Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-24

Another Plan for the City Council TO
Tinker With.

ENllOf -HCfAtHl MUS n hAte~t - -
NEWS Of Sunday, 23d, throws out some
suggestions relative to municipal IaXa-
tIon.v Every effort made in that direc-
ton is but a step to some sort Of develop
ment. and in time, by the practical en-
foreement OF laws, suggestions, remedies,
amendments, etc, engraft themselves.
There must be some law, and wise legis-
Iator observes closely the workings OF
law. no matter or what character.
because a law does not exactly suit
there is no reason for its rejection. A n.y.
nercritical legislator is always a draw
back to common sense legislation. j nave
seen many such in my day, and they were
uuisances in legislative bodies. human
intelligence is limited. and man grows
and develops by experience. experiment.
observation and the practical workings OF
a measure or a thing. All suggestions
lead to thought, and thinking inYents OF
suggests plans.
T1e power of taxation, like the law
that cOmpeis service on juries, or drafts
in the army when enlistments iail' u aO-
sOlute. No matter how men may curse
and swear. rip or tear about it,they nave
got to submit 10 it. No man can wrap
the cloak of secrecy about his business
and defy investigation. The law demands
from him an oath. and makes false swearing
perjury. The law says swear what you
are worth. and if there is reason 10 be-
lieve there is false swearing. there is
law to reach the perjurer and TO punish
him.
Now for a suggestion. Let the City
Council appoint six men, men whose lu-
tegrity cannot and will not be impeached;
whose cOnsciences have nothing OF the
India rubber make about them to stretch
or contract through ''fear, favor or anee-
II. 81, OH 70 vVn
right and Just. assess all OF the property
Of the city. Put every man upon his oath,
and let the oath he such one that Ju-
piter would not dare to lie" A thing well
done once is done forever. for it stands
guide post.
What should be known is what real es-
tate is worth. Put upon it just yalua-
ton. OF course the owner can protest,
be put upon his oath as to what he would
take, and then make the assessment. The
only way to test a man as to his actions
in the affairs of life is to ask him. Would
you do the same thing over again If IT had
to be dOne!v just so when he is inter-
ested in private affairs. "Will you take
so much for your real estate, or stock. or
goods. or that taxable prOpertyW You
protest; let us have your cash value.
That is business. | have, in the past, seen
a tax receiver refuse to accept the return
of property, and say to the man, You
know that is not a just return
But says this or that man when asked,
what are you worth: l owe for my PLAN
tation, or my stock or my goods. You
ask me to give in what am worth! Ger
tainly. Do you ask credit upon what
you owe or the property you claim as
yours? But l owe Smith for this planta-
ton. Well, do you propose by your logic
of reasoning to make Smith pay tax on
the plantation and your note besides and
you pay nothing, yet at the same time
claiming the plantation as yours, working
it as yours, and asking credit and COM
mercial standing on the ground the
plantation is yours? Don't you see the
absurdity of your position! Again,
Smith may live in New York, and can the
State tax him there when you are in
Georgia selling goods you bought from
him? Somebody has got to pay tax on
the plantation and the goods in the store,
and as you claim them as yours, the
State knows nothing of your debts, but
the goods that are for sale. We are not
taxing debts but goods and other property.
The above is the argument of many mer-
chants when asked as to what they are
worth.
Let there be,a schedule Of all property
in real estate, trade, stocks, bonds, money,
etc, and then when once recorded it
might be made the duty of city tax re-
ceiYer to keep as thoroughly posted as it
is possible to be. Where there is a will
| there is always a way. A good law can
reach everybody and everything when
properly and energetically enforced. A
good law, not enforced, is worse than
| a bad law, for it opens the door for all
kinds of rascality, perjury and dishonor.
The State OF Georgia, or her citizens,
| return a taxable property Of about three
hundred million dollars. The State to-day
| is worth over four hundred million dollars;
somuch for men with India rubber con-
sciences or a perfect indifference to an
oath. The State should have county as
| SCISSORS, men who would fearlessly do
| their duty, their whole duty, fearing no
one and respecting no man TOR his wealth.
A man of honor is never for sale under any
circumstances.
To sum up: Appoint six men as asses
| sOrs: let them see every man individual
| "; put him upon oath as to what he is
| worth in real estate, stocks, bonds, trade,
| etc. (taXatiOn means investigation and
| then let the six men 60 over the whole
| city and make their assessments. Then
! there should be a city tax receiver who,
with the book of the assessors before him,
should be made to keep run of all the
property and the value thereof. Easy
enough done when once started right. In
| a word, the receiver would be paid to keep
| his ewes open as to everything being done.
! His business would be to keep himself
| thoroughly posted. The assessors should
| have their Office hours. and notify every
man to come and make his return. When
the city has thus been thoroughly gone
| through with, time given to tax payers to
enter complaint, if they have any, then
pay the assessors, dissolve the board and
turn everything over to city tax recely-
or II. MI, %.