly in favor of Philadelphia.
The taxes of the city of Philadelphia for
1866 amounted to 1852 2O3; that is to say,
the actual amount paid by Philadelphia was
less than half as much as that actually paid
by New York. Mr.. Hoffman, by some abstruse
process, shows that the rate per capita in New
York is $33'l3, whileinPhiladelphiaiti $2339
As there is no census later than 1860, we cannot
tell whether this ratio is correct or not; but We
have another datum much more lust. The
number of voters in the two Oitiea affords an