The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-12-15

humbiy petition and appeal to your
honorable body, in your more .legiti-
mate and appropriate character of
Councilmen and Legislators Of the
city, to relieve me from the manifest
wrong / suffer in being made =" the
third heaviest tax payer in Evans
viIie.n 4An4 .t.
| say manifest wrong, because it is
utterly impossible for any man, to any
extent a judge of real estate values in
the city, to give your duplicates even
the brief examination [ have been
able to, aud not pronounce the APP
praisement of a large portion of my
property OufrdgeOuSty excessive, either
| judged by comparison with valuations
In other parts of the city, or upon its
own intrinsic merits. 80
Without extending this paper be-
yond reasonable limits. shall be
able to give but few of The proofs, to
be found in the duplicates, of the ex-
cessive character of these valuations.
anG their gross inequality with others
in the city. | shall confine this COM
parison to property whose value |
have myself some acquaintance with,
aud will necessarily be compelled to
generalize as far as practicable.
It has always been the custom of
Asst sors and Boards of Equaliza.
ticn to appraise lots in the many
slcughs and low grounds about the
city at mere nominal values Aud
this Is pure justice; for they have In
fact no marketable value whatever.
Down to and including 1867 this was
done in all parts of the city. But In
1868, while such lots In the lower part
of the city are still put at the nominal
value of $50 to $75, my loW-grade
lots. way yonder in the southeastern
| corner of the city, lying in the very
bottom of the slough running through
the Southern Enlargement, annexed
to the city only two years ago, are
raised 100 TO 500 per cent, and put at
figures which would be fair cash val
ues for the best lots in their neigh
borhood, equal, In fact, in some in
stances, to the most favorable prices
| have ever been able to command
for such best lots on time.
The lots lying in this slough, on and
beyond Eighth Street. are appraised
on this years duplicate at from $500
to $3.50 Lots fully mp to grade 10
blocks 128 129 and 40, on Fifth Az
enue and Pearl Street, between Third
and Fourth Streets, Lamasco; and
lots up TO and above graie in blocks
"a, "a, %, %, 30, 81, u, 70, 81, 80,
104 and 105, lying all along Third
Avenue, from Eleventh to Canal
Street, are put at the same figures.
These last named lots, [ know from
actual transactions, have been in
creased in value since 1867, by the
Street Railroad alone, from so to- 100
per cent, and yet with perhaps a
half dozen exceptions. In which they
have been increased SO to 500 they
are appraised in 1868 at exactly the
same figures they were in 1867.
In fact, this is true of Lamasco
generally. A comparison of the as
sessment rolls for the two years would
seem to indicate that the A assessor of
1868, in making his apportionment,
had merely copied the assessment of
1867, page by page. La very few cases
are there any changes. and when they
occllc they are, [ think, as often re-
ductions from, as additions 70, the
former Valuations Upon this point
| do not speak with confidence, for
the reason that my examination has
not been sufficiently thorough.
That this was not the way other
parts of the city were appraised, /
have already given some proofs.
will trouble you with only one other.
In my list are FIVE lots on
Powell Street, beyond Third, meas
uring together about 235 or 240 feet
front, by 100 feet deep, and lying
wholly In the bed of the slough [
have mentioned. In 1867 the aggre-
gate of the valuations of these lots
was 81 $50; in 1868 it is 81 500. That
is more per front foot for this craw-
fish slough than lots on the
corner of Fulton Avenue and Fourth
| Street, and on Fourth Street, some
squares above Fulton Avenue, are put
at; equal per front foot to the valua-
ton of lots on Leet Street, between
High and Fourth Streets; both Leet
and Fourth Streets being. compare
lively, in the heart of the city, graded,
graveled and guttered, and enhanced
in value by the Street Railroad. My
| friend, Jake Refs, pays taxes on no
larger appraisement for the ground
| on which his store Is situated than /
am charged for my unI1nprOved craW-
| fish fiat adjacent to GoodseHville.
Now, gentlemen | ask. can this
|
be right? | humbly pray you to- give
| these things a candid consideration,
and accord me such relief as to you
shall seem just and proper.
The valuation of Lot 81, Original
| Plan, and improvements, at SAC, 625,
was also included In my complaint,
as perhaps some of you will remem-
! Der. | will only detain you now, to
/ 70 hot har
| trinsioally nor by comparison with
other property, ought it to be apprais-
ed at that sum by from $4,000 to
| $4,000.
make this appeal in no captious
spirit The payment of taxes is an
evil l am always disposed to suffer
while it is at all sufferable. | have
| paid all taxes assessed against prop
erty In other parts of the city in which
[ have any interest, amounting to
| near 5000; but / cannot submit to pay
on such ADVERTISEMENTS as have above
| directed your attention to. without
making one more effort to obtain for
myself some measure of justice.
Respectfully,
JNo. J. CHANDLER.
j. P. DeBruler asked, but was
not granted, the privilege OF erecting
a wooden building on Lots 20 q. p,
% and "a, in the Eastern Enlarge
ment.
The City Marshal reported that he
had served a notice on Henry
Schmitt to remove an obnoxious sta
bic, and that he had signified his
willingness to do the same at once.
Report received and placed on file.
A petition from the policemen ask
| ing that. in view OF the fact that city