The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-07-16
Tho Poor Men Of Now York.


The New York Tribune having published |
ty who pay income tax, 1t says of the "poor
men" who can't afford the tax;
ave have gentleman living up town in |
a splendid Fifth avenue house who has never |
returned q dollar Of taxable income, lie !
swears that he pays $500 rent FOR his
house; that he Is worth one and one-quartcr
million dollars, mostly In real estate; that
he received last year $1,000 from rents, and
paid about $1,000 for taxes, and 5000 in
| torest on mortgages; that It costs him about
| $50 900 per annum TO live, and that he OBJ
| tains the necessary funds by the occasional
| sale of lot Of ground, all Of which he owned
previous to the passage OF the income tax
law. He AYERS that he does not believe
1 the income law to he constitutional, and
| would therefore Justify anybody in swearing
to anything TO escape It's provisions. lie Is
| u red-hot Democrat, yet n gentleman In np-
pearance. In the affidavit line no eau beat
u Tammany Hall canvasscr Of elections and
| give him odds. To the assessor he Is cx-
ceedingly suaye, and answers questions,
however prying, with q readiness that COM
pletely throws his qucstloncr of his guard.
lie never allows his temper to become ruff
fed, except when he spurns with honest In
dlgnation the slightest insinuatlon against
his patriotism. These bursts arc generally
followed by q melancholy shaking OF the
head, as with downcast and sorrowful eyes
he dcplores In broken voice the sad state Of
his beloved country. Recovering from the
effect Of his overweight feelings, he takes
up tho pen and dashes of bold signature
10 the affidavit in which he swears he Is too
poor TO pay his beloved country and income
tax. lie Is as polite as a dancing master,
as wordy as the dictionary, and In figuring
down his income to nothing taxable can
distance the arithmetic man OF the World in
his happiest flights at evolving Democrat
victories out Of figures which to the common
mind represent Democratic disaster.
"Further up town we find one OF the city
fathers of aldcrmanic Booe.ring fame. In
1869, when he was frat elected alderman of
the - ward, he was worth about $4,000.
To-day the records OF the registers Office
show that he holds not less than $500, 900
0 worth of solid real estate in this city, yet he
' has never returned In any one year since the
!, income law took effect more than 5000
taxable Income. Poor fellow-to have the
! care Of so much property, and receive &C
little benefit from III
"Then we have an ex mayor who Is re
putsd to be the unfortunate owner of more
y than one million dollars worth OF real es
10 tate, some Of which Is leased TO the city al
n exceedingly remunerative prices. But til,
N | poor man never profits by 1t, for he has nevo
had single dollar Of taxable income.
ie SIN an uptown mansion lives one Of on
a. supervisors, who formerly resided In tn
Tenth ward, but came originally from "nortl
g, OF the Tweed" as may be seen by the coat
o. of-arms engraved upon certain silverwar
presented by the Americas club. In 1860 h
is could hardly pay the rent OF the very plaiI
al house In which he lived. Since then he ha
been engaged in the business Of running til
Tammany Hall machine, together with til
10 offices Of Senator, supervisor, deputy stree
he commissioner, and other pleasant position
mr. too numerous TO mention. According to tn
returns which he has made to the assesso
u since 1863, he Is In point of income still
ce very poor man. 1t Is currently reported, In
it. deed, that within the past year he has pu
,io chased over 100000 worth of real estate
''N and he has the reputation Of being mi
10 lionaire. But with all this property, the VI
." fortunate owner had no taxable Income fO
the past year.
nm "a gentleman living in Forty-ninth stree
reputed to be worth half II million In ret
NJ estate, and living In a house worth 500, OO
ID has not been able to pay any income Ia
m during the past two years. Since 1869 II
If, class of men are supposed to have bee
m more generally successful than builders an
," spectators In real estate; yet many of III
Dy most prominent of these return no incomt
10 which proves, of course, than the inqnisitiy
no public greatly overestimate the wealth an
=, profits Of their neighbors.
IA, "Among those who do not appear upo
|
W and who Of course must, with the exceptic
~, ao Of two or three indicated, have returned !
'D taxable income, or made no return at al
-" (Which means about the same thing to II
~ treasury are the following poor me
,i I Fernando Wood, NJ. c.; William NJ. Twee
10 10 supervisor; James O'Brien, sheriff; Tereu
Ia Farley, alderman, $5l0j Thomas McManu
'HHu Sylvester Murphyi Philip Fitzpatrick Rlc
'Ss ard b. Connolly, comptroller! Michael Co
W.. nelly, register, $780, Charles Dcylln, e
~ street commissioner; James Cunningham
M assistant alderman; John Moor, alderma
w Thomas Conan, alderman Edward Cudd
my my alderman; Hugh O'Brien, alderman A
ioI thony Miller, alderman; Thomas Come
'hu alderman; Frederick Pepper, hldermar
in' James Il. Coulter, alderman George NJ
iu Grath, alderman John McQuadc, aldcrma
W George W. Mclean, street commissions
III Thomas Dunlap, collector of city reyenu
ci[ Alexander Ward, superintendent Of Ian
oi- and places Henry A. Childs, supcrlntende
: of tho bureau Of repairs and suppliesi b
49, nard Bmyth, receiver OF taxesi Charles
uf' Denike, Observation-Disclosures Of the burei
'm. of repairs and supplies Isaac Edwards, 8
ny pcrintendcnt of bureau Of roads, Patrl'
ane Carroll, superintendent of markets; Jam
" Hayes, supervisor and superintendent
a. street improvements; Thomas @. Flick
Ina corporation attorney and commissioner
ins Central Park Cornelius O'Reiilyi Andre
ho J. Rogers, Commonly called Jack Roge
iey for short,) public administrator and ex-l
ing c., carpet-bagger from New Jersey; Jol
us Fox, supervisor, alderman and member
the Congress; William schirmer, coroner; CO
"n nellus Flynn, coroner; Aaron b. RolliI
coroner; John Monissey, member Of Co
r gress; William Hickman, ex-speaker Of t
1h Assembly and tax commissioner Thomas
uo Creamer, Senator and tax commission,
~, John J. Bradley, Senator; Henry W. Gem
W | sanatorO