, 1874-02-09
TAXATION.
Continued fraru tho First pnso.)

Continued frHm tho First Tnso.)
iown To tho COLLECTORS oflco onco year.
should linve no annoyance from tho viHltH Of tho
Aagcnsors at my house II should nat DO bothor-
ed loBt my property WINS nsBcsBc1 too high or
ny noiEhhors too low; Hl.otta not lIavo to 60
to The Collectors o!llco to find out tho amount
pf my Ink, ,vnrying from your 10 ycar bit would
?,Hcapo oil tlosc bothoFs by tho pasmopt OF
liked BuM at fixed limo.
Roportor-And III addition to oil TINT, you
would escape tho dinagrcoab1o 1'ecoasity OF
'SSa!g gyo, e s9 FIR reIf n1o oeG mn sGaf s yorv much
I'M down On tho subject Of perjury, especially
IN connection with Ink natlors. I suppose 1t ts
oil wrong, of course, but guess that thama}orly
Of hounoi,oldera wllo make rotur1.sawenr s2letnly
every year to what they know to DO un-
true, mid tlat. too, without any moral cotnpInc-
lions whatever. 4 good mnny years ago, whom
frat lad pcrsonal proporty, t!ld mnko out
return In arict compliance with tho law. wherein
taot down. as tho Inv required, the fair cash
yaluo Of my personal property, and pald tax
thereon which was enormous. Soon nftorward,
1onrnod tho practice In Ohcago,-tho custom
whicl, proyailotl,-that everybody should per~
formed to tho CUSTOM and BY this timc, 7
admit, my consconco has got quito hardened OH
tho subjoot. Still, as I satd BEFORE,
woa willingly consent to syssom 81 t taxation
tho necessity for falso swearing.
COMMON CUSTOM.
Roportor-Do your 1lofghbors on the avenue
pursue tho Hanlo plan In returning their personal
property?
M.. Al boliovo they do. Occasionally, tho
Assessor gots inso. tho house, invcAtlgatos tlho
pictures on tho wall, tho carpets, and tho furnf
lure, and is unwilling to bo'ioye that those nri-
cles eau DO purchased for s4oo or $500, md ho
sossor Of personal proporty has. as n general
thing, only about throe figures. Everything Ia
either s100, $500. or 81 900, except. Of course,
in tho case OF largo stores, whore tic figures vary
With tho Btatements Of tile proprictors.
ASSESSING eTocK IN TRADE.
Noportot-That reminds mol How do you
rnnnage whon yol como to making roturn Of
tho property i'll your dry-goodH store? should
k|s1SgG k|soSg'ooS' your stock on hand must DO worth
Alr. Al guess It's. Ithinltif woro burned
out should claim that sum from the insurance
Raporter-what amount did you return to the
Mr.. A.-Fiftoen Thousand dollars
Reporter-IIow did you manage to got 1t down
Mr.. A.-woll, my stock is worth 100000, but
owe on that $780, 900; 30 you zee that mn
ronlly taxable. at tho worst, on only s1o0,00a.
lseportor--Dut Tho Inv allows no such rcduc-
ton.
MIR. A.-Dut tbs law ought to. We business
tnon aro in tho habit Of fixing up tho law sono-
times 40 aH to suit otlr own idoas OF whut iB
right.
CoSy1!:c1No AN ASSESSOR.
Rerorter-That does not account for the dis
crepancy between $4,000 and 100000.
Alr.,A.Woll,, tint Discrepancy may DO ao-
asscssing comes into tho storo and walks up to
my desk and Bays that 10 wants to
necortain tho yalao Of my stock. I
say s'. mcerttany H. y i gu moans Look around
loadcd with silks and satins, cottons, lannels,
md drcss-goods Of MI patterns, aud comes to
the conclusion tint 1t IL utterly beyond Ills
capaeity to do anything Of tue kind, and he
Sas sss e s1oas e s9 Sc Wy s1 ho "w
l s. Int little iow?" I SOY, aay, "No, guess
not not : :, hero arc o good many goods here. but
tus they are very cheap We haye lowered tho
for insanoo he5e ~ piece o Of 5i T. whie
a auos a ~ nsa ca, ling that silk for 10 cents
-, sa ~ Won1in,t " =. u like piece-onougl to
5malIc make ilress for YOU, wife," Ie says, "Why,
ycs:'' and wo hnvo ollo4 gu Tor 2 dress measured
OH and charged to lin T. tn n't,J ca fsS aronn n an o5
nav tho biIi wLon ho finds II correct. IT he does
not find it convenient TO call No nevor trouble
our loads to 70 in sonrch of him aikl dnn MN
for tho money. Ho becolnes perfectly a satisfied
with the correctness Of my stnteTae1tt aau pay
tuxes OH this Bamo nsHcsHHlent.
MERELY BUSINESS.
neporter-Has tint not sa'or OF "f'00's
SIr. A.-Well, it is n busiuess transaction. I
do not see anything illegal in it.
Roporser-Do your bllsiness brethsen manage
thoir affairs III this manner --.
Mr. Al suppose they do. I presume there
s terrible B',rinkngo in tho value Of stocks ard
in the price Of commodities Whenever Assessors
como around. Bcsdest au Assessor is poorly paid,
and If lo gotH thoso litto gratuitios it ssseotene
his nature, ho tukoa p!easaMter views OF things,