Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-19


The committee Of one hundred, or thirty
seven one-hundredths Of it, met last night.
The committee has abandoned the lofty quar-
tiers it occupied in the G. A. r. building and
last night assembled in the less pretentious
odeon hall building, corner Of ~ street and
Pennsylvania avenue. The hall in which the
meeting was held last night had door, with
peep-hole in it, and a little cover or slide over
the peep-hole. Inside, in addition to the ordi-
nary furniture of a hall or lodge-room there
was an organ. Mr.. s. H, Walker stood near
the door and looked through the peep-hole
whenever steps were heard in the entry out
side. No double-rap or password was re-
CURED, however, to gain admittance. Major
Walker threw the door open widely and gave
a warm welcome to every newcomer. Major
Walker evinced some pride in the number that
attended the meeting, as he was, in some sense,
the host. 1t was by his invitation that the
committee met in this hall.
The president of the committee, Mr.. Noble
ID. Larner, sat ON little platform. Just above
his head, on the wall, was placard bearing
These words had no reference to MIR. Larner.
but to a gospel temperance meeting. Among
the 81 present last night were Messrs. Larner,
Morsell. Hemingway, Stocking, Taylor, Dodge,
hOONeT, walker, ueTTel, DaDSOu,
Weller, Gray, Hovey, Clark, Fenwick, DeLand,
Smith, Arnold, and King.
THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING.
Mr.. Larner announced, when he called the
committee to order, that this special meeting
had been arranged at the request Of ten men,
bers for the purpose of considering mat
tiers pertaining to the approaching assessment.
MIR. O. b. Hemingway was introduced by
Mr.. Stocking as a new delegate from District
No. 8, who had some suggestions to make re-
garding the assessment.
right to represent District No. 8, which he
claimed to represent. After some discussion
as to the contest in the eighth district the COM
mittee decided to admit all three of the dele
gates claiming to represent that district, which
under the rules is entitled to five delegates.
MIR. HEMMINGwAY's PROPOSITION.
Mr.. Hemingway read the letter which he
recently addressed to the District Commits
sioners proposing changes in the manner Of
making assessments. In this letter he as
serted that in the late assessment there were
great Inequalities. The cause of the inequality,
he claimed, existed in the instructions to the
assessors, and he understood that substantially
the same instructions had been prepared to be
Issued to the new board of assessors He
argued that 1t was an erroneous construction
of law to assess property at its value at forced
sale instead of at its market value. The funda-
mental error, he claimed, arose from the fact
that actual value had been COMPOUNDED with
selling price. Rent, he urged. was the real
basis OF value, and he suggested that assess
ments be made on the basis of rents received.
MR.. wELLER's IDEA OF IT.
MIR. Weller raised question as to how, under
MIR. Hemmingway's plan, they would arrive at
the true value of half improved or unim-
proved property that was unproductive. He
instanced the case of a square of ground that
rented for 81 200 and which was worth $780,
600. He did not think the assessment of prop
erty by present method all guess work. A
man could arrive at a very correct conclusion.
The trouble has been, he said, that the men
appointed as assessors had in many cases not
should be required. Hence there had been
inequalities. He thought if there was better
class Of assessors and there were more fire.
quent assessments they would not have SO
many errors. 1t was generally supposed that
the class OF property occupied by poorer peO-
pie produced more in rents, but that was er-
roneous. The fact that such people were less
prompt in their payments. and that the repairs
to such property were greater in proportion
equalized things in the end
MIR. Hemingway maintained that the sys-
tenn he proposed provided for getting at the
true rental value even in such cases as the
square Of ground mentioned by Mr.. Weller,
where the rent was nominal by comparison
with neighboring property. He agreed that it
would be an improvement to have better
board Of assessors and a permanent board;
but that would not go to the root of the evil
which, he maintained, was in the methods pre-
scribed by the instructions prepared by the
Commissioners
Mr.. Stocking argued that in the practical
work OF assessing property men were con-
fronted with conditions, and not theories. He
thought the remedy for existing evils lay in
more frequent assessments, and that there
should be opportunity for reassessment when
it was shown that an assessment was unjust.
MAJ. WALKERS EXPLANATION.
Maj. Walker said that when the last assess
ment was made the District authorities had
notion in their heads that if the assessment in
the aggregate was increased greatly, Congress
might have disposition to abandon the plan
of appropriating one-half of the Districts ex-
penses. Hence they thought it was best to
keep that assessment within certain bounds
and that, he thought, was in part the cause of
the inequalities complained of. He thought
this idea had now gotten out Of the heads of
the District authorities, and any assessment
made now would be equable.
MIR. Smith said he thought it was the practice
OF assessors not to interfere with each others
assessments. The assessor on one side of
street in one district might assess property at
fifty cents a foot. and the assessor on the other
side In another district might assess property
at dollar foot II complaint is made, the
board OF assessors would pay no attention, be-
cause the cases: were in different districts.
Mr.. Weller said that when travelling in Eu-
rope he had learned that in continental cities
the system followed was to tax, not the value
OF property, but the rents received. vacant
house paid no tax.
RESOLUTIONS ON THE SUBJECT.
MIR. Hemingway offered a series of pream-
bles and resolutions that the existing assess
ment is grossly unequal and in violation of law;
that the inequality is due to the erroneous in
structons issued to assessors: that it is not DOS
sible to secure an equal assessment under such
instructions, and that such instructions should
be issued to assessors would put into effect
the suggestions made in Mr.. Hemmingway's
letter.
Mr.. Fenwick said that in his Judgment az a.
general thing there had been a fair treatment
of the people in the assessment. There NAV
have been special cases where inequality was
manifest
1t was decided to refer Mr.. Hemminewav's
resolutions to a special committee. The COM
mittee appointed is composed Of Messrs. Hem
mingway, Fenwick, King and Chappell
TENEMENTs IN ALLEYS
Mr.. Weller called up the bill pending in
Congress, relating to the building regulations
of the District of Columbia, prohibiting the is
suing of permits for the erection of any dwell
ling house fronting any alley in the District of
Columbia. Mr.. Weller proposed to amend this
SO as to prohibit also the repairs of such
houses. He added this amendment, he said
as he thought the interests of the CITY de,
manded the obliteratiOn of the existing state of