The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-01-14
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT.
Mr.. VAN GRIPS FORTUNE.

SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT..
Mr.. VAN GRIPS FORTUNE.
In 1910 Mr.. Van Grip purchased from
The Van Snort estate lot OF land 'front.'
Ing on Broadway, below Fulton street.
for $4,000. An old building stood on
tho lot at that time, and Mr.. Van Grip
had it torn down and new building
erected in its stead. The new building
cost 500, 900 and created no little STIR
and gossip in New York in those days.
Besides giving minute description o!
it in their news columns, the Bugle ana
Bladder treated the subject editorially
and in glowing terms praised the enter
prise and public spirit OF Mr., Van Grip
and wound up with wish that New
York were blessed with more men like
him. Enterprise and public spirit were
not Mr. Van Grips only virtues. he
was religious, God-fearing gentleman
. loving husband, a good father
thorough business man who was not TOO
proud to look after his own affairs,
which he always kept in the straightest
order, keeping accurate accounts OF all
his transactions so that at any moment
he could tell exactly how he stood with
respect to any particular one Of them;
in short, he was model mana man 10
be looked up to and copied.
Years rolled by, bringing poverty,
hunger ana rags to many and riches,
plenty and fine linen to a few. Inc
civil war broke out, and thousands OF
hot-headed patriots left home and kim
dred to sacrifice their lives on the altar
of freedom. Hitherto it had been cast
iron rule with Mr.. Van Grip to personal
ly represent himself on all occasions
where matters Of any moment were at
issue, but in this case he was satisfied
to appear by proxy. So he hired an
agent to represent him at the 'front.' :
and remained at homo himself to look
after the interests of society and to see
that the business of the metropolis was
carried on in ship-sbape manner. The
| public veal demanded this, and, as MIR.
Van Grip was a heavy taxpayer. the
city could not very we'll spare him. He
was one of her representative men.
In 1886 Mr.. Van Grip died, in the Ian
guage Of the eminent divine who OIL
ciated at tho funeral services, "uni'
versally regretted" and was peacefully
laid to rest in the family plot, where
handsome marble shaftrecords his many
virtues for the edification of future gen
erations.
EARLY in 1857 the lot of land and the
building (now an old one) on Broadway
were sold in partition proceedings to-
the snug little sum Of $350,0O0. I have
incidentally remarked above that Mr.
Van Grip kept accurate accounts OF al
his transactions, and hero take the lib
erty Of glancing at the accounts RELATIVE
to this particular one, not to satisfy an.
. morbid curiosity, but simply with vie'
of learning lesson from the enterpris
and public spirit of the exemplary ger
| tleman.
) The account is written in a neat hand
! every 'i' is dotted and every IT"
crossed, and it is most beautifully rule
of in red ink. On the debit side are or
l tered payments for taxes, water rates
insurance, repairs, ETC.. and interest 9
!, | the legal rate on the 1926. 600 invested
: and on the credit side appear tn
d amounts Of rent received. For tn
:, Arst three years {1S4l-3) the debit an
s credit sales of the accounts exactly ba
e ance During the following seven yea
: (1s44-50) the credits exceed the debi
O by SIS, 500; from 1881 to 1850 the excess
credits over debts is $11, 900; from III
to 1870 this excess amounts to VIZ, 81
from 1871 to 1880 the excess amounts
i to $4,000; and from 1881 to 1885, incl
n sive, 1t is 50. 600; the grand total OF g
n. cess OF rents over and above paymen
II for taxes, insurance, water rates,
Il pairs, etc., and the amounts which N
Van Grip allowed himself for intere
t. on the principal sum invested duri'
,c the forty six years being $4,000.
~ Now let US work out two little pre-
# lens, one in subtraction and the 9th
n in addition. From tho price at viii
the property was sold in 1887, namel
in $3.50, 600, deduct the, cost price, namel
o. 1925, 900, and there remains 1925, 600,
he which add $51, 900, and we find the
81 profit on this little transaction was $27
is 600. OF course, have not taken IL
ia consideration interest on the surplus
receipts over disbursements which
an crued annually from 1914 to 1886, and
K which surplus, Mr.. Van Grip was gu
an GENTLY enterprising and public spirit
to to take appropriate advantage.
.et Two hundred and seventy-six tn
his sand dollars! Phew! To think OF
ic. makes my head swim. What gent
AN What enterprise! What public spi
it Compare this with the puny efforts
an twenty pigmy contemporaries OF
CIV. Van Grip. Those twenty clods Of
The manity started in the race with b
lis They drudged End delved. for tive
hi. years (ls4o-6o), and IS the result OF Il
drudging and deiving averaged IS
The year per man, they all earning dur
va the twenty years $4,000, which I'll
ate good-for nothing fellows squande
De. as fast as they earned
act The war broke out and the WI
or twenty marched off to
de- .front," from which six OF them ret
ion ed alive to resume their drudging
riff delving. For the next twenty-five y
en- (1se5-s0 the total amount earned
is those six nobodies was 700 ooo, OF
yearly man. This they likewise s
Is fast as they earned it, in riotous
ing and pampering Of the flesh.
lks' then those six nobodies died and
'he buried ont Of sight and into their M
)ull- ~,hopoor mt al m t1nh