Feliciana sentinel., 1892-09-24
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT
An Outright Single Tax Town.

An Outright Single Tax Town.
Hyattsville, Md, claims the honor OF
being the first place in the United
States to adopt the single tax as far as
respects local taxation. 1t has no lie
eense tax, last January it abolished the |
personal property tax, and on Thursday |
last the town board of commissioners |
passed q resolution exempting improve
ments from taxation and laying the |
sole burden of taxation on the value OF |
land.
Hyattsville is q pretty little town OF
q thousand inhabitants just outside the
boundary line OF the District of Colum-
bia. 1t is practically a uburb of Wash
ington, many of it's inhabitants daily
doing their business in the capitol, and
is on what is known as the ''Metropoli-
tan Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad. 1t has neither the very rich
uor the very poor among its inhabi-
tants, the great part being in moderate
circumstances, and three in five OF its
families owning the homes they oc-
cupy.
jackson II. Ralston. whose name has
| appeared many times In The Standard,
and who is prominent member OF the
/
dent at Hyattsville; and has also for a
number of years been a thorough sim
gle taxer, and his great object has been
to make Hyattsville the first munich
pality in the United States to adopt the
single tax 1t often happens that there
is more politics in q small town than IN
| a considerable city, and this was the
case with Hyattsville. At the outset
Mr.. Ralston found himself not only
alone in his idea respecting the ques-
| ton of taxation, but regarded with sus-
picion whenever he ventured to raise
the subject But he nevertheless per-
sisted, seizing every favorable oppor-
tunity to point moral. He made no
effort to get into place OF political
prominence, however, but put forward
others through whom he could work,
and whenever he found it necessary to
J enter public discussion he always as
sumed the most careful and conserva-
tive of aspects To those who knew,
his hand might be seen in the local
election, in the work of the local as
SCISSORS, in the growth of the sentiment
against a tax on personality, cul1ninat-
ing in the repeal of that law, and finally
in the passage through the legislature
, of an act empowering the town com
; missioners with a political view for
: the government and benefit of the com
7 munity to exempt Improvements from
taxation
J Having reached this point, Mr.. Rails
ton concluded to 60 into open pohtlcs
and he stood for election as one OF the
: five town commissioners, quietly max
: ing sure that at least two others shoulc
. be nominated who shared his ideas or
| the taxation question. These two were
- TIa, III I,0r
, The other two candidates were Thos
II. Latimer and ]. Andrew Aman. By
, this time Mr.. Ralston had won for him
r self reputation for marked abilit.
and careful and conservative ways, ant
he and the other four nominees wer'
elected without opposition
At its first meeting the board OF com
missioners chose a president. and tina
official was Jackson Ralston. Soon al
- terward the inevitable taxation ques
- ton came up and Ralston got a commit
&c tee of two appointed to inquire and r.
port, and on that committee haG MI
% Britt and himself appointed. Will
y this committee was at work by trul
., remarlsa BILE coincidence the town trea
urcr. VIM. II. Richardson. who is che
y, of the board of assessors, began to tai
~ pretty emphatically about the outrag
% of taxing improvements, the fruits {
industry. and placing only light ia
al on land values, accruing from II
i2 growth of the community. BY sim
ie larly strange coincidence. first, Ho
&C Tom l.. Johnston, member of congress
from Ohio. and aftcrward, Hon. Jof
d, Dewitt Warner, member of congres
n from New York, visited Mr.. Ralston
'n Hyattsville. and met number OF Il
MS most important people of the town. al
II. made addresses and answered question
s. on the taxation question. And thl
OF strange coincidence occurred when NJ
Ralston sent through the mails a col
pc of the report of the Johnson District
In Columbia tax assessment invcstlgatll
committee to every voter in the town.
ce At length came the final act Of t
'ss drama. Mr.. Ralston wrote the rePc
Is of the inquiring committee. he and N
Britt signed it. and on Thursday eve
- ing last. at the regular meeting OF t
IRE board of commissioners, Mr.. Britt p'
OF sented it The report is too long 20 81
ur here in full, but some extracts W
show its character. After few lines
IN the effect that the inquiry had be
,st made at the suggestion of many citize
,rs of the town and with the view of pos
a BILE action of the board. the rep
Ak, briefly reviews the progress OF the To-
A." in matters of taxation.
AZ When, in the 1885, we we're granted char
nat by its terms annual levy OF not to exc
er. fifteen cents on the hundred dollars was
a.. | oured to be placed upon the personal prope
land and improvements in the town as sht
IN by the existing assessment roll for state
nre county purposes. Under this charter we ley
taxes upon dn round numbers, ss4o IN
sonal property, s10s, 900 in land values, slo'
in improvements The inequality and in)us
of this state and county assessment Were
k, manifest that in 1890 the then board OF c
,7s | missioners secured the passage of an act by
- | legislature authorizing the town to make
Hee annual assessment on the same subjects
oe- three assessors and to levy a similar tax ,
to the property remaining included therein a