The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-02
GONE TO FIGHT THE TAX BILL.
CoLLaXsvILLE PEOPLE DON'T WANT
EXEMPTION CLAUSE REPEALED.

Inns, SchIey, Prendergast, Stubs
and Cam to Appear Before Senate
Committee TO-day-They VIII Urge
That Sufficient improvements Have
Not Been Made to Justify Assessing
Property There-AIdermen Say APP
prOpriatiOns for That Section May
BE CurtafIed Next Year IL DeIeEa-
ton Defeats the Measure.
delegation left for Atlanta last night
to appear before the Senate committee on
| corporations to-day and oppose the pas
sage Of the bill repeating the law exempt
| ing Collinsville from taxation. Messrs. ].
S. Collins, J. S. Schley and Chas. f. Prem
dergast compose the delegation 1t is TN
derstood that Col. Geo. T. Cam and Mr.
w. B. Stubs, who were in Darien last
night, also left for Atlanta to join the
| delegation.
The people of Collinsville do not consid-
err that the city has fulfilled its part of
the contract allowing it TO levy taxes, and
for that reason they intend to exert them
| selves against The passage of the repeal
ing act. AS has been stated in the Morn
| ing News, the act has already passed the
House of Representatives, and is now be-
fore the Senate. 1t might have been con-
| sdered before this time had it not been
for a request to defer its consideration
until a delegation from Savannah could
be heard against its passage. This I'M
Outstanding was had with Senator West,
who wired a member of the delegation
yesterday through Representative LaRoehe
that a hearing would be given it at 8
o'clock this afternoon.
| Judging from the way members of the
delegation expressed themselves, an effort
win be made to show the city lacks a good
deal of extending ats improvements into
Collinsville. There has been very large
amount expended there by the committee
4 on opening streets, but it seems in each in
stance the most important streets have
| been opened to a certain point and no far
| Their. The property owners claim that all
the land acquired for opening streets does
them no good, for the reason the way to
the city is still blocked. They say the only
route is by Lovers lane, a thoroughfare
| they use only as an alternative,
I'm 1854, that part of Savannah which
contains Collinsville" said Mr.. Charles F.
| Prendergast, was incorporated on the ex-
| press condition that 1t was not to be sub
! ject to municipal taxation until the plan
of the city was extended over it bona fide.
If this meant anything, it meant that all
the streets and lanes then projected for the
portion of the city abutting the new area
| on the west, should be opened and dedi-
| Gated throughout the new area. On the
faith of this law, enacted by the highest
legislative authority in Georgia, people
have, for the past forty-four years, been
buying and selling property in the Col
linsville district, thereby acquiring vested
| rights of which they cannot be equitably
deprived AS one of these purchasers,
formally protest against the bin now pend
ing in the Senate authorizing the city
levying this proposed tax.
IF the plan of the city were bona fde
extended over that area agreeably to the
original contempla ton, and city convent
ences were provided, / would cheerfully
pay municipal taxes on my holdings there.
| But at present there is no prospect of such
thing.
"eJJnder the agreement which the Myers
administration made with the Plant Sys-
tenn, certain streets, among them Wald-
burg and Duffy, cannot be opened across
the Savannah Florida and Western Rail
way right of way for five years from the
date of that contract. Most of the streets
indispensable for the proper development
of the district, have not yet been acquired
by the city, nor has one such street been
opened or graded. Not a water main nor
a sewer has been laid there, except few
which have been put down by individual
enterprises and expenditure.
THE city has expressly refused to con-
slider the opening or even the acquisition
of lanes, which in my opinion, and The
opinion of many others, are almost as M
portant as streets. A few electric lights
and the occasional visits of one or two
mounted policemen, constitute the only
visible signs that the region mentioned is
in the neighborhood of a city. And yet
In spite of the guarantee of 1854, under
which | and others bought our property,
and the practically total absence of all
city conveniences, we are threatened with
CITY taxation, which, at the assessments
already provided, will amount to confsca-
ton.
1.-THE legislature may have the power 10
enact the measure spoken OF although
that is a question by some of the ablest
members of this bar, but I insist that 1t
has no moral right to do so. Vested
rights should never be lightly swept aside;
and might has never yet made right in
all the history of the word"
Mr.. ]. S. Collins expressed the belief
that ChathaTns representatives would look
at the matter differently when the real
facts are known TO them. He said the
|
exact improvements the city had made,
and che condition in which they left the
people, so far as getting to the city Is
concerned While he acknowledged that
section was furnished with lights and po-
lice protection, he did not think this war
ranted the levying of a tax equal 10 that
paid by the people of Savannah. The I'M
derstanding was Collinsville was to be tax
ed when the plan of the city was bona
ida extended into IT," and as this had not
been done. he said he did not think it the
time to repeal the exempting law.
If the efforts of the delegation are sue
cessful it may cause the aldermen to cur
tail the appropriation for the service now
being given TO Collinsville. Some of the
aldermen were asked in this connection
last night, and while they did not say pos
lively what they will do, it is evident they
intend to spend less money there unless
the city receives sonnet thing in return.
ut is possible there will not be an APP
| nropriatjon for lights there next year,