Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-04
Mr.. W. W. CORCoRAS-

Mr. W. W. CoRcoRAS.
when asked by STAR reporter bis views regarding
the personal TAX said that the personal tax system
was unequal ana unjust in IT'S operations Il could
not be fairly collected II fans heavily upCu the
honest, good citizen. while the rascal avoids A. Il
Know case in point" he said. '.whcre money Is
taxed three times. There Is business man on the
aNPiie "ho borrowed money from me, giving Mt a
mortgage upon his house, upon which he pays tax.
j an taxed on the Iagrf- gaze, and he a-lln pIvS
tax on the goods bOucat Vita the inoey lac ,rGt on
tae mortgage Al the same time Ule0. are wealthy
raScais VINO are paying no tax wl .tever. I know
gentlemen WHO are paying tax on stock which ls a
detd weight on their hands; STOCK 1s.at dos not
o!lng them cent or Dividend They have s,.,lvaf
tS stock and being CONSIDERATIONS IL Il. haze l..4.
proper returns Of the money invested. aud the tn
NSslIlentS Go hot return tAeIa 4 cent lie AID
tnat he thought GIl gooi citizens Were 0Npo~cd 10
personal tax; IL could not Oe justly collected, and
ought not ID he collected al ait + d-cya rr,np,e
from the city. and was IL every way against pac.ic
interest. tie said ne Thought there Mould h- 10
tTouhe ABOUT having it abClsacli aId the revenues
coula De easily made up ey tie license = ,;au.
Mr.. JOHN W. THOMSON
said that he was heartily IN favor o3 tie abolition
OF the personal tax. and Thought that tie citizens
should assume almost any expense 10 eS nd OF H.
Mr.. wM. II. CLAGET1'S VIEWS.
81 am opposed TO the personal tax system" said
Mr.. VIM H. Clasett to a STAR reporter. at is ln-
practicable and unjust, and In 40 way suited to
city like Washington. When the question OF per-
sonal tax In the District was urSt raised ex-Gov.
Dehison, OF Ohio. became one OF the District Com
NiSsloheTS. was chairman OF the Citizens Com
mittee OF One Hundred To oppose the bin before the
District committee in Congress. then gathered
lots of data On the subject. got statistics from
New Jersey and Pennsylvania. which showed that
certain counties In tie states, which Were
exempted from personal tax. becane lla
most nouriShing sections OF the states ar..
finally became 4 greater sources OF r,.yr-
nue. than ali the other counties put together.
dom
OF the bill. but there were lot OF western men on
the District committee. and they could not be mace
10 uiaerstand how system which worked well
with them should not work equally We'll here You
see. out west, where new settlers are takIng up
great tracts OF wid land, real is oppressive and
personal tax Is more popular. They want the real
tax made as light possible so as 10 induce other
8 ttefS 10 come and take up the lands Here how
ever the case Is very different; draw people here
you want TO do away with the personal tax. and il
don MAKE any difference about he real and direct
CaA This Is not manufacturing city; Il is a clay
OF residences and Its progress depends upon its at
tiactNeneSS Tor wealthy people place Of resi-
dence. But the personal tax Is bug bear TO scare
all these people Off Without IL they would come
mere and invest in real estate building line houses
the taxes on which would be a source of revenue 10
the District. but they object 10 having their uer-
sonai property inquired into. The personal tax
does not add TO. but ndi-ecily takes from the reye
nueS or the city. The taxes can be raised much
more easily by other means. that are in Wise OBJ
Jectlontoe. "A bill authorizing the cuaection OF
taxes IA the District by license system known
as the 'Buckner biz was presented TO Congress
through the efforts OF the Committee OF One Hun
uied When Mr. BucSner, of Mo-. Was chairman II
the District committee OF the House II WAS r.
ported and defended 10y that gentleman but WAS
defeated, and the personal tax biIl pow Ia force
Was SUBSTITUTED Tor Ii by MIR. Neal, OF ohio.r
VI. ". GAIT
said that he thought at least nine-teuths Of the
people in the District opposed to personal tax.
and would approve of The plan devised by Co.nmis-
sIoner West to substitute for IL license system
lie said he believed all honest business men would
prefer to pay license. whatever IL was Under
the personal! tax system, he said. conscientious
man had to bear the burden OF the tax, while his
un1cfupuiclS competitor would escape IL. and thus
have an advantage over hiin i'll his business On
the other hand, every one Is placed on ahequa
footing: those doing certain Ella s. u bl-rps, nav
certain and definite license. and the collection *
simplified aud rendered sure. The growth and
prosperity OF the city, he thought. would be ana *
retarded oI tie personal t:N. ana IL - the in
terest or every business and citizen 10 have It
abolished. IL is To the Interest ~ every business
man 10 nave the clty grow IN wealth. and they
ought not TO conpiain OF ANY license they might
have TO pay to relieve the city OF a system OF taxa
ton which retarded its growth. The l3ea 10 regll-
late ttls, licenses according To the brnefit The
business receives from the expenditures OF the nu-
nclpal government. or the expense IL incurs upon
The government by the nature Ct Its operations he
said he approved Of
WOULD RATHER HAVE THE LICENSE INCREASED
Mr. A. E. Bateman the banker Was asked this
morning by STAR reporter what he thought OF
the proposed Substitution OF license for the per-
Sonal tax.
II think" was the reply, "that every business
man who Is interested In the prosperity of the Dis
trict would be willing 10 submit 10 reasonable In
crease in the license in order TO 60 away with the
personal tax. As far as am personally concerned,
would rather pay five times the amount OF my
license If the personal tax could be dispensed With
Mr.. THOMAS RUSSELL,
importer OF wines and liquors. said that he did not
think the question should be agitated He did not
see, he said that the liquor dealers required the
services Of the police and FIRE department any more
than did the dry goods merchants or any other
business men VINO had their property protected.
The police. he said. paid much more attention TO
the stores than TO the saloons He said that he
thought the whole tax system as IL now is was un-
Just. but IL was better bear the ills we nave than
TO run the risk OF increasing them Cnlil the
people OF the District had the right suffrage they
tion.