The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-12-19
The Sugar House People
Handed Up No Sugar"
to the Ring,
! PRESTO! IMMEDIATELY
Tax Valuations Took Several
lndred Thousand Dollars Leap
Z Upwards = Mr.. 0'Neill's
Statement.

City Collector p II. O'Neili is becom-
4 ingiy indignant at the intimaiions. made
both by the Ring Tax Board and their
: organ across the street. that he pur-
kposeIy, designedly and with the cold
.ooded intention OF favoring them, under
va.aed the property of the Matthiessen
& Weichers Sugar Company. When he
was seen today by one Of The News re-
= p5rters, he first addressed himself to the
refusal with which the Rings organ
charges that he met its demand for in
formation.
'.Ihe reporter" he said. wanted GER
tain figures. 1t would take no end Of
lime to get them out for him. We are
busy. now. you sec, with whole lines of
taxpayers come 20 pay their bills. could
not spare man for the work the reporter
wanted on the jump. and then ne pro-
posed that he be allowed TO rummage
through the books himself. Well, l am
under bonds here. and however much
was willing to trust him, it was not busi-
ness for me to agree TO tnat proposition,
aud he went away In a huff !"
NO INFLUENCE AT ALL
Now it was clearly intiuiated to me
by the Tax Board yesterday" the re-
uorter went on, THAT you were among
those who had solicited them TO keep
down the valuations on these worKsl
ssNeyerl Why so far from asking
them for favor of that kind, l know |
can get none there. We are all ON good
personal terms; but somehow they won
do ANYTHING in an official line Tor me.
Last summer Mr.. Matthiessen was anx-
ious to fiud out what valuations were to
n be placed on his property, ana l
Ayent nD to the Tax Commissioners
I'D asked them il, as matter OF favor,
= w huf had
zen settled upon, and they would not.
fou can see. when my relations 10 the
4 Board were such that could not get a
favor even of that size. that womb NOT
be likely TO 30 TO them and try to infiu-
ence their official decision on matter
u on which they were expected TO exer-
else their independent Judgment"
trty Collector O'Neill put Jack Nc
Cut heon to the task Of finding out in
hulk, the valuations he had placed on the
Property of the company when he was an
assessor Mr.. McCutcheon produced the
cash book to show the payments. In
1883 the company paid SIG 6O4 SO for
taxes The rate that year was s2s- 80 on
! the 81, 600, and so the valuation on which
~ it was imposed must have been S551 900
In 1887 the conpany's tax was Sl6,s4S.
The rate that year was SIS. SO on the 81 900.
Z lad it follows that tine valuation on
which 1t was imposed must have been a
frifle over $3.50. 700 These We're the last
tWJ years OF O'Neiiib stfftct ~ tuc City
in the capacity Of a tax assessor.
SOME PURCHASES.
The next year these valuations were
increased to Ss25. 900. an addition of over
$500 600 to Mr. O'Neill IS figures.
But you must remember the City
Collector went on, shat since | made my
last valuation the company has made
considerable purchases and erected great
buildings on its old property. They have
absorbed another section of the Gautier
property than that which was included
ID my valuations. They have bought Joe
Kelly's corner on Dudley street, too.
They have put up. as | said, buildings on
parts OF their property where there were
no buildings when | was an assessor
These purchases and improvements
would, of course. add to my valuations;
but to what extent OF course / cannot
THAT $40 900 900 PLANT.
Talking among the Tax Commissioner:
it was more than evident that the Tax
Board took advantage of Mr.. Matthies
sens testimony before the United State.
Senate's Trust Investigating!Comm
put the screws on his factory valuations
Mr.. Matthiessen- no doubt said SC
when he testified, but he. said that
that was the value OF his "plant.
The Commissioners here assume tha
~ ''planL, meant only his factory ant
holdings In the city. He doubtless
meant his business in all parts OF th'
country, his great factories In the WeSl
and his branch establishments whereye
they may be located. The probability il
that his possessions outside are larger
even than his possessions here.
HERE'S THE SECRET.
Wonder has been expressed on all side
as to the reasons that prompted tn,
Ring Tax Board to select the sugar fac
tory for this great imposition. Matthies
d q Weichers are both active Demo
ats, and in times past they have beel
)eral contributors to tue campaign
funds The firm was not pleased with
the tactics or the control of the Ring
sters in municipal matters. and whei
Cleveland sought the Mayoralty agaiI
last spring, and when the Ring put VI
McPhillips last fall for Sheriff it declined
all solicitations to the Rings corruption
fluid Ia other words, they would mol
chip in a cent that would aid Bob Davis
and his corps of ballot box suffers tC
perpetuate their hold upon the throats o.
the suffering taxpayers OF this com