New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-02
FLOWER AS A TAX-DODGER.
WHY THE PEOPLE OF LONG ISLAND CITY
WILL VOTE AGAINST HIM.
HIS RECORD AS A PRopERTY-owNER THERE
MANY OF HIS HOLDINGS SOLD TO

PAY THE TAXES.
Democratic speakers and the Democratic news
papers have throughout this campaign laid great
stress on the generosity and public spirit OF Mr..
Flower. pointing out with much self-satisfacton
the objects of his bencfactions, from homeopathy
IN Watertown, No one, however has called at
tention to the record that Mr.. Flower has madc
in Long Island City, where for years he has been
q large property-owner On much OF this prop
ertv taxes have never been paid, and the sentl-
ments which Long Island City people feel and
express toward Mr.. Flower in consequence are
not at all indicative of friendly regard. The
feeling of injury and outrage is indeed so strong
that it will without doubt make itself felt
materially in Queens County tomorrow, when
the citizens get an opportunity to express 1t at
the polls.
Roswell p Flower" said a prominent Long
Island City Democrat on Saturday, is known In
Long Island City as O tax-dodger. He has prop
erty here chat he has held since 81, on when
he has never paid one cent OF taxes, ano ne -
now and has been for years engaged IN the EN-
deavor to saddle on the city debt that was
contracted for his benefit and that of several other
large property holders, and which they, when
the obligation was incurred, specifically agreed
to meet He has brought innumerable suits
against the city to evade the payment OF taxes
and water rents Justly due and. in fact, con-
siderable number Of his holdings have been sold
by the city TO pay the taxes on them. Toge'her
with other large holders he has entered into what
we consider q conspiracy TO defrand the city
and transfer to the other taxpayers obligations Tor
which only these large holders are responsible
Investigation of these statements brought out
the fact that in 1874 Mr.. Flower, Union College
and other large holders of real estate in the First
Ward Of Long Island City secured from the LegiS-
lature authority for q local commission to raise
money for the improvement of First Ward real
estate. The money was obtained by the issue OF
what are known as First Ward improvement GER
tfcates, and the loan was to be paid by assess
ments on the property lying in the district to be
improved. Mr.. Flower and the others subscribed
for nearly all of these certificates, which bore
per cent interest, procuring them at an average
rate of about fifty cents on the dollar As fast as
the assessments were paid in, the certificates Of
Indebtedness were cancelled, none of the holders
making sny objection to the payments on the
property actually improved, and none of them
meeting the assessments on property that was not
directly benefited, although it had been agreed
that all the property within the district was to
bear its share.
The matter has now reached state where the
outstanding certificates amount TO about 81 800
900. OF these Mr.. Flower is reputed to hold
S554,OOO. Practically all the assessments on
valuable property have been paid. The $780,
900 of outstanding certificates is the amount of
the assessments on comparatively worthless
Property. These assessments Mr. Flower
and his associates refuse to pay, and
as they hold the certificates themselves
they are now endeavOring 10 force the city to take
them off their hands in exchange for city bonds
which action, If accomplished, would transfer the
debt from the men who incurred it and the
property on which it is lien to the shoulders of
the taxpayers of the city.
The proposition Mr. Flower and his associates
make is for the city to issue thirty-year bonds
bearing low rate of interest. These bonds they
would take up, paying for them in First Ward
improvement certificates with accrued interest
at per cent, exchanged at nno-half the par
value. In other words, Mr.. Flower is trying to
unload on the city his S554,OOO of First Ward
improvement certificates for practically what they
cost him. plus the accrued interest and this in tht
face of the fact that those certificates were not
paid off long ago simply because of his own
fusal to pay the assessments that he agreed to
pay when the certificates were issued.
This attempt the part Of Mr. Flower to sal.
for which he is responsible is not, however,
the only grievance that Long Island
City has against him. For years he has refused
to pay taxes on some of his holdings there, and
in 1888 the city sold a large number of his lots
to secure the taxes for the year 1880. In the
case of other property, too valuable for him TO
let il be Sold Mr. Flower has evaded the pay
ment of taxes and water rents by resorting TO
the courts and fighting the city step by step on
legal technicalities One case will illustrate the
method.
In April. 1888, Mr.. Flower petitioned the Sl-
preme Court sitting in Queens County for an
order directing the City Treasurer of Long Island
assessed upon his lots in blocks Nos. A, rs, n.
SO and 81 In the First Ward In the years 1871
to lss7 inclusive. The aggregate SUN In TINS
case WAS S4SSo 81 OF this amount only SID 10
had been paid Mr.. Flower asked that this sum
I've returned to him and the unpaid balance can
celled, Oh the ground of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
of the law under which the assessments mel w no
in the Court Of Appeals awaiting DECISION, MI
Flower and the other wealthy FIRST Waro prop
erty-holders, all non-resldents, nave Kep1 o 6Hc
city out of taxes amounting TO nearly SIoo,ooo
Smaller holders residents of the city, unable 10
afford the luxury of law suits, even II they would
be willing to resort to yechnicahties TO evade tne
pavment of their just taxes, have paid them ;is
thew came due Tho total tax levy OF the city
is about $3.50, 900, so that the amount oil anpald
taxes dua from Mr. Flower and his associates Is
eonal 10 more than tue entire TIA levy Of the
Every effort made by the city to secure the
settlement OF these claims having lalled, henlA
q Johnson, the Assemblyman from Queens County
on March 20, 1890, introduced bill into the
Legislature intended to effect the needed rene me-.
The preamble of the bill expressed the whole ldea
Of the onposirion I'M the following words:
Whereas, the validity of some of the arrears
of unpaid taxes, water rates and rents IN Long
Is,,nd CITY has been or may be questioned By
reason of some rrcgularity, technical omission or
defect ia the detail of procedure of the assessors
in eyyinp instituting laying, improving or eXeG hi
ratified and confirmed the taxes imposed and pro-
vided that after the passage of the act all taxes
in Long Island City shall be laid ana levied oy
the block and lot numbers the official city map,
and the using or failing to use the name OF any