The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-14
CAPT, GUERARD REPLIES.
What He Says About Ground Rent
and Ground Renters

What He Says About Ground Rent
and Ground Renters
Editor Morning Nelos: An article in
your paper of March Is, headed, "Point
Out CT Retract," met my attention As the
heading is presumably chargeable to the
printer, it is to be supposed that having
called upon me for proof or retraction. you
will afford an opportunity to do either, as
may elect. The words referred to by the
caption are those which your reporter.
under date of March IL, put in my mouth
as having been used at meeting of ground
renters held on March IL. say put in nv
mouth, because | said ''that as at present
sdvised / could not say that ex-
pressly by legislation or by the
ordinances of the city an exemption from
city taxation was declared upon the lots
held on ground rent in the city of Savan-
nah, but that ever since such lots had been
sold they had not been taxed by the city,
and had been expressly declared by it to be
free from city taxation, and that | could
prove by living witnesses that the city au-
thorities when offering them for sale had so
declared" Besides this, / produced a bound
copy Of The mayors reports from 1855 to
1868, from which ! read extracts: thus. from
tie report of the Hon. T. M. Turner.
mayor, the honored grandfather of your
correspondent who calls upon me ito par
ticularizs or retractn in these words: "City
lots or lots under lease lin 1854 valued at
81, ass, 925). not being liable to city taxation,
are not included in the above comparison: -
and the same language repeated by Hons
R. d. Arnold, G. c. Jones, Thomas Purse,
and Thomas Holcombe. mayors. Here are
three facts: First, that such lots had for
100 years not been taxed by the city (;
second, that they had been expressly de-
cared by the city not to be liable to city
taxation; third. that the city authorities
when offering these lots for sale had de-
cared them to be exempt from city taxa
ton.
The exponent of the present city council
says or my expression in relation to its dis
regard of the opinions and pledges of its
predecessors: "And this action is called
robbery 'swindling,' and several other
understanding pet names.n did say that
any one who sought to violate a similar
contract in business life would be called a
swindler. The rest of the language is a
flower of rhetoric from the garden of the
exponent. As to the expression which
did use, the English language is copious
enough to furnish synonyms for any word,
and there are forms of expression called
circumlocution and innuendo, and at the
court of Queen Elizabeth mode of speech
known as euphuism came into use, but, be-
longing to the plain English speaking class,
prefer to call things by plain names, which
all will understand
AT the times mentioned the city of Sa-
vannah had land to sell, and thu terms
upon which it offered lots were such as then
seemed most likely to secure purchasers and
enhance prices, and one of these was ex-
emption from city taxation. If the lots
were not really exempt, then the city was
guilty Of using deceitful means and artful
practices to obtain larger prices which. in
Code, section 1896, is declared to be a mode
of cheating and swiudling. The councils of
previous years who made the sales were not
guilty, because they honestly maintained
their contract; but of the present board
this cannot be said, and I thus particularize
my remarks under that head. As to the
charge of waste, the reply is deferred.
JOHN NJ GUERARD.