The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-31
TIE GROUND RENT LOT QUESTION
Mr. Guerard Makes Soma Further
Statements With Regard to 1t.

A'~A' ~ GOA EAN NA6&SS COll5 Further
Statements With Regard to It.
Editor Morning Nel0s.: As no attempt
has been made to controvert the law and
fec.s which have already stated touching
the tax on the ground rent lots, it is to be
supposed that the statement is incontrover-
tiole, still as the present tenants Of the coun-
Gil chamber seem to feel that charge which
they can not answer may be parried by
personal allusion,it may 70 proper for me to
add something to what I have said
The laws of Savannah contain these
words: The following real property shall
be exempt from taxation, to-wit Each lot
of land held at the time of the passage Of
this ordinance upon the payment Of ground
rent to the said mayor and aldermen of 5ne
class commonly called city lots" (ordina CO
1880 and the same provision is contained in
other and earlier ordinances.
The scrap of history contributed by Gan
Alderman" contains no argument. When
the mayor in 1878 procured the conference
which he mentions the property holders of
this city were surrounded by great diff
cult1es, the city had not begun to recover
from the effects of the epidemic of 1876, her
matured bonds and coupons were unpaid,
and She owed a large floating debt, tho
Savannah, Albany and Gulf railroad had
become insolvent and gone into tha hands
OF receiver, and the people of this com
nunity, almost without exception, from
the laboring man to the CAPITALIST.
sustained losses thereby. The city deficit on
Jan. l, 1879, was estimated at $66S, 800,
and including the bonds to mature in 1879
at 81, 1877, 800 81. The committee of council
said in its report: Real estate is now for
taxable purposes valued fully 80 per cent
aOove a fair market price, and the specific
and other taxes imposed upon mercantile
callings must be greatly lightened. From
the figures of the committee the burden of
the present and the prospective debt of The
city is quite double the ability of the com
munity to sustain"
Under these circumstances the citizens
and taxpayers invited to the conference
were willing to make a jettson of part of
their rights ratler than to suffer ship
wreck of the whole. By compromise and
patience the dangers vera passed without
the jettiSon, and when the present board of
aldermen went into Office the smooth harbor
of prosperity had been reached Do they
now intend to carry US again into the dan
gers which made the jet5ison seem neces-
sary? Doubtless the c1rsory opinions ex,
pressed by those who partici-
pated in the conference were
SO strongly impressed by the language
of the constitution OF 1877 and the distressed
condition of ths city that other considera-
tion5 were not inquired into, but the dis
tresS has been surmOunted without the
necessity for the protfeTed sacrifice, and
twelve years have elapsed since the proffer
was made. Daring that time opportunities
for research have been afforded which were
not given when the conference was invited,
and, with an attention awakened by the
failure of the city to assert the right even
far enough to make a test case to decide it,
knowledge has been acquired of the rights of
the property holders Which have changed the
views then held by me and l have reached
the conclusion that the Constitution
of 1877 cannot impair the obligation
of the contract previously made with the
ground rent lot holders. The mayor and
aldermen Fare supposed to know the laws
which they have made, and when by those
laws they make concessions to induce per-
sons to acquire city property and then seek
to violate them 10 the injury of the property
holders with whom they have contracted, it
is hard TO find words strong enough to de-
scribe their conduct What did or said at
the conference of 1873 is not pertinent to
the financial or other aspect of the matter.
Neither my words nor action were unbecom-
ing good citizen. The city Of Savannah
was i'll no way my client. 1t
did not even adopt the suggestion OF the
conference, and only those paid taxes on
the ground rent lots who did so voluntarily.
Never have I stood in the relation to the
city of it's attorney, or received a cent from
it as a fee. "Gn Alderman" with the
records Of council open before him, should
know this, and not so far forget his place as
a public servant as TO go out Of his way to
attempt to point sarcasm at a citizen whom,
in the protection OF his rights, criticizes
wrong which the council is trying to prac-
tice on him.
N1,11a coaT IN fbtplr hot
his argu neut is strengthened by using the
word 'caustic" frequently in connection
with my name; Of lis good TASTE in this
your readers eau judge. l shall only say
that caustic, well applied, may be effectual
in burning out some sores in the body
polite. JOHN NJ. GUERARD.
ro...4 C cfq. Enf,rn w, "a Pon clrr