National Republican., 1888-01-12
CURIOSITY IN ITS WAY.
Book of Delinquent Taxes Published
in PHILADELPHIA.

EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN The
book recently got out by the District com
missioners, and published in Philadelphia
under the title OF "DIstrict Of @ )lumbia
Real Estate Tax Sales" the payment for
which Comptroller Dulham is said to have
stopped, is certainly a curiosity In its way,
A copy should be deposited in the national
museum that future generations may have
an opportunity to see the mode OF transact.
ing corporation business In the city Of
Washington at the close OF the nineteenth
century.
observe by the papers that Collector
Cook gives as reason for the many bluu-
ders In this book that the work was done
In Pbiladelphia-so far away that bis clerks
had no opportunity to read and correct the
proof. A glance over the pages of this re-
markable book will convince any one OF the
utter absurdlty OF this excuse. The blame
for those ridiculous and lnexcusable blum.
ders rests not with the printers, who evil
IDENTIFY "fOllowed copy" or even with Col
lector Cook, but with the water department
in its statement OF water main taxes, in
which the most OF the errors occur. The
very heading to this water main tax list is
a most stupid blunder. 1t reads: "Arrears
Of Taxes and Special Assessments Due the
Late Corporation OF Washington In Ar
rears.n See p. 2S1
If this heading were true then the list
that follows 1t would contain nothing but
water main taxes that were due sixteen
years ago, at which time said corporation
was abolished by act OF Congress, whereas
the statements that follow this heading in.
clude all water main taxes due up to July
/, 1887, covering the period OF the board OF
public works and all Of the numerous boards
OF commissioners, as well as hundreds of
alleged arrearages that are pure fabrica
tions. 1t will not do to try to shuttle off
the blame of these bogus arrearages upon
the printers of Philadelphia. They were
evidently made in the water Office, which
Office must be held responsible, as 1t must
be held responsible for the damage and
annoyance caused by the numerous "splits"
| in the great 80 inch main last summer.
When correspondents are sending of
columns of matter by telegraph that often
contain the most iEtricate figures, all OF
which appear in the papers of distant cities,
the next morning rarely without au error,
It will not do to say that the hundreds of
errors that appear in this Waterman tax
| list, that numerous clerks had months in
which to prepare are typographical errors.
Take, for instance, the following, that
| is charged up against the veteran million.
| aire aud congressman, Hon. John b
Ally, that cut from page 2SS Of this won
| derful book
| ALLY, John b.,
Fourth installment OF water m lin tax on in
| tcrest from Dec. 10, 1874, on suOlot lt6
| square No. ljl, $3.50.
Fourth installment of water main tax on in
| terest from Dec: To- 1874, on sublot lid
square No. l5l, $3.50.
1t will be observed by the above that the
identical same lot is assessed in duplicate
, for the same tax and his property adver
| tised for sale twice for the same tax.
Again cut from the top of page 305 the
| following:
! HAYWARD, John A.,
| All installmnts of water main tax on inter.
eSt eSt from ON April Il, 1854, on lot 2, square No
All installements of water main tax on inter
, est from April 2l, 1884, on lot 2. square No
! 1859, $40 81.
This tax in duplicate agaiDstMr. Hayward
| is for small government main laid many
| years ago for the exclusive use OF the jail
Soon after It was laid Mr.. Haywood applied
for permission to tap 1t, aud was refus ed
on the ground that the fu,l capacity OF the
main was required forC rnment use. Ii
will be observed II III Mr.. Al'Y's cast
the duplicate tJX a. ress ractly
with the original, while Mr.. Hay ard 4
called upon to pay s. o. MOI lniAe dupli
cate than in the Original.
Mr.. Hayward is presiien. of the Wate
| Takers Protective Association. Perhapt
this bogus assessment is charged up agains
him as punishment for daring to eppos
unjust water rates.
Here is gem in its way which clir
from the top Of page 3O4:
HOOD, Thomas H.,
Third, fourth, and fifth instaliments Of waite
main tax on interest from July !, 1865, ol
sub lot =, square No, 33s, Svl5.
Here are three installments Of water mai,
tax running nineteen years up to the ilrs
of last July at 10 per cent. interest durin.
all that period, which must have thribleC
the original tax, and yet the whole of th
accumulated amount that Mr. Hood 4
now called upon to pay Is but ilfteel
cents. 1t would be an interesting sight tt
bee the main that was laid, and the 10
against which this assessment was made.
Here is another that clip from page 34l
where the same tax is assessed against DIFF.
ferent parties
| GLFNNIN, Catharine,
First installment OF water M hin tax on inter
| est from June 10, 1881 on loI II, square No
| jS3, $40
| PARKER. Frank,
First iustallment of water main tax on inter
| est from June 10, 1851 on LOT II, square No
jSH, $40.
Not satisfied with advertising this lot 70
sale in the name OF Catherine Glennin, Mr.
Cook advertises the same lot for the sam
tax in the name OF Frank Parker.
The law makes 1t the duty OF the head o
the water department to make out cor
rect statement every year OF the arrearage
for water main taxes and hand the same Il
the tax collector in time to be published II
his list Of annual tax sales, so that 1t will
be seen that the blame for these numerou
errors rests upon the water Office rathe
than upon Collector Cook.
Never during the history OF the waite
department has 1t mad so many clerks q
during the past year, and 1t is no eXaggera
tion to say that never has its business beef
done In go incompetent and blundering
manner as now. There Is no calculatin
the Inconvenience and unnecessary eX
penses our citizens have been subjected t.
In consequence Of the ncapacity In tina
office, and yet the commissioners take n
action In the matter.
Suppose the clerks In bank, or In til
employ of the national government were +
send out such laundering statements, hoy
long would they be kept In their positions
Servibility and toadyism, rather than ca
pacity and honesty, seem to be the qualifca
tioIs most appreciated By our Dlstrlc
officials.
| might give many more instances G
bluIders quite as culpable as those hav
named, but think / have given enough {
satisfy even the commissioners that tn
water office Is run in a most unbusiness
like manner, and that the first comptrolle
was fully justified In refusing to pass th
bill to pay for an official book so full G
blunders. j. III. CRANE.
New York "Ciipper" Annual.
Few publications are more valuable tina