St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-31

ness of a special assessment the safer
rule is to make it general tax.
Ihird-Where the public share equal
ly In the benefits of temporary i'm
provements upon streets the expense
should be met by general tax. While
am, as yet, hot prepared to go as far
as MI. George In favoring. simply, the
one-tax system, l do feel that taxes
should be imposed upon as few things
'as possible, and to simply meet the re-
iauiremenfs OF government. 1t simpll-
mes matters. saves expense and labor
and gives far better satisfaction. | do
not intend, in this article, to enter into
details to prove this. There would be
no difficulty doing so. My present OBJ
7 lect Is to discuss, only, the foregoing
question,
. Although the assessments for clean
ing the walks from snow and sprinil-
ing are comparatively trifiing. few are
called upon to pay these assessments
put VINO do it with dissatisfied feel
ing. They pay several hundred dollars
tax on their real estate with pleasure
IN comparison. They look upon it as
gust While it is admitted that both of
these labors are, of transient nature,
the plea for taxing the property
is that it makes the streets
more attractive, for the travel
draws more people upon those thorough
fareS and owners of property upon those
streets reap the benefit in the way of
larger rents. 1t must be apparent that
this argument, if of any weight, applies
to every outlay of the city of temper
airy nature. 1t applies to lighting street
lamps, to cleaning the center of all
streets, to expense for policemen, and a
M ,rniYA Of
like nature. They all help to make
streets attractive to the public and pos
slbly enhance the rental value
OF property: yet special assess
ments are not made for the
cost of these things. To discriminate
why special assessment should be made
In the one instance and not in the other
is problem that the shrewdeSt reaSoner
would find hard to solve. Let us try to
use ordinary reason in these matters
and the task of government would be
far pleaSanter and easier. One need
but to glance over our daily Official
sheets and see the large amounts eX-
pended for advertising these assess
ments: then to go to our tax depart
ments and see the extra labor that this
work entails; then to follow this up
with the annoyanceS to the parties
taxed and collector of taxes on account
OF disputes, suits, ETC., all of which eX-
penseS are Saddled upon the tax payers,
and the conclusion must be apparent
that this cumbrous machinery, unneces-
sary i'll large number of cases, and GER
tainly unnecessary in the case under
discussion, must lost about one-half of
what the actual expense for doing the
work oughttO be, if made general out
lay of the city, as it should be.
Inc argument for making these out
lays special assessments, namely, that
1t makes the streets more attractive and
that more people use them, shows
plainly that the benefit accrues mainly
to the public, and that the public is the
one interested and should meet
these transient outlays. AS a general
tax it would be so slight upon each in
dividuai as to be hardly noticeable.
Property owners are taxed for grading,
paving and putting down sidewalks.
The use and wear and tear is by the
public, and it Is asking but little to have
the public pay the slight cost for keep
ing them in proper order.
| trust, Mr.. Editor. that you will see
this in the light that have tried to pre-
sent it, and will exert your powerful in
fuence to have the law changed in that
direction. 1t accords with the views of
the most eminent authors on political
economy, and conforms to good sense
and reason.