The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-06
FACTS FOR JUSTICE.
Attention Directed to What are Called
BIS Fel,2cies.

bis tel.2cl6S-
SAvASNAH, GA. Dec. 5.-Editor Morn
ina Nelcs: In your issue of Dec. appears
an article over the signature of Justice
criticising the city council in severe terms,
and which, but for its display of ignorance
and Misrepresentation of facts. would be
unworthy of notice. These very misrepre-
sentations, however, are 50 adroitly con-
cealed as TO deceive the great body
of taxpayers, and for this reason
ask space in your columns
TO expose the writer's fallacies.
Taking him upon his confessedly most
tender point, he says: "A house worth 5000
pavs over one per cent. on its value for
water remit whilst house worth $4,000.
nays only LILO per cent. on its value.n Now
a house uses water according 70 its con-
veniences, and the number OF persons occu-
pving it. These small houses have the
right to use bath tub. water-closet, etc.
lust as well as the 81, ZOO houses, and use
mite as much water. Indeed, the family
washing is usually done by the occupants
of these small houses, whilst the family
washing of the occupants of the larger
houses is usually given out
10 washerwomen, so that the occupants of
smaller houses use more water than the occu>
pants of the larger ones. The occu-
pant of the "a 900 house pays $50 for the
same conveniences and uses of water which
the occupant Of the smaller house gets for
81 That is the richer man is made to paw
four times as much as the poorer man for
no more, if not actually less, water The
purpose council had in view in charging
this 81 so water tax to each separate
dwelling was to compel land
lords to put water in the premises
for the convenience of those hard
working women who have to do their own
work, and VINO, whilst at work, don't want
to have to 90 100 or 200 yards down the
street in their working clothes to get ii
bucket of water. This object is a wise and
humane one, whether it pleases Justice"
and his fellow landlords or not
When l went into council I found an
existing ordinance, requiring all premises
within 300 feet of a sewer to be connected
with it. / endeavored to get it repealed,
and succeeded in getting the distance
lessened to $50 feet, with an understanding
that even this would not be enforced unless
in cases of exceptional nuisance, until the
new house drainage system shall be put in;
so that Justice" Is again entirely off the
track on this point
Some years ago the tax was 525 on 81 900
of real estate (paying perhaps or per
cent and 90 cents on 81 900 of stocks or bonds
paving per csat.-tha5 is, the tax on real
estate was 2716 times as great as the tax on
stocks and bonds. l have fought this
gross injustice through long years of my
life, aud although it has been partially
remedied, real estate IS still taxed SIX times
as heavily as stocks and bonds, though, as a
fact 1T often pays less interest on its value.
Stocks, in many instances, are SO valuable
that they can hardly be bought at two to
three times their face value, whilst real
estate has been almost taxed to death.
In for G ksdri xyipcr OaT1ita al oxyf is
cened, | have this much to say: Capital
Will stay where it makes the most money.
1t MAKES money in Savannah, and it is not
going to fly away from its opportunities
If local bankers squeeze us too much other
less covetous lenders will come in and fill
their places. l don't think that bank that
has paid its stockholders per cent. divi-
dends, and laid up nearly $500, 900 surplus
besides, whose stock is worth nearly 800 per
cent of its cost, is going to pull up and
leave tomorrow.
In so far as the ground rent" issue is
concerned, the original ordinance providing
for the drawing OF the deeds to these lots
says:
IA deed, by way of bargain and sale,
shall be made TO all and every purchaser or
purchasers of the said lots, under the seal
Of the city, etc. And the said bargain and
sale shall UeSt either an absolute or con-
UtttOUUt estate t't utel purchaser, dccoFu-
ing to circumstances; that is to
say, an absolute one, if the
valuation aud increase money shall
be paid down, or q conditional one, if the
valuation and increase money saall not be
paid down, this latter to become absolute
if and when the valuation and increase
money shall at any future time be paid
into the treasury, and an acknowledgment
thereof, under the seal of the city, signed
by the mayor and majority of the alder
men for the time being, and attested
by the city treasurer, shall be Endorsed
thereon" ION the same original decd. The
deed itself says: And it is hereby de-
cared to be the true intent and meaning of
these presents, and of all parties to the
same, that 1.-THE purchaser snail mold the
said lot absolutely, subject only to such
assessments and burthenS as shall be IN
common lOith other lot holders in the said
citH"
The intention was to make the deeds
deeds of bargain and sale. vesting the title
IN the purchaser, and making the holders
subject to the same assessments and bur-
thens as other lot holders in the said city :;
and these provisions were inserted in the
deeds.
Now, if man paid all the money, he was
taxed; if only part, he was left off from
taxes. By what provision of the contract
has the city heretofore pursued this course
of violation of the contract itself2 The
lot holders, under these conditional deeds,
have, in the language of my friend
Justice, enjoyed an immense advantage
since the days OF Oglethorpe" to which
they were never entitled at any time, and
to which, as a public wrong, we have
applied the pruning-knlfe.
have underworld to show Justice" how
things, which have existed '.since the days
OF Oglethorpe" look through other spec
tacles than his own-and l shall try to
remedy these evils whether "Justice" and
his friends go into court to fight me or not.