The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-02-18
EXTEND LIMITS
OF RICHMOND.
Mr.. WaIIerstein Replies to Ad.
dress Of MT. John C. EasIey.
FACTS AND FIGURES QUOTED
The Writer Claims That Richmond Compares
FavorabIy With Other Cities Goth In
Per Capita ptbs lnd Cost
Of Maintenance,
Editor Of The Times:

Z LullOTE Ot&Ine Times.
J, Sir
Richmond, Va, Feb. 49, 1902
Last fall Mr.. Jonn C. Easley delivered
! an address before the members of the
| Chamber Of Commerce in this city, in
| opposition to the proposition to annex
| territory now in the county of HenricG
| to- the city of Richmond. In that adj
| dress Mr.. Easley saw fit to claim that
Richmond was in no way prepared to
take in additional territory, and said
| that she should put herself In position
| of such cities as Atlanta, Ga, Spring
field, O., Paterson, N. J., Wilmington.
Del, and New Haven, Conn, before un-
| dertaking this new task a very short
| time after that address was delivered
! there appeared in one of the Richmond
newspapers a comprehensive statement
| comparing the area, financial and ply
| steal condition of the cities named with
| Richmond; the result was altogether in
favor OF Richmond, so much so that Mr..
| Easley no longer refers to cities by
name but deals in generaiities. In his
Article in The Times of the 18th instant,
when estimating the increased tax to
be paid by residents in the county under
the rate proposed by our City Council
Committee, he says, Nor do 1 take into
consideration the special tax levied by
the towns Of Barton Heights, Chestnut
Hill, and Paramount Why does he not
consider them? Are they not levied and
| collected and do not the residents in the
districts named form q very consider
able part of the numbers to CONS into
the city under the proposed plan? a
little farther on Mr.. Easley says: 'In
the year 1905 a new assessment must be
made, and by increasing the assessment
the amount Of tax collected can be in
creased without limits, and that with
out increasing the rate What does
this assertion mean? Does he intend to
say that assessors in valuing property
in Richmond are over-zealouS and e1-
coed the instructions given them by the
law? If he does, I would remind him
that there were about 1900 transactions
in real property in this city during 1901,
and that prices realized were about Z
per cent. in excess of assessment. Or
does he intend to say that the assessors
in the county Of Henrico, appointed
under the same law and with Identical
instruction under the law, do not obey
the law, and thus give to property
owners in the county an improper and
undue advantage over other citizens OF
this Commonwealth? In large part the
foregoing appears to be the burden of
his argument. MI. Easley sees nothing
significant in Richmond having an I'M
from last year; it would be significant
if it occurred as q result Of good man.
agement in any other kind OF corpora
ton; why not in the case Of the city?
He says sit Is like owning a dime and
lacking food and raiment.''
BUGABOO A MYTH.
On the contrary, when our condition is
known it is like owing dime and having
Two dimes with which to pay. Has Mr.
81 irht aft
! made a few years ago by capitalists to
secure our gas-works? The statement has
been frequently made and is treated as
q verify among some Of the most success
full financiers L. or: COZ, m;!,::ty that
oreme can be underwritten in Il short
time to pay to the city for our gas and
water-works, with the exclusive privi-
leges now owned Ky the city--a sum
nearly sufficient TO pay the entire debt
owing by Richmond, and this, too, with
the proviso that the citizen is to pay no
moro for gas and water than the rates
now obtaining. Tho "bugaboo" of 'lien
en- the individuals property in our city
$ an exploded myth when cur assets are
known; an excellent illustration is in the
fact that 107 IL is offered for our 4 per
cent. bonds, AID no sellers to be found.
Before abiding to Mr. Easley's remark
about our per capita debt, l want to state
blOid anu dCSSpISI " Ol'OSAl1OAs ~ -
this: THE size of q debt is not a dis
turbing factor to Individual or corpora
ton if assets are plentiful" On this feat
ure Mr.. Easley again deals in gcneralities.
He must have had the figures at hand.
Why didn't he specialize {. little. The per
capita debt of Boston, Mass, is s9161-
true this includes tho county debt. but
Boston municipality embraces about the
entire county; for Cincinnati, o., It is
- e. Sc
for New York it is SSl.27 (there are sew
eral cities with larger per capita dabt) !;
for Richmond the figures are $1S.77. Now
the cities mentioned have attained the
high position they occupy in~the roll Of
cities by means of tho money expended
in creating this debt We would like to
see Richmond occupy q position in the
list akin to those mentioned. Does he
forget the fact that thirty-siN years ago
We had only the beginnings Of q city
here, while those have named were far
removed from tho effects of the troulolous
times 'G1-'65? Let us go a step further and
sec how these cities compare in per cap
tia cost of maintenance, and VIC find the
figures as follows: New York, $51.62; Bos-
ton. ssi32; Jersey City, s19.s2; Cincinnati
1882; Richmond $1l.43. Docs not this
look like fairly good management. He
next takes up the matter OF schools and
says Wc are trying TO take from the
county two-thirds Of her population and
from tho number of schoo1-houses he
mentions, + think, about four-tifths OF
them, SO that his own figures will indi-
CAFE that those left can easily be con-
Quoted for nine months instead of four
months, as he suggests. Mr.. Easlay tells
us of the owners Of property in Lee Dis
trict grooming under the burden Of taxa
tons without receiving any benefits. The
best answer to this is to tell you that in
13Gl land in that district has been sold
for 500 per front foot He tells you that
Richmond has t1fty-seven miles of streets
paved with gravel, but he fails to tell
you in this letter that of the cities he
suggested Richmond should be compared
with, in his address to the Chamber of
Commerce, that Indianapolis has ia miles
paved with gravel and that Richmond
has a larger percentage of miles paved
to the whole number, than any of tho
cities he named. He says: MANY, many
miles Of water and gas mains are yet to
be laid y
GAS AND WATER.
To that assertion I will say that water
and gas mains are in every street in
Richmond, where they are demanded by