Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-06-17

The enemies Of the new D'>srict government.
ttly called obstructioRists, baffled in their
repeated efforts to embsrrass eur local admins
tratioh, cripple IL financially, and impede the
progrt-s of improvements at the national Cant
tal-defested st the polls, thrown out OF court.
and laughed at in Congress-have now rallied
their forces for an attack on the present mode of
collecting taxes for special improvements. Taxa
ten Is always unpopular, and the specious argu-
ments used by the obstructionists in favor of dis
uibuting The payment OF these tfxes over a term
of years have won over to their ideas soms
friends Of the District government, WHO have
taken only a superficial view of the Question and
rot looked at Ii In 81 its bearings. In the fra.
pace, let US take the proposition in its least
Objectionable form and suppose bill is passed
to pay one-third the special taxes in cash and En-
remainder in one and two years with interas. on
the deferred payments at or per cent II m,st
beremembered that under the old system oron-
cry owners paid the cost of one half the width
OF the street improved in front of their premises
say the cost Of improving street in front or
twenty FOOT lot was 5000. Under the old system
The owner Of the lot had to pay one-half of this
amount, or SOC one hundred dollars in cash:
one hundred more, with interest, at the end of
one year; and another hundred at the end of two
years, with interest. Now he pays for only ONE
sixth the width OF the street, and when his ona
hundred dollars Is paid (one-sixth of SCOOP there ia
the end Of it, andthere are no deferred payments
hanging over him to keep him awake o'nishts
suppose now Va divide that one hundred dol
lars inf) three payments, as proposed We
return at once to the miserable system of iob-
bling which prevailed under the old corpora.
ton. Certificates Of Indebtedness for such smau
amounts at q low rate of interest, are almost
unstable, except at a ruinous discount The
rates now paid for street work average about %
per cent less than under the cid corporation.
because the contractors are paid in cash. The
taxpayers have the benefit Of that 20 Der cent
III contractors are compelled to take certificates
OF Indebtedness or "scrip" at 20 to 40 per cent.
discount, the prices for their work will have to
be increased correspondingly, and the burden
VIII come on the property owners. If, on the
other hand, the board Of public works take this
financial "chicken feed into market, they can
only dispose Of it, if at all, at heavy discount,
which again falls upon the taxpayers, and the
margin goes to enrich the curbstone brokers and
conseieneeless spectators who fattened upon
the necessities OF the poor under the old coruo-
ration Take anothe- of these propositions to
divide the tax into five parts-one-fitth cash
the remainder in four annual payments, az 10
per cent. interest. The property owner. for
every five dollars principal has one dollar in
terest added, while the scrip being for still
smaller amounts than under the one-third ar
rangement, If just as unstable as that though
the rate OF interest is higher. The small prop
erty owners who have been induced to Join in
The hue and cry for extending the payments
snonld carefully ponder the facts here present.
ed III the measure should be adopted thev
would fnd wealthy property owners paving
their taxes with the profits of speculations on
the deferred payments on which the small prop
erty owners are pay.n interest.