Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-19

advocating closer commercial relations with
Canada. The recent seizures Of Canadian
of further difficulties on the Atlantic coast
upon the expiration Of the inodus vivendi,
will give the subject OF our relations with
Canada even more interest in the next house
than IL had in the last
Mr.. Hit is strong advocate of CONNER
cial union between the colonies on the north
and the United States. While other men
have devoted their time and talent to secur-
ing zollverein to embrace The republics of
Central and South America, or in other
words, to unite in one grand commercial
body the Latin races on the south with the
Anglo. Saxon on the north, but excluding the
Canadian provinces, MIR. Hit has looked
upon this scheme as far less feasible than an
arrangement between the United States and
Canada, because OF the closer ties which
bind the more northern countries. The
United States and Canada, speaking as they
do one language, and springing from the
same general stock, are fitted by nature as
well as by location for commercial as well as
political unity, while there is nothing what
ever In the characters or resources OF the
people of the spanish American countries to
make IL either probable or desirable that the
United States should enter into an alliance
with them which could only be
fraught with constant misunderstand-
lngs and chickering's. Major Butterworth
took the bulls by tho horns in the last con-
gress when he introduced his resolution
looking to political alliance with Canada and
the United States. While there are many
men in congress to-day who think that the
time will come 10 the future when British
North America will be absorbed into the
United States, and when the flag with q
hundred stars will float over the entire ter
ritory north Of the Rio Grande, these men
are not ready to believe that this grand
scheme for the extension of the United
States territory can be carried out for
many years to come, but the idea of COM
mercial union has made rapid strides for
ward since Mr.. Hit first advocated it years
ago, and it is the opinion of both parties that
the time is rapidly approaching when Can
ada and the United States will have some
definite understanding and the Fifty-first
congress is expected TO make long strides in
this direction.
THE DISTRICTS FINANCES
The arbitrary tax rate in the city of Wash
ington and District of Columbia has been
fixed for some years at III per cent. This
rate includes everything, and besides serv-
ing to supply the necessary funds for the
maintenance of the institutions Of the dis
trict and to pay all the charges for special
improvements II has resulted IN the accumu-
lation Of a surplus of something more than
S1,000,000, which is placed to the edt of
the District of Columbia in the national
is based is that congress- appropriates money
for the police, schools, fire and all other de-
partments, and then onehalf of the total is
paid by the district, while the other half is
drawn, drawn from the general fund of the
the United States treasurer. Although
the N per cent tax rate has been
amply sufficient to all the requirements of
the government up to the present time,
great many complaints have been heard be-
cause of the fact that large tracts of land
held for speculative purposes have been as
sessed at rate lower than they sold Tor ten
years ago. The consequence has been that
new assessment has just been made with a
nif.n tfh nfrf at tiof fn
the real estate speculators-
In some cases outlaying lands which less
than five years ago sold for 500
an acre are by the next assessment
lots within the corporate limits of the city of
Washington, which were rated ut cents
per square foot last year, are to-day
pssessssdt at %, $3.50 80 and aaons even ZEN
most prominent. real estate holders, who
under the new assessment will be required
to add many thousands of dollars to the rev.
enue of the District of Columbia, is John
Sherman. Senator Sherman owns unlm.
proved tracts of Land beyond the boundary
on Fourteenth street. near Mrs. Logan's res
idence. upon which the taxes will be in
creased to such an extent that instead OF
paying 5000 or $500 year the Ohio senator
will be called upon to contribute moro than
a thousand He has property in almost every
section of the city, and among his holdings
are two or three hundred small building lots
lots In the vicinity of the government print
ing office. Here the assessed rates have
been almost quadrupled, and not single
piece of property held in the name of John
Sherman has escaped with less than SO per
cent increase, and from this it ranges up as
as high as ten fold. MIR. Sher-
mans property is all valuable,
and he will doubtless be able to
pay the taxes assessed against him without
mortgaging any of it; but it is likely that
the action of the assessors in this particular
case will have a very beneficial effect upon
the taxpayers of the district in general, as
Mr. Sherman ls likely to prove powerful
advocate for a lower tax rate.
Another Ohio member of congress who
will be called upon to contribute more lib
orally to the revenues of the district on ac-
count of the new tax rate is Major Butter
worth. This gentleman owns a lot about
150x200 feet, containing total area Of about
thirty thousand square feet, which has been
raised from about $1,000 to 81, 800 The new
assessments caused a great deal of growing
from all classes, and inasmuch as the IL per
cent rate law resulted in an enormous sur
plus revenue, it is probable that the people
of the District of Columbia will have their
tax rate reduced il congress has. anything
to say about it.