The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-02-19

81 800 contribution TO the conscience
fund received on Tuesday. says the New
York World. On one point the two de-
partments were united. Such a lump
contribution could have come only
from taX-dodgers OF the magnitude OF
the Goulds and Hetty Green.
The conscience Of the average city
tax dodger Is touched for $50 or less.
Rarely does II respond TO the pressure
OF 800. The $1,000 bill and the $500
bill delivered at the Comptroller's Office
in one envelope by a messenger boy on
Tuesday broke the record. The argu-
ments advanced In the Comptroller's
Office were that Hetty Green's con-
science Is personal conscience
peculiar. but still personal, and
within reach OF human influence.
But the Gould conscience Ia corpora
ton conscience. altogether untouchable.
+. p. Barker, President OF the Com
missioners OF Taxes and Accounts. was
not so sangulne as some others that the
conscience contribution came from Mrs
Green. III Hetty Green's conscience
we're really and truly touched" a World
reporter asked him. how much money
would she be likely to send In TO cover
up remiss taxation?"
"Oh. my"-and Mr.. Barker spread
bis arms with a comprehensive sweep
thar suggested millions. Il have been
turning this matter over In my mind all
day" he said, and cannot imagine
who that money came from. OF course.
Il was for personal taxes" 4 tax COM
missioner never admits that property
tax gets by him.
Taking that 81 800 as a basis. what
amount OF personal taXes do the Com
mlssloners let slip through their fingers
every year,"
1T IS impossible for me TO tell or even
to guezs with any assumption OF ac-
,uracy. II may BE- 100000 or II may be-
i've times that amount for all ! know. |
We are poworless when a man chooses
to come here and swear falsely. We |
never know until he Is dead 10 what eN-
tent he has been dcfrauding the city.
Even then HE executors and heirs Had /
means OF deceiying ~. We are after
everything In sight For two years We
have been making speciality OF looking
up big estates that have Systematically |
avoided taxation for years. and delin-
lnents on personal taxes. We are
charged with driving the Goulds and
other rich people out OF town. Il has
tome TO my knowledge recently that
some OF the taX-dodgers we have chased |
out OF town are not even paying taxes
In the country. 4 rich lawyer In this
city sworc OF his taxes because he lived
In the country. When the assessors In .
the country tried to get hold Of him he
swore OH on the ground that nc lived In /
New York The assessor sent 10 me /
about Il and I told that man that he /
must either fish or cut bait. There are .
no end OF such cases The tax commits
sioners are not to blame because the /
,lty does not get all the money Il should
from personal taxation. We do our
duty when We get all that We can"
The smallest contribution to the con
science fund ever received In this city .
was from a schoolboy-S5 cents. The
.otal amount received for ten years IL
less than $4,000 OF this sum Sli.66O |
Mas received In 1877. when a Presby-
erian minister In Harlem turned over
'l0.il2 In behalf OF several conscience
stricken people whose names he de-
lined TO disclose. In no year since that
lime has the total amount received
cached the sum Of the single contribu-
ion sent In on Tuesday. The lowest
,oar was In 1859. when II dropped TO
80.
II Is estimated that the city loses at
east $4,000 a year from men who use
~ sorts OF makeshlfts to dodge per-
Ionsl taxes.