Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-01-18

ctleS- ana the parties. on whom unre.feVed
losses had fallen By reason of the depredationS
Of confederate cruisers. The majority bill was
for the benefit of the insurance companies and
no one else. IL those companies had any right
to tie award 1t was bare. technical right. II
they had any perfect right. why had they
not gone into court instead OF coming TO Con
eress?
MIR. Mcmahon supported the minority re
port
At the close Of Mr.. McNahon's speech the
previous question was seconded and the main
question ordered. the understanding being tina
Mr.. Butler should be allowed i5 minutes. and
that Mr.. Knott should have as much time lie
desired before the vote should be taken.
---->>--
District Assessments for Special int
nrOyemcntS.
MEETING OF TAXPAYERS WITH A SUBJ COMMITTEE
OF THE HOUSE DISTRICT COMMITTEES.
By an arrangement made yesterday, sub
committee Of the House committee on the Dis
tlfct OF Columbia to-day gave hearing to tax
payers OF the District with reference 10 the
merits OF several bills, which have been intro
duced both in the Senate and House, touching
the assessment and taxation Of property in the
District OF Columbia. OF the subcommittee.
there were present only Cen Bouck and Mr..
Mayhem. GOV. ffeDdee was kept away 10y rea-
son of sickness, and Gen; Hunton by private
business engagements. There were present OF
the citizens OF the District, commissioner
Phelps, Lieut.. lioxte, DR.. J. F. May, w. II.
Clagett, solomon J. Fague, Horace Johnson, Il.
Ryan, John w. Thompson, Dr. r. A. Bt"on.
Columbus Alexander, Brooke MacEall Peter
Campbell. VIM. Dickson. Maurice Murphy j.
". 7. King, j. j. Clingman, Geo. VI. OySter, and
others. Gen. Bouck directed the clerk TO read
all the pending bills in the support OF assess
ments, after which several gentlemen were
heard.
Mr. solomon j. Fague called the attention of
the committee to alleged specific cases OF in JUS
tice against taxpayers, whom he represented,
and cited several instances among those the
case OF Mr.. W. w. COrc0ran, who, he said. had
not been credited with old material on | street
sold to contractors. Had he been SO credited
it would have eXtiDguished his entire assess
ment.
Mr.. Mayhem interrupted the speaker by say
ing that he thought the directiOnOf Mr. Fagues
argument was not appropoS TO the subject un-
not matter requiring new legislation, but is
already within the powers OF the District Com
missioners to equitably settle
Mr.. FagUe.-" Yes; but they refuse to do any
thing, and we have to come TO Congress" Mr.
Fague, continuing, complained of the injustice
Of agents for property holders not being al
He complained also of property holders oppo-
site the Louise Home having been charged with
grading Which should have been charged To
the general funds. He found also that in one
OF the Sti eetS in which there had been reyiS-
ion Of the assessments by the Commissioners,
there had been three different rates for carriage
way improvement charged in the same square.
DIR. j. f. May said the trouble seemed to him
| to be that while three-fifths Of the property
| owners in the District paid their taxes prompt
| iy there were two-f1fths who would not pay
! and who never intended to pay. lie thou sht
the Springer bill, which allowed the revision OF
! assessments to be appealed TO the courts. meant
only delay. Congress at its last session had dl-
! Tected the matter of the reyia0n OF assessments
! to be referred to the District Commissioners,
and they had entered upon that duty. The Only
/ question was, he thought, shall this important
work be allowed to go on? Is Congress to de
/ eide how its laws shall be carried out. or the
I Commissioners" DR.. May said that he had been
! informed by the tax clerk of the District that
| Mr.. Fague, the agent OF property holders, had
! In his possession between 100 and l5o revised
I,,I had
| one Of them. lie is the representative OF the
money class who refuse TO pay. lie didn'
! think Congress should now be taxed with its
| time and patience 10 go into details as TO the
| private grievances Of those whose property
| might have been damaged, What was needed
! was let the revision OF assessments go on under
! paid too much tax should be refunded what
| ever they had Overpaid. He thought that the
| prompt taxpayer who had long ago paid his
i taxes, should also be allowed a refund OF any
| erroneous assessment, and in this respect he
| thought the bill which passed June 18th las
! should be amended.
