Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-04-09
OUR NEW YORK LETTER,
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.

A hearing on bill which reduce
from IL to 2 per cent. the penalty fol
all unpaid taxes in former Long Is
land City has just been held in tn,
mayors Office here. 1t gave ex-Mayol
Patrick Jerome Gleason an opportunity
to deliver one Of the best speeches o
his long career. After Beniamil
Estes, who represents 900 lot owners
and eX-City Treasurer Lucian Knapp
had spoken in favor Of the bill. Mr..
Gleason arose and thrust his han Is
deep in his trousers pockets. Fixing
the moyor with his keen blue eve the
man OF the ratle ave suid II come
here to represent the man who has
paid more moneyin taxes and assess
mentsthan any other man in Lon. Is
land City. That is me- This bill will
benefit me, but Id mt want it. lowe a
great deal of money in back taxes, but |
don't ask to be relieved of n penny of
1t. believe that my property will
stand it all, and 1 will pay it. This
bill will benefit only the holders of
large estates. Ii it is signed they
will 60 to the banks, raise the money
to pay what they owe, and that will
be the end Of it. The poor man who
has been strugg ing to pay for his lit
tie house will be unable to borrow
money, and conse lueutIy he will reap
no benefit from the bill" " The ex- mayor
then rrodurela tyrewrttens statement,
showing that property which had been
assessed at 500 in Long Island City
had been increased to $1,000 and that
the owners who had protested had
sworn that $500 would be right valua-
tion. After he had read the descrip-
tions of number of pieces of prop
ery, he remarked: "'rhis would be Il
good document for your assessors.
Mr.. Mayor. 1t will be of assistance
to them in fixing Valuations" "If
yol viii let me have it viii! see that
it goes where it will do the most
good, replied the mayor. "There it
is for yon," said Mr.. Gleason. "Now
| want to call your attention to the
fact that when we turnel over Long
Island City to your keeping re gave
You the richest little city in the
state. We gave You 5000, 900 of
our assets, and what have we re-
ceived in return ? Nothing. Even our
school teachers nre unpaid. eff they
are unpaid it is the fault of the
boa"d of education," said the mayor.
1--WE have appro priated the
money" "Very weiI," said Mr..
Gleason. "We are not begging for
We can pay our way
These gentlemen say they have been
unable to pay any taxes for eighteen
years AMI that these penalties will eat
up their property. They have to pay
for the food they ate and the clothes
they woe all that time. We can all
bee ome nsolvent if we do 1T pay our
debts. When 1 became mayor
Of Long Island City the tax
rate was 5.55 | reduced it to 1.83.
The city's credit was good. We could
sell 4 and 4 1-2 per cent. bonds at n
premium of 49," $50 You don't think
| should sign this bill," said the
mayor. "You should not sign it, sir.
| have been reading about you and I
believe there is little fight in you."
"A little of the Gleason blood, per-
haps," suggested the mayor. ':It will
10 You no harm if you have dash of
it. When your term expires You can
say that you have done your whole
duty just as l did it,"
The New York Assembly has just
passed by an overwhelming vote the
Egan bill, which requires that in this
,ity and Buffalo all tickets or receipts
or clothing left with laundrymen
must he made out in English with
Arabic figures. OF course, the OBJ.
ect of this is to arrest the prosperity
,f the guileless Chinaman by estab-
ishing conditions that he cannot
meet, but it is n question whether it
will have the desired effect. Some of
he more enterprising Mongolian laun-
lrymen have been interviewed upon
he subject and they do not seem to
,e at all alarmed at the prospect,
hough they at first opposed
he bill. They have found it
s easier to acquire the necessary
than it is to fight prejudice.
They have caught onto the idea that
is power even for Chinese
aundryman. They have expressed
to the effect that those of
heir number who don't know Eng
ish and cannot learn it for all practi-
al purposes had better Ego home in
)hina lite away quick. The COM
aercial instinct is stronger among
hem then race fraternity and not n
ew enjoy the prospect of having CON-
etition reduced even in their own
anks. A gteas thirst for linguistic ac-
uisition has been suddenly developed
nd those who remain will doubtless
70 able in short time to read the
of the United States with
he Chinese labial accent.
It isn't qnite so clear as it might be
Thy New York needs law forbidding
alse and misleading advertising in the
ewspapers, but such law has been
assed through the Legislature there
18th no opposition to speak of, and
nder its provisions merchant or
ny other person who sells an article
S one thing when it is another can be
Onvicted of misdemeanor and sen-
snced to term of Imprisonment.
his is something that corrects itself
utside of New York. The public
cry soon gets Oh to an advertiser of
ogus goods, and treats him and his
oods as they deserve.
They have discovered Mayor Van
1yck's double in Shak akespeare. His
ame is Jack Cade. who proclaimed
imself the besom that was appointed
, rid the world of those who would
orrupt the youth of the realm by
recting grammar schools, substitut.
lg books for the score and tally, and