Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-01-25
Taxation in the District.


MITTEE.
The District OF Columbia committee OF the
House to-day accorded hearing to tax payers
of the District to present their views with refer
enCe TO the assessment bills now pending in
committee. There were present Captain A.
Grant Peter Campbell. VIM. Dickson, Wright
Rves, Brooke Mackall, Col. J. p. Klngle o. r
Browning, jr., DR.. r. A. Bacon, S. J. Fague, r
L. Davis, and quite number of small property
holders, who came with the expectation that
their private grievances would be heard
Mr.. kliDgle spoke first, advocating the Sprin-
ger assessment Dill, with an amendment allow
ing those who were damaged by reason of al
legged improvements to go TO the courts f0r re-
dress.
Columbus Alexander. in reply to the imputa-
tat1on thrown out at last Saturdays meeting
that there were people OF the District who did
not want to pay any taxes at ALL said that they
were willing to pay just tax. He quoted from
the report OF the District commissioners from
1876 to 1917, to prove that the Commissioners
themselves admitted that the assessments of the
boald OF public works were in some instances
excessive. He said that there was one or two
COntl acts, notably the De Goiyer and Mcclellan
contracts which had been charged to the peo-
pie, when the United states had actually paid
for them twice Itself. He thought it was time
for The property owners In the city to form
leagues for their protection. He referred to the
late board OF public works as being like high
Nay @ en- ,Md who t demhnded l your money or your
York bad its heel on the neck of the people of
the District, and he wanted Congress to know
it.. He threw out rather a broad hint that the
Commissioners OF the District knew what the
dec sion of the Supreme Court with reference to
assessments would be, before it was made.
Mr. Mayhem interjected the remark that he
thought Congress was hardly the acc 0mplice
Of the United States Supreme Court.
MIR. Alexander said he wanted the Congress to
frame law $50 that the Supreme Court could
net get around it,
MIR. Bouck:-Oh. we can't do that
DR.. X. A. Bacon read paper reciting the
grievances OF the people on y street s.w. The
stleet he said, was Charged UP at about l67 O0o.
or about s625 per front foot lie favored the
Springer assessment bill, except the fifth sec
t1on, which allowed 10 per cent. interest on de-
layed tax payments. He thought where the
question was at issue whether property was
damaged or benefited, that interest should not
lie against the property during the pendency of
suit, but only after it shall have been deter
mined.
f. w. Whitaker favored the Rollins assess
ment bill pending before the Senate District
committee, which provides for the issue of
drawbacks to those who had paid excessive and
erroneous assessments. He wanted the cancel
latOn OF such certificates as were issued against
property which was alleged to have been i'm
proved but which was really, in fact, damaged.
Capt. A. Grant favored the fourth section of
the Springer bill, because 1t gave the property
owners who felt themselves aggrieved the
right to go TO the Us. courts. He reclted in
detail his own grievances with the board OF
public works with respect to the improvement
CT East Capitol street.
NJ. NJ. ROhrer thought the Springer bill good
bill, but he doubted il it could be passed. He
favored the Rollins bill, because 1t contem-
plated that the cost of grading and graveiing
the streets should be charged to the general
fund
A Massachusetts avenue taxpayer COM
planned that he had been charged for special
improvements S341 Oh property assessed at
81 500.
A 1th-street road tax payer said he owned
farm of acres, and had been assessed $1,000
for spt cial improvements. He said this was
virtual confiscation OF rural land, because it
could not stand any such fancy assessments.
Mr.. Browning wanted bill which would
allow the owners or property who believed
their property was injured instead OF improved
10 90 to the courts to determine the question.
Gov HeEdee tried to evoke an answer as to
where the money was TO come from to pay the
damages which might be awarded by the courts
under the Springer bill
Mr.. Klingle suggested four per cent bond.
GOV. Hendee said that he didn't think this
Congress or any other would pass bill to in
crease the bonded debt Of the District, and what
troubled him in his analysis Of Mr.. Sprnger'S
proposition was to know where the money was
to come from, inaSmuch as the District treasury
was empty.
After some further discussion, the committee
adjourned. A meeting will be held next Tues
day to draft bill On the subject
GENERAL GREEN CLAY SMITH, who once ran
fop. n,.nc- flonf 49, -