Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-14

property on street and elsewhere and spoke
of corner for which $Ss foot was refused
| few days ago.
Mr.. Thompson said that property would not
advance If this assessment continued. He in
| stanced the case of Mr.. Caleb C. Willard who
he said, under the new assessment, would have
| to pay $4,000 in taxes out of q total income Of
$50 600 from his property.
| Mr.. Moore asked whether Mr.. Thompson
thought the board of assessors could take any
| thing but the true value.
Mr.. Thompson replied by remarking that the
| board must have made the assessment in the
| office.
Speaking Of the East Capitol street property
Mr.. Thompson said property which had been
reduced In the assessment from so to rs cents
sold the other day for So foot. As a rule the
increase had been only about 8 per cent.
Mr.. Moore insisted that the average increase
| east OF 18th street was 80 per cent.
\ 1.-THE OTHER MAN.
Mr. Parker, having relinquished the chair
| 'Mr. Moore. you are regarded as the most con-
sentative of the three assessors, and we do not
desire to question your good intentions. But
| there Is an impression in this board and else
where that one member of the board of assessors
has been influenced by the location of his resi-
dence. However this might be. it I'M
| great dissatisfaction"
| Mr. Parker said the case Mr. Moore men,
\ toned, where s3S q foot was offered for prop
erty. was exceptional and should not be taken
as a standard Of the value of all neighboring
| property. II the offer was made it was prob
| ably made by some one who wanted a particular
corner very much and was willing to give double
| its value. He mentioned other cases where
fancy prices had been paid.
Mr. Parker then read letter addressed to the
board Of trade by Mr.. Henry Strong. in which
| that gentleman vigorously protested against
hal no a ,nct ipsu 1fatn
nlent, seriously detrimental to the present
business and future prosperity of the CITY," Mr.
Strong wrote that none of .his many pieces of
business property in Chicago valued for
taxation at an amount at all approaching the
new valuation here. nor were the taxes oue-half
what they will be here. "Only one of these
properties" he wrote, Though in the center of
Chicago business. is valued above $40 per
square foot and that one rents for 81 per square
foot, while my Washington street properties
average loss than 80 cents per square foot net
of floor space. Yet the salable value of my Chi
cago property is much greater. the rents are
much more; also the business done in them and
the rent-paying ability of the tenants"
Property on street. commended Mr.. Par
ker, 'does not pay per cent, and under The
new assessment vii! not pay 2per cent"
Mr.. Charles Bourn was opposed to striking
| ont the word unequal. 'Of course" said he.
''the assessment is not satisfactory. but it is
also unequal. and i, for one. prefer that We
should so designate it in these resolutions"
The burden. he said. did not bear so heavily on
the rich man as it did upon the poor man, who
would have to pay greatly increased rents. 1t
was, he declared. unequal and unjust
| Mr.. Moore-"The board of appeals and equal
ization, gentlemen. will be in session until II
o'clock pm, July 30. If any one can show TO
us any case of inequality we will be glad to cor
rect it,
Mr.. WARNER AND Mr.. JOHNSON.
NJ, ID A. 1
hearty support-"It is time, )" he said, "we should
take steps to correct the many misrepresenta-
tons which have been made during the last few
months concerning the people of the District.
| 1t looks as though we should look after our own
business. II We allow these Interpretations
| to go unchallenged. if we do not correct the re-
ports made to Congress every one who owns
property here will rue it,"
| Mr. Warner severely denounced Representa-
tive Johnson S action respecting the assessment.
He also called citizens to task for allowing such
conduct to go almost unnoticed and unchal-
lenged. When member of Congress so far for
gets himself, Mr.. Warner said, to appear before
the assessors. the paid officers of the District
and to insist on having an added burden of
$3.50. 900 coo on the people here, he thought the
| action should not go unnoticed. I'VE ought to
I let demagogues know" said Mr.. Warner, that
they cannot use the District for the purpose of
securing a reelection
Mr.. Warner denied emphatically statement
attributed TO Mr.. johnson that he (AIr. Warmer
had become convert to his views. Mr. War
nCr said that he had expressed himself only as
believing it would be fair to assess property ac-
cording to its productive capacity. He urged
that citizens must look after their own inter
ests if they wanted the capital TO prosper.
| Mr.. Wilson-"Why did you appear before the
committee?''
Mr. Warner-'Because l was subpnnaed"
Mr.. Warner, continuing, said Mr.. johnson
was simply talking for reelection, for the ear
| of the laboring classes and the adherents OF
Henry George men who are not in the least in
terested i'll District affairs. His efforts were
made in the interest of himself alone.
| Mr.. John II. Magruder stated that in his
case the new assessment had already borne
| fruit. He had already got shot from il in the
! shape of a notice from his landlady that his
rent would be increased on September on ac-
| count of the new assessment.
| The resolutions were amended by inserting
! the word "unsatisfactorv' in place of the word
unequal, and they were then unanimously
| adopted.
THE EAST WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION.
The resolutions next reported gave rise to
another warm discussion. They were as fol-
| lows:
Whereas there exists in the eastern section
| of our city an organization known as the East
! Washington Citizens Association and whereas
this association for the past three years has
! constantly complained and represented that the
eastern section of the city did not receive a fair
| and Just percentage Of the money appropria led
| for municipal purposes, but that the western
section of the city received more than her share
| of the appropriations for street improvements
&c; and whereas 1t appears from a comparative
statement compiled and prefaced by the honor
| able Commissioners OF the District, covering
period of three years. that the taxable valua-
ton of property in the southeast and northeast