/ Mr.. May hem:-SuppOSe property has changed
hands--hoW would you apply the relief?
! Dr. May;-The owner, who buys the property.
! ought to be entitled to all the privileges which
| Mr.. Fague became somewhat indignant at
some or Dr. Mays remarks, and. when he had
finished. said with some warm IN: ''Mr. Corco-
| ran. whom | represent, Is ready to pay every
bill he owes. il they are corrected
Columbus Alexander (decidedly}:-'' And so
am l.. OtGefS I'D Cn6 room maze ike response.
| MIR. BOuck said that when the bill which
! passed the last Congress was being considered
| by the District OF Columbia committee, a repre-
sentative OF your side [alludiDg TO Mr.. FagueI
| was present lie was dissatisfied with the bill.
/ The committee asked him how he wanted il
! amended-what suggestions he had to offer TO
: improve it. lie answered that the fact OF the
| matter was that he didnGwanU any bill at ALL
! lie preferred to let matters DRIFT as they were.
! Mr.. Thomas Kirby. contractor, argued that
! tie 3.65 bonds were supposed to have taken up
| 6nrti itiaaf DirCr Intir 1V.--
| property, and yet they found thar the certili-
! Gates were still held by New York banks.
Mr.. Lambert. an attorney, favored the
! Springer bill as an act OF justice, which recog-
| nized the right OF taxpayers TO redress.
! Mr.. Bouck:-Springer's BILL il strikes me, Il
! little too broad. because IL not only proposes
| to repeal last years assessment BILL but good
| many ether acts OF Congress with which 1t con-
| hctS.
! sumed that Congress had power 10 digest the
| city of a vested right.
4 taxpayer OF 2lst street, complained of
being charged with grading which he had done
| at his own expense.
| Mr. Bouck said that he thodght it was but
just TO explain the position of the committee
with reference to its action on the assessment
| bill which passed last session. The idea was TO
refund to two-fifths of the citizens OF the Dis
trict who had not paid their taxes whatever.
upon revision Of the assessments, should be
| shown TO be errOneOusly assessed The bin
| looked like fair one to the committee. Ii de-
| sired that those who had not paid their taxes
| should be compelled TO. When the bill was be-
| ing considered there were no outsiders before
the committee to influence their action except a
| lawyer. who represented the delinauent tax
| payers. After he had made some objections we
| asked him bluntly what kind of O bill would
| suit these delinquentS when he answered: mo
bill at ALL. The truth, 1t struck the committee
| was that the delinquents wanted to get out of
| paying their taxes. Mr.. Rouck said with refer
ence to the assessment decision made by the
| Supreme Court, that he did think, from casual
| reading OF it, that the court held the assess
| mentS OF the late board OF public Works to be
| illegal. The trouble with the Springer bill is
| that IL repeals too many laws.
Mr. VIM. Dickson thought that the main trOll-
| bic was the pernic1OuS assessments OF the
Doald OF public works, and the fact that while
| the commissioners were carrying out the act
| OF June 18th last, according to the letter of the
| law, they We're not carrying it out in the spirit
| which Congress intended. The fault was with
| the law. lie thought, too. that the taxpayer
| who had paid his taxes should have refunded TO
him any charge which he had paid under an
| erroneous assessment. While the act of June
| 10Th last was benefit TO delinquents il did
not confer any privilege Oh the prompt tax
| payer.
MIR. Bouck said he thought the Commissioners
| meant to do justice to all, and do il honestly
| Mr.. Clagget spoke at some length On the
wrongs OF the poor taxpayer. He attacked the
| late board OF public works, and said their acts
and memory were stencil In the nostrls OF the