New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-07-14

sary 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 the Income law to be
constitutional, and would therefore justify
anybody in swearing to anything to escape its
provisions. He is red-hOt Democrat, yet a
gentleman in appearance In the affidavit line
he can beat Tammany Hall canvasser
Of elections and give him odds. To
the Assessor he is exceedingly suave,
and answers questions, however prying,
with readiness that completely throws
his questiOner off his guard. lie never allows
his temper to become ruffled, except when he
spurns with honest indignation the slightest
insinuatiOn against his patriotism. These bursts
are generally followed by melancholy shak-
ing of the head as, with down-cast and sOr-
rowful eyes, he deplores in broken voice the
sad state Of his beloved country. Recovering
from the effect of his overweight feelings, he
takes up the pen and dasheS off bold signature
to the affidavit in which he swears that he Is
too poor to pay his "belOved country" any
income tax. He is as polite as 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 Democratic
victories out of figures which to the common
mind represent Democratic disaster.
Further uptown we find one of the City
Fathers of Aldermanic BOole-ring fame. In
1862, when he was first elected Alderman OF the
- Ward, lie was worth about $4,000. To-day
the records of the Registers office show that
he holds not less than 100000 worth OF solid
real estate in this city yet he has never re-
turned in any one year since the Income law
took effect more than $500 taxable income.
Poor fellow to have the care of so much prop
erty and receive so little benefit from it
Then we have an ex-Mayor, who is reputed
to be the unfortunate owner Of more than one
million dollars worth Of real estate, some OF
which is leased to the City at exceedingly
remunerative prices. But the poor man never
profits by it, for he has never had single
dollar Of taxable income.
In an uptown mansion lives one of our
Supervisors, who formerly resided in the Tenth
Ward, but came originally from north Of the
Tweed" as may be seen by the cOat-Of-arms
engraved upon certain silverware presented by
the Americas Club. In 1860 hecOuld hardly the
rent of the very plain house in which he lived.
Since then he has been engaged in the bust
ness of running the Tammany Hall Machine,
together with the offices of Senator, Super
visor, Deputy Street Commissioner, and other
pleasant positions too numerous to mention.
According to the returns which he has made
to the Assessor since 1862, he is in point of in
come still very poor man. 1t is currently
reported, indeed, that within the past year he
has purchased over $500 900 worth of real estate
and he has the reputation of being a million
are. But with all this property, the unfortun
ate owner had no taxable income for the past
year.
A gentleman living in Forty -ninth-st., re-
puted to be worth half million in real estate
and living in house worth 100000 has not
been able to pay any income tax during the
past two years. Since 1862 no class of men
are supposed to have been more generally sue
cessful than builders and spectators in real
estate, yet many of the most prominent of
these return no income, which proves, of
course, that the inqusitiye public greatly over
estimate the wealth and profits Of their neigh
bors.
Among those who do not appear upon the
official lists published in THE TRIBUNE, and
who of course must, with the exception Of
two or three indicated, have returned no tax
able income, or made no return at all, (Which
means about the same thing to the Treasury,
ere the following poor men:
Fernando wood 81 o. Beuari smyti. Receiver Of Tares
Benjamin Wood Nsuiea A. Denke. Depuiy-Super.
William NJ Tweel Supervisor ilsdent 81 the Bureau u