The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1896-04-02

john JACOB ASt0r, a person whose
name ought to indicate his ability to
pay his honest debts. appears in the
public prints of New York in the con
temptible role of evading his obliga,
tons to the public treasury. If Mr..
Aston were less eminent an individual
there would be general expression of
the belief that he had periured himself
to Swindlc the public treasury. As Mr..
belongs othe class which is mere.
ly eXhilarated when other people are
drunk. which commits a breach of trust
IN doing what if done by less fortunate
persons is stealing, which violates the
social conVcnanceS when ii INDUCES
in Irregularities claSSed among less re.
fined folk as adultery-Mr. Aston, il
short. being one of the class guarded
against the vulgarity of plain speaking,
has doubtless done nothing more than
to indulge in a little polite e%quivoea.
ton through motives of thrift. A year
ago Mr.. Aston admitted his possession
of personal property to the value. for
taxing purposes. of $2.500.000. This
year he takes his solemn oath that he
is reduced to S2JO,0O0 worth Of personal
property. Some curiosity is expressed
in New York to know what he has done
with it. The Aston collection of pic
lures, statues. jewels and bric-a-brat
in the big house at Fifth avenue anG
S~iXty-fifth street has not been moved,
and people who know declare il wortE
co Snn nlO ;+,o1f gEl,o,n - nc ~,
falling off in the quality of the Aston
hOrsefeSh. nor has any Outcry arisen ir
financial circles Over scandalouS deple
ton of the AStor bank account. Fol
this remarkable shrinkage in the Aston
assets no plausible explanation can be
given-unleSS it be the answer to the
ancient conundrum about the 12-year
old boy who eve had a brother or sis
ter. yet begged aims for his baby niece
The boy lied. but who dare say thai
about an Aston: Doubtless most people
will believe that Astor by direct per
jury or by fraudulent temporary con
veyance of his property to other hands
Swindled the revenue officials. But
what harm will come to Aston through
this conviction: Will he suffer in social
standing as he might if detected cheat.
ing at a game of cards? Will his credit
suffer as it would if he made a fraud.
ulent statement of his assets in order
to get a loan at Il bank: Everybody
knows that no such consequences will
attend .Astor's evasion of his taxes. II
is matter of common notOriety that he
did only what rich men all through the
nation do habitually. His case only es-
capes being typical because of his per.
sonal notoriety and the size of the es.
tate involved. If he had escaped pay.
ment of a debt due an individual by
committing perjury or ever by juggling
with the title to his property his curse
would have been widely ~reprObated
and criminal prosecution might have
followed. To evade payment of a debt
to the people is only regarded as clever.
Mr.. Astor is the heaviest land owner in
New York City. If he lodges payment
of taxes no Il profits 50 much by taxa
ton of other people as he. If the streets
in which his houses Sta.id We're not
lighted. cleaned and policed his rents
would fall off. 1t might be worth while
for the people of New York to consider
the wisdom of shifting the burden of
taxation from the things Astor can hide
away to his broad acres of city blocks
always open to the view of the assessor.