New-York tribune., 1871-11-07

WHO SUFFER BY RING SWlNDLES-hOW IhE
MEN WHO CAN LEAST AFFORD TT MUST PAY
FOR WHATEVER is WASTED IN CITY GOVERN
BIT HORACE GREELEY.
It is too generally believed that the Rich pay all
the taxes levied upon Houses, Lots Grounds, &C. In
great city like ours. Hence many poor men give
little thought to the constant and rapid growth OF
Municipal extravaganza and prodigality. They are
not dunned by the tax-coIectOrnO part OF the vast
amount paid into the Citys treasury is wruns
directly from their hands. In their view, ta1soh 10
the concern of landlords and capitalists, not {" |ou
neymen and labOrers, who own no houses @"" "
course pay no taxes. -.
But they do pay they must pay II teneire"V nIV-
house is valued by the assessors at SooOVV tno rA
on it at two per cent Is $1,000 per Mnum' W. W.
pays itf The landlord Immediately; the 'on"n'o
ultimately. The landlord properly coun!S 'no 60
q. or+ ~ bs outlay which he looks to his tenants
to return to him with interest and pront' nc "o't
not build houses, nor own theI' '"'00
morally certain to be realized.
Rut Il Ia said that he will exact IS rent all ne can
get tax OF no tax.
Certainly he will; but his ability to exact depends
on the number Of his competitors-the RELATION OF
Snpplv to Demand II his were the only mouse III
which the poor could hire premises within tneH
means he would charge and obtain more rent thah
no now does; if there were twice as many sucn Ien
ements as we're wanted, he wOald gladly accept
mpch less. He cannot fix his prices at will he must
conform TO the state of the market or his rooms Will
stand empty and yield him no income.
II ia the plain interest Of the tenant class that
bouses adapted to their needs shall be multiplied;
but this cannot be If capitalists suppose that they
can make more money by some other investment
than by building houses, And every 800 added to
the taxes on house is fully equivalent to Sl,OOO
added to the cost of building such a house.
Now the rise and fall of rents is governed by the
cost of building new tenements If the cost OF
building houses in our City were doubled, the rents
of houses already built would rapidly rise till they
had been doubled. On the contrary, II new houses
could this day be built at half the cost of those al
ready standing rents would rapidly fall, because OF
the erection of new tenement-houses, until they
should reach point but half so high as they now
are.
Now the poor man who hires but two or three
rooms If indeed, more than One), may suppose that
his rent is not increased by addition to the taxes
but is The higher tax which his landlord directly
pays sdmonishes that and every other capitalist to
build no more houses unless he can obtain higher
rents for them than he now receives. The tenant
many escape this enhancement of the cost of houses
this wear; but it will surely fasten upon him imme
dately thereafter. The enhanced charges to be met
by the landlord will be passed over by him
to his tenants and not at all diminished in
the passage. The house that last year cost
its owner the equivalent of $1,000 per annum, and
was rented by him in apartments for 1920, WILL II
assessed 80 as to pay 800 more of taxes per annum
be rented so as to bring in at least 300 this year
probably more. Other houses, being subject to the
same law, the same taxes will likewise be held for
N
for tenants who is not morally certain of at least
800 more rent per annum than was formerly eXacted
for such q tenement.
All of us are subssted upon the fruits of Labor (;
all taxes are paid therefrom. He who has made
Millions by office and politics may well give back to
poverty part of it in aims but he cannot give 80
much as he has taken and have anything left. II he
scatters gold among the poor as though 1t wer'
pebbles he must have made 1t by some means In
consistent with old-fAshiOned honesty and hdeht!
TO public trusts he may seem to be their munihcen
patron, their generous, bounteous fr1end out IA
better for the multitude who must live by their Ow
industry and frugality is the probity which serve
the public faithfully and mOdestly, leaving Offc
with unstaned reputation and moderate fortune.
Every dollar taken from the public treasury Il
paymept for services not required or in excessive
payment for services actually performed, is so mucl
unjustly wrestcd from private citizens for the ag
grandizement Of the wielders of power. 1t is dis
couragement as we'll as burden to honest industry
which sees its modest earnings swept into the hoard
of official profgacy. 1t lures aspiring youth from
the school room and the work bench to crowd pri-
mary meetings and figure in caucuses, in the san
guine hope of finding in politics means OF living
without useful productive labor. There is no citi.
zen 80 poor OF so humble that peculatiOn dshOn-
esty in the public service is not his mortal foe whom
it is his duty to defeat and disarm Electors of the
Empire City! firmly resolve as one man that every
form of official rapacity shall wither under your re-
buke and seek refuge in other land than yours