Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-23
THE EASY METHOD.
The POlI-TaX Collector Explains Why
the Citizens Often Get Two Tax
Bills, or More.
The System Of Assessment Which Has
Hitherto Prevailed in Memphis
VIII 1t Cease!

/ For some time hitch has been noticeable
! between the poll-tax collectors and the as
SCISSORS. A great many complaints have been
made by the public against the former Tor
presenting their bills two and often three
] times 10 the same person. The people find
| it hard TO understand how this is. An APP
/ PEAL reporter called upon Mr.. Williams, the
| poll-tax collector, for an explanation OF this,
! and he gave 1t very cheerfully.
! In the first place, he said, the books
/ with the names OF citizens were made ont
! by the assessors, and that he had to present
! all the bills, and if he failed to collect the
| tax from any person, he had to give reason
/ for it. Now, for every name secured by an
| assessor he gets five cents, and Mr.. Williams
| says that some times the same name appears
THREE TIMES on HIS BOOKS.
! Men that sleep in one ward, eat in another
and do business in another, are put occa-
sionally in all three wards, on the prin-
ciple of 8" let no guilty man escape" The
greatest negligence has been shown here
tofore in enrolling the names. Men that are
dead have by some process unknown to sci
ence been resuscitated and put on the books Of
the assessors. Neither the living nor the
dead have been neglected. and it is certainly
matter of surprise to an humble citizen to
find himself a duette or trinity on the tax
books. As there are seveI a. thousand names
enrolled, Mr.. Williams says ii would lie a
matter almost Of impossibility TO find the
duplicates without his attention Is called to
it by some mistake. With these he has been
nearly pestered to death. He has to get out
his books and explain matters over and over
again, and
HE FEELS AwEARY.
The APPEAL reporter asked him yesterday
how many duplicates and duplicates he had
so lar discovered.
about a thousand" was the answer.
SIS there no way to stop the practice of
making untrue assessment beoks?"
1.-Two OF three grand juries have examined
these books and have found many instances
of what | say. They have reported these to
the encouragement, but he has never taken
any action regarding the information, and
yet the assessors in many instances bring in
these false lists and yet swear TO their truth"
The reporter was informed that the assess
ors in times gone by had a very ingenious
and facile way OF making up their lists.
They would frequently get old roll-books and
SLAP WHOLE ROWS OF NAMES
in, helter-skelter, without qualm OF con-
science. In order to reach many Of the par
ties down on the books the tax-collectoIs
would have TO present the bill not infre-
quently to little tombstone in Elmwood
cemetery. This is explained by Mr.. Viii
hams as the reason why there is so much kick
ing done. The assessment evil does not stop
with the collection OF poll-raxes. The as
sessment OF real estate is by no means put at
the real value of the property. The report
err was informed by an official who spoke
from personal knowledge, that house cost
ing a citizen between $4,000 and $4,000
was on the ASSESSOR books at $4,000, and
that another residence built at a cost of fully
$4,000, including the value of the ground,
was assessed at s., 900. Now Tor such valu-
atoms 1t would seem that the assessors are
responsible. A man
MUST BE PRETTY BLIND
who cannot see that $4,000 piece of prop
erty is worth more than $1,000 or $4,000. 1t
has been whispered, but of that the APPEAL
Of course knows nothing that occasionally
inducements are brought to bear upon the
officers in order to 'bear" the valuation on
the assessment books. The asssssors who are
now at work, land will report about the Let
Of April, should be very careful in making
their returns, because they can expect with
some assurance that close scrutiny Will be
made.