The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-17
THE SALT LAKE HERALD: TUESDAY, AUGUST Il 1897

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! the practical owner of the Ardsley Ca
sino grounds. 1t controls more than
$50 acres of land. all of which is inhab-
| tied by friends of the Barber family,
and on which are built some of the
! finest and most costly mansions along
| the Hudson.
To show the immense value of this
property it is only necessary to say
that recently a single acre sold for $12,
| 600. Notwithstanding this exorbitant
sum asked and realized for their hold
| ings, Mr.. Barber and his cohorts think
the assessors have outraged justice by
assessing the property at 81 600 an acre.
As soon as the assessors of larry
town heard of the war the millionaireS
! would wage. they determined to buckle
on their armor and fight to sustain
their assessments. Ex-senator and
Former Deputy Collector Charles P.
McCleIland was engaged to look after
the legal end of the tussle for the as
/ SCISSORS He will be on hand next Tues
day, when the preliminary skirmish
will open.
This fight between these people and
the chosen representatives of the voters
of this section of the state might just
as well be fought now as later on,
said Chairman McClelland of the board
of assessors, yesterday. We propose
to contest every inch of the ground.
We know that law and Justice are on
our side and we do not fear the out
come. Where we have made mistakes
they will be rectified, but where the
assessments are just and equitable no
power on earth Will swerye US from
our duty.
"Who are the people protesting
against our work? Are they the men
and women who are the life blood of
this town? No; they are the men who
wish TO make this land a veritable COW
pasture. Mr. Barber and his friends
have come, unlimited, among US, they
have taken exclusive possession of
some of Gods choicest earth, and now,
because we ask them to pay what we
think is a just per centage of the TAX
alton, they object. The small land
owners the men who live here with
their families winter and summer, who
spend their money here and contribute
to our support, are satisfied with our
work and do not accuse us of unfair
play. Yet these poorer citizens have
had their taxes raised in the same ra-
ito that the taxes of the millionaires
were increased.
Nov let us see what the million
aires have-eeone for us. The Rochefel-
Hers boast of their unlimited charities.
These we do not deny, nor do we refuse
TO give them prafG for any good they
have done; but they came here and
bought up every inch of ground they
could get, until they control and hold
options on thousands of acres. Now,
LET US see if this has benefited us.
1.-THE purchases of the Rockefeller
family have killed the once promising
village of Pocantico; they have driven
Co., Nd hnxy 1,
prevented the natural growth of the
village just as if some dreadful scourge
had come to US. The 40 families who
had to leave all the many little proper
ties sucked in by the Ruckefelier land
octopus would be worth more to US
as a village than all the millionaires
in the country. Our people who dwell
here patronize our grocery stores, they
buy their meats at our little markets,
and the clothing they wear is bought
right here. But few of the dollars
owned by the men of wealth help so
TO advance our prosperity, or to aid
the business men who are here.
The reverse, however, is the case.
These men wish to impede and discour-
age our development. 1t is their desire
to make of Tarrytown and its vicinity
the very home OF plutocracy. Gradual
~ but surely they absorb all our real
estate, and whenever any thing is sug
gested which will be for the general
welfare of the town, they are found OPP
posing it. Take q recent case: Some
of uhe people thought a trolley line con-
recting with suburban villages would
help our growth. TheIgAillionaires pro-
tested; it would Inconvenience them,
and might pass their exclusive ground.
The result was the trolley was ban
ished to an obscure and utterly useless
section of the place. Then the little
whistles of our factories annoyed them,
and they then tried q to have them
stopped.
prominent streets can not be widen
ed or extended simply because these
people have gobbled UP everything and
leave little or no room for the ordi-
nary people. Where, then, do the mil
licares help US or the town?
Now, a word about the assessments:
The law says that we must assess prop
erty at it's actual value. 1t leaves no
discretion TO US. L viii take the ia
nous Willard estate. It comprises over
10 acres. That property today can not
be bought for $4,000 an acre. We have
assessed it at $3.50, 900 for the entire es-
tate. Is that an unreasonable assess
ment? The Barber asphalt people
control 249 acres of land, which we have
assessed at $1,046,000. And because of
this they raise an indignant protest.
Try to buy it, and $4,000 an acre would
be asked, and then only exclusive peo-
pie could get it at that figure. All these
properties have mansions containing
untold wealth, and the various stables
and other buildings on them are worth
small fortunes. Another case worthy
of mention is Mr.. Robert Bonner's. He
has called US q lot of robbers. His 80
odd acres of unimproved land cost him
something like $4,000. We have taxed
it at $2S, 900. Does that look like rob
berry of a high handed character? In
every case we could name facts and
figures to sustain our work, which is
convincing proof of the injustice of the
claims advanced by the men of wealth.
Then, again, many of them protest
against the personal assessment. a.
L. Barber last year sWore off his per-
sessed him 100000. He proposes to
fight this again. We think it is a just
levy, and will exhaust every effort to
have it stand. If he will not pay his
personal assessment here, where will
he pay it? Millionaire Stern swore off
his personal assessment in 1896, but we
have again taxed him $4,000 and intend
to collect it. l think we can prove he
pays little or no personal tax in the
county of New York"
Robert Bonner says he wishes to dis
pose of all of his Westchester county
property for. $4,000. Former County
Clerk Degnan, one of the best known
citizens in the county, is willing to buy
it, and will pay $50. 600 for sne Bonner
holdings. Councillor Ely, of the board
of assessors, represents Mr.. Degnan in
the matter
I'VE have searched since Saturday