The Opelousas courier., 1895-09-14

pfoportlonate distribution as in the
past. The share of each city will be
determined in the same way. The
only difference will be that each city
will determine for itself in what man
ner it will raise the money both for
state and local purposes. In any part
of the state where the authorities pre-
fer the old method it will be adhered
to. The country districts will really
be benefited by this change, and for
this very plain reason: A considerable
part OF the tax OF personal property
low falls IN bonds and gag
mat is to say. on loans made on land.
This burden has to be met out of the
interest, the rate of which is proper.
t%ionately higher. If the tax were
abandoned in the larger cities, whence
the greater part Of capital comes that
is so loaned, money on such loans
could be obtained more readily and at
average rates. All that the
country members. are really asked to
do in voting for this bill is to give the
cities the privilege of relieving farm
mortgages from taxation and so aiding
the borrowers. That does not seem
an e~xtravagaDt request.
Letter From Abram S. Hewitt TO the
Brooklyn Revenue Reform Club.
The present system of taxation is
simply ubiquitous. t imposes the full
burden Of taxation in many cases up
on widows and orphans and upon 9TH
ers whose personal property is a mat
ter OF public record, while it releases
the rich to a very large extent from
just contribution to the public ex-
penses. In the state OF New York the
assessors are compelled to violate the
plain obligations of the law in order to
get v a moderate amount of taxes
from those who would otherwise es-
cape by a change of residence to some
more favored locality. 1t is doubtful
whether in this c. y SO much as one
fifth of the personal property is actu-
ally subjected to taxation, and yet the
persons who escape are those who are
best able to bear the burden. In 1888,
in the performance of my official duty
as mayor, l recommended to the legis-
lature the precise measure of relief
which the Brooklyn Reform club now
advocates. 1t is quite certain that if
the total amount of taxes now raised
from personal property in this city
were placed upon real estate, the rise in
value of the latter, due to the large ac-
cessions of capital which would then
come to New York, would actually re-
duce the taxation upon realty. lean not
conceive of any measure which would
80 rapidly and largely promote the gem
eral prosperity Of New York and
Brooklyn as the immunity from taxa
ton of personal property. The capi-
ital of the world would be at our call,
and the development of business and
the growth of wealth would, it seems
to me, be beyond all precedent. am
surprised that this measure of justice
has been SO long delayed. The state
of New York is to-day behind every
other state in it's system of taxation,
and this is due not to any ignorance of
the true principles upon which the
state should raise it's revenue, but
largely to the Indifference which, 1
think, the present state of depression
in business is likely to bring to an end,
because without some stimulus the re-
will be slow. I can think of
no better and quicker remedy than
that which proposes to relieve personal
property from taxation in any commu-
nifty which of it's own free will is will
ing to place the burden upon real prop
erty.