Cherry County independent. (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 18??-1896, 1896-04-02

John Jacob Astor, 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
tions to the public treasury If Mr..
AStOr were less eminent an individual
there would be general expression of
the belief that he had perjured himself
to swindle the public treasury. AS Mr..
Astor belongs to the 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 convenances when it INDUCES
in irregularities claSSed among less re-
fined folk as adultery-Mr. Astor in
short, being one of the class guarded
against the vulgarity of plain speaking,
has doubtless done nothing more than
to indulge in little polite equivoca-
ton through motives of thrift. A year
ago Mr.. AstOr admitted his possession
of personal property to the value. for
taxing purposes, of $2,500000. This
year he takes his solemn oath that he
is reduced to $250,000 worth Of personal
property. Some curiosity is expressed
in New York to know what he has done
with it. The Astor collection of pic
lures, statues, jewels and bric-a-braC
in the big house at Fifth avenue and
SiXty-ffth street has not been moved,
and people who know declare it worth
S2,50O,000 itself There is no apparent
falling off in the quality of the Astor
horsefiesh, nor has any Outcry arisen in
financial circles over scandalous deple
ton of the Astor bank account. Fol
this remarkable shrinkage in the AStol
assets no plausible explanation can be
given-unlesS it be the answer to the
ancient conundrum about the 12-year
old boy who never had brother OF sis
ter, yet begged aims for his baby niece
The boy lied, but who dare say thai
about an Astor? Doubtless most people
will believe that Astor by direct per
jury or by fraudulent temporary con
veyance Of his property to other hand:
swindled the revenue officials. But
what harm will come to AstOr through
this conviction? Will he suffer in socia
standing as he might if detected cheat
ing at a game of cards? Will his credi'
suffer as it would if he made a fraud
ulent statement Of his assets in order
to get a loan at a bank? Everybody
knows that no such consequences will
attend AStOr'S evasion of his taxes Il
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 debt due an individual by
committing perjury or even by Juggling
with the title to his property his course
would have been widely reprobated
and criminal prosecution might have
followed. To evade payment of 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 one profits so much by taxa
ton Of other people as he. If the streets
in which his houses stand were 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.