Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-11
THE rrJusrucE OF IT.

The hardships imposed by the land
grabbers' act are too numerous to men
ton" Instances of them are coming to
our notice every day. BY the merest
chance. a property-owner in certain To-
caIity IN Virginia learned recently that
lot owned by him had been taken UP by
the syndicate. He knew very we'll that
| no notice had been served upon him. He
hadn't the slightest intmation that the
property, for winch he had paid his
money, wes TO be taken from him. He
was going about his business wholly un-
concerned about the land-grabbers' act,
when he wns told by friend that the
lot in question had been listed. And
so It had been! And process had been
served, too-but not upon the present
owner, but upon the person OF whom he
purchased several years ago! When the
sale was made the tito was examined, as
is usual IN such cases but the lawyer
had failed to find the lien OF taxes IN ques-
ton. Hence tfe trouble under our new law.
We know Of n man who is reputed to
be worth $4,000 or 800 900, who has just
found out that ne was returned delinquent
few years ago. Yet the collecting Off
Ger could have collected the dues OF the
Commonwealth without the slightest diff
Guilty. and was guilty OF positive mis-
feasance in returning that tax bill IS de-
linquent Instances OF this sort are not
rare; so far from it, there are hundreds
OF them.
Sine. the agitation Of the delinquent
tax question a number of people in diff
ferent sections of the State have found
that they hold tax receipts for sums they
have paid to collecting officers, but which
sums have not been credited TO them. OF
course. tax-collectors are no more exempt
from error than other mortals are. But
in every case where q man holds tax re-
celpts, and credit has not been given him,
careful enquiry ought TO be made into the
circumstances. If the collector account
ed to the Commonwealth for the money
in question well and good: but IL he did
not, not.
II there IS any one Of the developments
in connection with the land-grabbers' act
more conspicuous than another, It Is the
disclosure OF the fact that hundreds OF
persons are returned delinquent who are
perfectly solvent. In many cases the pro-
perty returned delinquent is rented out
TO good tenants and the tenants would |
cheerfuly pay tho taxes II called upon to /
do so, since they would lose nothing by |
the transaction. We suppose. however,
that the collecting officers, having to look /
to the people for reelection. do not care |
to offend their slow-paying fellow citi- |
zens. Yet the alternative must be very |
disagreeablc one; 1t is nothing short of |
certifying that they have used due dill |
gence TO collect such taxes, and that there |
are no effects out of which Virginia's |
dues can be made.
We believe there are not a few collect |
ing officers who do their full duty in this |
respect but recent revelations give proof |
that there are others who have fallen far
short of the requirements Of the law.
Again, 1t has been said that this law |
sum OF money which 1t much needs. 1t /
is not TO be disputed that the law has |
produced a great scare among tax-pay-
ers, country taxpayers, especially, but
we much doubt IT, in the long run, the |
Commonwealth will be benefited. 1t Is as
certain as anything in the future can be
that the law will be repealed entirely or
amended until little of its present sem
blance remains. Then, too. we shall doubt
less see petition after petition coming In
to the Legislature from persons who have
suffered through what may be termed the
default OF the collecting officers, ard
who ask to be reimbursed. And
still! worse, we may see the faces Of legis-
lators and voters generally set like flints
against reasonable and much-needed ard
long-hoped-for reforms in the collection
OF taxes. Indeed, so fa- from advancing
the cause Of reform in tax collections. wa
may find that cause set back. as 1t has
not been set back for many many years