Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-02


ALEXANDRIA. VA, March 81.
Editor Sdr:-The assessors return Of the
valuation OF real estate in this city, which has
been widely copied, has been interpreted by
some to be document framed In the interest
OF Malone and low values. That an old town
with populous back country, and more than
ordinary commercial advantages, and I'm a time
OF general prosperity should decline one-fourth
In Its assessed value In five years, is indeed a
my Stery. but yet an easily demonstrated fact.
Actual sales, both private and "by order of
court" have shown that but little property on
that list Is worth more than the assessment.
MOST OF IL VIII not bring the amount it Is as
sc sed for, and large proportion OF what
should De ITS most productive property either
stands unused and proftless, or brings in as
rents but little more than the taxes. Aud the
decline that has taken place here has extended
In stll! greater degree throughout the state,
Midland railroad. SO that Notwithstanding the
increased activity OF business In some Of her
principal a cties the total falling of Of
one hundred million OF dollars The Tribune
1ntimates that this is the result Of ''undervaua-
tlon;" that as is the case IN most Of the states
into large amount the actual value OF the
properties described. That this is not the case
here is shown from the fact that sales are con-
stanty taking place in all these eastern counties
both by private bargain and by "order OF the
court" and In scarcey an instance has the
price paid been In excess OF the valuation; in
pieces OF property offered at public sale have
been withdrawn, no bid being offered which
the Judge would confirm. In almost every case
where price higher than the assessment has
been obtained It has been because the pur-
chaser has been allowed longer time In which
to realize from standing timber the means to
meet his payments.
NOW THIS CONSTANT DECLINE
does not arise from any deterioration In the
quality OF the soil, from slovenly cultivation be-
cause the lands are generally being improved
both In quality and productiveness. There are
a few large plantations and estates that are
cultivated py renters or on shares that are De
ing rapidly impoverished but there Ia a Iarpe
number of native farmers whom the war left
with some means, and many from the north
who had sufficient means TO improve with that
are bringing their lands up to a condition OF
satisfactory productivencss, and large num-
Der or plantations have been divided up as
small farms among the former slaves. or thoso
formerly called poor whites" whose Improve
mentS, of the kind in which time aEd LABOR
form the principal clements, clearing Ian Is,
OPT ming bitches ani replacing fences, would
aggregate millions. Ana in general there Is a
manifest tendency upwards aud the paradox
Cal condition IS exhibited OF gradu Al Increase
In values and constantly decreasing taxable
valuation.
THE TRUE SOLUTION OF THIS
is that since wages have entered in as an ele-
ment. and the cost of making crops has had 10
be compared with their returns the fact has
themselves have but little, II any, intrinsic
value. That two hundred years OF constant
and exhaustive tillage has LEFT them with so
little productive power that the value OF the
crops resulting from the labor of man and team
will not generally equal the value OF the labor
OF man alone In almost any other direction
That the lands in their present IMPOVERISHED
condition are mere cOnVenIence-an opporJu-
nity for those who cannot Or do not choose to
remove away to bes;oT labor for very moder-
ate reward. In 1S69-10-'I1 there was q large
ipriEppSfp n
mostly in purchasing made only partial pay
meDts, and the terms or the deferred payments
, were sueh as could have been prudently euter
Into at the north or west, but wlen the year
came round II found those who had expected 10
realize from their crops the means to NEE,
Iollgatops so disappointed, and those wlo Ii ad
means from other sources TO make the!g plp
ments o discouraged by the meager results tf
Their tolls. that they generally abandoned their
unoertsklDg and returned north. and With no
favorable report. The few who had means
that -'''' ''u'-u
THESE WORKOUT LANDS ARE EASILY PECCps
RATED
and rendered profitable for cultivation. And
here comes In the difficulty In Virginia-tle
lack OF money to improve with The most
exhaustive d n i've inqulsion has discovered less than
includes everything animate and fnanImate.
down to bonds" book accounts, Credits eai
cash. cash. ard the cash or property available as
Cash does not amount 10 one dollar per acre OF
her lands that are called improved. With no
varied Industries, nothing but farmLng-wlth
lands tWo-thirds OF which need expensive recu-
peratlng before they can be titled to protiC. and
with one half at least OF her farmers "illterate"
not having tie agricultural knowledge neces-
sary TO use money in improving land even IL
they had II. or TO follow any course In farming
but a very limited rout1Ge-the upward progress
OF the state must be painfully SLOW.
TIKI COMPARISON BETWEEN VIRGINIA AND q gORGT.
People who compare Virginia With Georgia to
the disadvantage OF the former do not call to
mind that over One-half the lands in Georgia
are new, and none totally eXhhsted: that she
mas cfOp-c0tt0n-that can be cultivated as q
wages crop, and In aid OF the cultivation OF
which ally amount OF outside Capital can be
called 10: That emancipation relieved her from
ne necessity OF purchasing labor and gave her
far better service, the current wages on which
was less than the interest on the cost insur-
ance ana maintenance Of the former slave.
while In Virginia emancipation was the annihi.
lation OF $500, 600 OF her capital available as
cash; that she had no land, except where money
mas been literally bestowed, that Will pay wages
everything beyond limited farming must be
done on shares or rent, the cultivator getting a
decidedly lnextIavagant support and the owner
only enough to meet moderate expenses SO that
upward progress Is almost an impoSSlbility un-
less comprehensive and statesmanlike legisla-
ton can be secured that shall draw In capital
state, thus Impoverished and crushed under the
burden OF two centuries OF mistakes must
therefore Iepud1ate her honest obligations is to
say what the common people OF Virginia have
not said. The taxes OF 20, II and ~ were as
high as any levied since, and were raised by the
people with twice the difficulty that the same
amount would require now because the war
had stripped them OF everything, and they were
farming almost without implements or teams.
and yet taxes were cheerfully paid ana the eX,
ira burdens attending the erection or new
school houses brayely assumed, and there was
no complaint ABOUT taxes Or taxation TIL they
discovered that by some financial legerd3main
the schools they had hoped for and laoored for
were 10 De crippled or destroyed.
NOTHING But Defence OF THE SCHOOLS
could have united the cOlored and white voters
into harmonious cooperation, and nothing Is
so credttable to these laboring classes as the
determination that their children shall not suf-
Ter from liliteracy as they have themselves. 1t
was stupid arrangement, looking like dis
uuSt or the common people. that put the pay
menI OF interest on the bonds into an attitude
OF antagoniSin to the schools and made it DOS
slple TO aira1gn the coupon feature OF the set
lieMent as 'SW1ndling circumvention OF
plain provision OF the constitution In the inter
est or continued ignorance and class rule
NOW this coupon feature Is what the common
people mean to have ''readiusted" The amount
OF prllc1pal OF the debt or rate of interest are
matters OF arrangement, but the proportion of
an taxes levied which shall 60 to the support
OF the schools Is fixed by the constitution, and
tney 90 not intend that provision so neces-
saTy 10 the well. being or Well-doing OF their
own cnlloren and the prosperity OF the state
shall be arbitrarily dlsregarded.