Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-28


Editor Morning Neacs: There is only
one way Of putting check upon partial
UNEQUAL and unfair assessments upon
property of all kinds in this city, and that
is to Dablish in pamphlet form list Ofthe
assessments, with the numbers of the lots,
values put upon the lots and improve
ments, with names of owners at date OF
advertisement, and to furnish each tax
payer with copy Of said pamphlet.
Every house and lot in a ward being put
down under the general heading OF such
ward, and every intelligent man IN
ward being tolerably conyersant with
the real value OF each mousse ana
lot therein. aud being at the same
time interested in seeing justice done
between himself and his neighbors, he
would then feel a pocket interest in in
vestigating these appraisements, ard ind
ing out whether he is being made TO pay
his own tax and somebody else's in ad-
dition. or whether he is simply called
upon for his own share alone.
Our CITY Assessors are probably very
well meaning gentlemen, but they are not
infallibIe, and they don't know every
thing. A case in point will illustrate: |
find nv residence and lot on South Broad
street put down for about $4,000 (pretty
near its market value, whilst l
find the property of j. r. Ward,
corner of Mcclure and Canal
streets put down as follows: part of
wharf lot No. lot 5000, improvements
81 ,5OO;" when know that Mr.. Ward gave
the estate of O'Byrne over $4,000 Tor these
corners lots 5 and 6 of the subdivisions
of wharf lot y. and the improvements
must have cost 50, 800 to $4,000 more. is
this Just! And does the Council remove
the injustice by adding 20 per cent. on
each of our valuations!
have heard it asserted that the pro-
perty known as the post office and Cotton
| Exchange commercially building is as
sessed at $40,0 when every sane man
knows that it is worth at least 100000.
! What right has the Council to exempt
three. fiths of the value of this property
from taxation and then levy the amount
of deficit on some other persons prop
erty?
Then, again, the Supreme Court of
Georgia has Just declared that these So
called CITY LOTS are not city tots at all,
and not leased. but sold, and belong not
to the city, but to the purchasers. And
here is about a million dollars worth Oh
property upon which taxes cannot be any
| longer suspended by resolutions or in any
other way without making the Aldermen
personally liable in damages to creditors
and taxpayers who may be injured by
their negligence of duty in collecting the
taxes, and this cannot be regulated by any
| 20 per cent. regulation business.
l therefore, in this public manner, as a
/ taxpayer of the city of Savannah, demand
Of the Mayor and Aldermen of the city a
publication of the assessments upon each
and every taxpayer of the city, whether
such assessment be upon capital stock
in trade, stocks, bonds, personality of
every kind, and real estate-together with
the amount or pro rata Of assessment
| thereon.
Every taxpayer should have a full and
complete copy of such assessments, IN
order that he may assist in preventing
! illegal, unfair, and unequal assessments,
and see that he suffers no injustice from
those he has empowered TO do justice be-
| tween him and his fellow citizens.
LOUIS A. FALLIGANT.