Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-09-28
The Assessor of IuternaI Revenue
for the Seven ull District.
[Correspondence of the Ohio Statesmsn.l


New, ALBANY, o., Sept %, 1861
MEssRs.i EDIToRs:-I wish to occupy a
small space in your valuable paper, for the
purpose of ventilating the administration
of Mr.. Hoge, the assessor of Internal Rev.
enue of the Seventh Congressional District
a charge of corruption or neglect, and
much less sofincompetency of againsta public
officer. If the charges lam about to make
against him were not so tlagrant, should
remain silent. But think it due the public,
as well as myself, to make a fair statement
of the manner of assessments which have
come to my knowledge. L find his assess
ments have been unjust, irregular and
without precedent under the ruling of the
Department at Washington, and his prede-
cessors in office. 1 am engaged in whole
sailing notiohs-have been classed for the
last three years as peddler of the second
class ia this, the Seventh, as well as in the
Eighth District, where made my first ap-
plication tor license, and never have been
required to pay but twenty-five dollars
until this summer. l made my application
last March and received my license for
twenty five dollars, with the impression
that the law was complied, with. But
about the twelfth or fourteenth
of May last, received note from the As
sistant Assessor requesting me to call at
his Office in Columbus, as L was liable to be
reassessed. i did so about the 15,h or 18th
of the same month, and by instructions
from Mr.. Hoge was reassessed twenty
five dollars additional to my first license,
making fifty dollars instead of twenty III e
per year. This 1 protested against as un-
lawful and contrary to the assessment in
any other district of Ohio or the United
States, as the law is intended to operate
equally on all. 1 have exhausted every
means in my power to have this matter
amicably adjusted, but so far to no purpose.
Mr.. Hoge still claims to have the right to
filch twenty-five dollars out of my pocket
on his own ruling, which is contrary to the
assessments of his predecessors, and in fact
to his own assessment since his reassessment
OF me. as his books show. Mr.. w. II. Allen
has been granted license for twenty five
uOltdIS q yCoA oS Z" PVUoiO1 VI buO oCCOuu
class. This man Allen carries the same line
of goods that do, and is classed in the
law the same as I am - that is, a
second-class peddler. Now, ask in the
name of justice, is this right? Is this do
ing justice between man and man? Is it
the intention of the law to make one citi
zen pay fifty dollars for a privilege, while
another reaps its benefits for twenty-five
collars? / cannot think but there must
be something wrong in this matter. Dis
honesty, csrelessness or incompetency-
one of the three things this man is guilty
of. Ihave received Information from par
ties who have taken out peddler's license
from various parts of the State, and find
the assessments have been uniform as the
Jaw intends they should be. But Mr.. Hoge
has discovered a new meaning to the law
that none of the assessors has discovered
since the law went into effect. II this
twenty-five dollars additional tax imposed
unlawfully upon me is to help make up for
ihe deficiency in the Revenue, caused by
4xempting certain articles-to make the
people believe the Radical Congress has
actually reduced the special tax, I should
like to know it. will give this matter a
little more attention in few days.
a5i-''7' S. L. QUINN,