The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-08-14
MIR. TALLMAS'S LETTER,

MR.. TALLMAS's LETTER.
The following is an extract from MIR. Tall
mans letter TO Mayer Kelley, giving his ex-
c',se or explanation OF the irregularities adj
II ittcd:
. In the Office of The Commissioner Of the
Rove l'e there was aS much if not more work
60 c thi: year than thu re hid bccn foranyt o
ars pr vious. This | confidently assert
from Il prctlclI knowledge OF thr Working
of the Office for the last five years. and to
show the many difficulties under which
had to labor | will en,leavor to give YOU Il
statement Of the work performed.
" III the first place. undertook to save the
city the heavy expense of appointing com
mlssinncrs (Which has been heretofore donel
TO redistrict the city. Your Honor knows.
and every intelligent man who las ever taken
or WHO will take the trouble to examine into
can see, that this is \ work of considerable
magnitude. and confidently assert, without
feeling that | AIN cgOtstica III 50 asserting,
that there was uritht! thel iior iioty a5thet
titan in the city OF Richmond who could
have done the work without going over the
entire city, and consuming several months in
50 doing. As to how this work was per.
formed by me, respectfully refer YOU to the
W
this laboriOuS work / had also 10 us 5rss the
liccnse-taX. taS against liguor dealers; &c,
ard TO make out my liccnSe-;ax books after
said assessment was completed. And while
| am speaking of the land-books | may add
that the new law in relation to the assess
ment of the clllvert-taX caused NE several
days of extra work
50 The time to commence the assessment of
personal property is on or about the lst day
of February, Abuht The Isl das of last
FebrnaIy1 carried 4 blank tax-list to Will
liam Is. IsaacS, Esq, chairman of the Finance
Committee, and requested him as such chair
mn to revise and correct said list and to let
me lave it Immediately. ] could not carry
the list tc him before that timr. as thr psse.-.
mcnt had IL be made lis VI tic date OF Feb.
rllarv 1St. | called on Mr.. Isaacs several
times. he informing me that the committee
would recommend to the City Council Seyc-
raj material changes in the law i'll relation to
the assessment OF personal property. and
further informed me That there would br no
poll-taS assessed. tt?e" i;:ililiilg Till about
tic 18th CT March Gnd by SO doing losing
six ont OF the sixteen weeks in which |
had to assess The whole ci!y) again called
on Mr. ISaacs and procured from him the lit
lett. with no changes. jsare IN the market
value Of stocks, bonds, ctC.. aub rriicrt,irt'
TO u :s''s. tllii II. ;iCcordn. to the laws then
in force. After having nearly completed
my assessment OF the whole city, on Or about
the 1>t Of May tho City Council passed an
ordinance requiring several changes aul
additions; among The httcr the assessment
OF poll-taN. 1t Was then utterly impo>Si-
blc to assess the p0ll-taX in time required ',S
law. In conversation with Alt, Ist,ars Nv
suggested 10 ne ihat ihp ,p%lsistratirr hooks
would possibly mattriAl'' ;;i& lie in the lis.
sf-'sn'cGt, proceeded to act upon this s,lg-
yestion, hut before ! had completed more
than one ward the books were taken By the
registrars for the registration and election,
aud afterwards held by them. and it was
with Great deal Of trouble and In". .: t,r,e
tilat | managed 10 rh.ilin afterwards tho
books for M6iirot, Clay, AMI jackson Wards,
with all these drawbacks, additions. and
hindranccS. had Il still greater drawback tC
meet with~-onr that caused me II despair cl
ever finishing the work in time for the Cot
lcctor. About the 18th OF May Mr.. {. p.
Word, Jr.. my efficient and capable assistant
whose knowledge of The work required rem
drred his services of great value to nc, Wa
taken very Ill, and lost his valuable ser
vices. l then had to employ ihrcc sciir9
mcp. who, never hlrins l;rr., il HE Office br
fore. werp runsyauciillh not much help il,
hul1wi1t~ III Tie work; but they and die
tic best we could, working day and night
And I will state further that il | had llat
every clerk in the city | could not have go
through with the work sooner. ~ the e. wer(
only three books ~ write iD. and ! bad tc
slilW iini.lml ti,n wort ft:i;C in them. That