Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-06


been previously purchased by the Com-
monwealth in the name Of the Auditor OF
Public Accounts at the sale made Thereon
| for delinquent taxes and levies. It's OBJ
feet Is twofold-to bring revenue to the
| Commonwealth and to provide a summary
process by which citizens may De foFced
to pay their taxes.
Both purposes will be accomplished py
this legislation, though none VIII ever
know at what cost and suffering 10 scores
who have failed to observe the far-reaeh-
ing effects of the act. II Is maintained by
the few who favor the law that IL mas
but one or two trivial defects and that
those who are It's victims have ONLY
| themselves to blame Granting that every
citizen in the Commonwealth 49, or
ought 10 be. thoroughly conversant with
tho laws and that every landowner may
forthwith raise a sufficient sum TO meet
an unexpected call for taxes, the land
| grabbers'" act deserves none OF the
o6,uu which has been heaped upon IT,
Rut when It is remembered how helpless
are the poor in the rural districts ana
how little they know of legal processes.
tbev are truly to be pitied when their
homesteads are snatched from their
grasp.
Every thoughtful citizen will concede
that he ought TO pay his taxes; that with
out a system Of revenue the BODY IoIuc
would be but as a rope of sand, but sure
w the same results might be accomplish
ed I'm less rapacious way. To the over
indulgence of those whose duty 1t IS 10
see 20 the payment of the taxes may DC
largely charged the evils of the present
LEGISLATION. 1t has always been deemed
absolutely essential that taxes should Do
paid, and paid Immediately. With THIS
end in view a provision was inserted Ia
our Code which gave county and city
officials the right to distrain for them'
and promptly TO hold up the delinquents.
Rut for some reason this summary pro-
cedure has been but rarely utilized.
Where the taxes amounted to only rev
dollars or cents they were allowed to go
unpaid by those whose duty 1t was TO
enforce their collection. And thus they
accumulated and increased, until pro-
perty-holders began 10 think that they
were overlooked, or that their indebted
ness was too insignificant for notice. But
the 'Iand-grabbers' act has convinced
them otherwise.
And the attitude of the Commonwealth
in this matter is at best most selfish ana
unfeeling. She must have her dues, no
matter at what cost, and after her salts
faction has been obtained she cares rot
how her citizens may suffer. She holds
out many incentives to the iand-grabper
and allows him, Ike herself, to be SAFE
no matter what may be the results OF the
procedure. Once a victim is caught nap
ping, there is no hope for him no equity
of redemption which allows him TO redeem
his property when he awakes to discover
the direful consequences OF his oversight
The delinquent land-tax is first, last
and always the evil genius Of the poor
1t is a two-edged knife that cuts him al
every turn; that cries for It's pound OF
hesh and will accept no compromise. Ii
he cannot raise the money 10 pay the
: taxes which he had quite overlooked and
= which were too insignificant for the Off
cjals to enforce by distress, he is sold out
! If on the other hand, he does meet these
S obligations, he must forfeit s. to the ap'
2 plicant who disturbs his peace-yea
e though only 10 cents are due the State.
D Take the hypothetical case of Hezel1lai
: Karlsruhe, who has little farm which
i barely supports his family and the bcb
= tailed mule which helps to make it pro
t ductive. Hezekiah becomes too impover
= ished to pay his taxes-only 40 cents pc
: annum-and not being much of man 70
"fgurs' anyhow, he stops botherini
about taxes altogether and lets them &C
cumulate. Maybe, from past expert
ences, he thinks the Commonwealth won
come Fostering afte- him. anyhow, o
: possibly he hopes he'll be overlooked
One day he gets a notice stating that h
owes 50 back taxes; that he's got to pa,
or be sold out. He decides to pay. II
fixes things all right at the courthouse
: but becomes deeply offended when h
" finds, after he thought he had 1t al
straight, that he must pay another
4 to the "land-shark." His wealthy neigh
|
l. linauent and has a $4,000 farm. is in tn
g Clerks Office at the same time. He, toe
pays up, and his penalty to the land
grabber'' is not one jot or title large
= than the impecunious Hezekah's. Tn
, poor man asks why: so do great man
other Virgnians.
= Take another case. or, rather, suppos
we make Richard Roe the sufferer. II
D. gets the notice, served in proper form
and being busy at the time, forgets a
u about it; lets the four months slip DJ
and comes TO his senses some day VINE
le IL is too late to save himself. He find
N the Kindergarten has deed to his 5000
10 farm; that he got it by paying fe
hundred dollars I'm back taxes and thu
n the respected, ancient, and deserving Re
70 family must give up their estate.
a And here a question naturally suggest
rs itself: Why, II the Commonwealth
IT usually so negligent about her taxes. fee
4, that she must have her dues. does st
" not sell a portion of the delinquent lands
- Why is it necessary TO sacrifice the who
:, estate when she could be wholly Statistic
:, by a partial sale or division thereof?
"a were at least better TO give the lant
:. grabber large penalty and a narrowt
~ field for speculation. II there must
:, harshness ii could certainly be made
act in less destructive way.
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So the President requires about 200