The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-16
THEY WON'T TAX HIM.
A Rhode Island Citizen who wants to Vote.
but Ii Not Permitted to Qualify.

~PAwTUcKET, r. l., Sept. l5.-While mill
ionaires and others not so well endowed
are taking to the woods in an endeavor
10 escape the tax collector, there Is a man
in this city who, although Possessing prop
erty Upon which he is anxious to he taxed,
has been steadily passed over by the asses
sors for the past FIVE years.
Luke O'Connor came TO this country some
years & from Ireland, affiliated early
with the Democratic party, and when the
time for assessment came around sent in
his list as a personal property voter. In
this State only those on the personal prop
.erty list may vote for Aldermen and members
Of the City Council, whereas all citizens
vote for such officers as legislators, Mayors
and Governors.
When the time came TO pay his taxes
o'Connor was informed that only a poll
tax would be required Of him. He pro-
| tested in vain, and sven employed counsel,
but the tax assessors were firm in their
refusal to place hin On the personal list.
Each year at the appointed time O'Connor
has renewed his application and it has
been rejected. In the interims he has not
been idle. He appealed to the Mayor, the
Governor and President Roosevelt, in turn.
no ETbblucuJg tIuOuSu OcCTtNdIY LObDs
expressed his sympathy and the opinion
that O'Connor was being badly used, but
said his remedy lay in the State courts.
Several lawyers were appealed to, but the
fees offered were not sufficiently tempting to
induce them to engage in a long contest
with so powerful a body AZ the Board of
! Tax Assessors, and none would take the
case. A letter to Bourke Cochran resulted
in the advice that O'Connor leave the State
il unable to obtain suffrage.
But O'Connor was game, Instead OF
submitting to what seemed the inevitable
he began a fight in the newspapers against
the assessors. Then O'Connor published
proclamations at his own expense and
distributed them. One OF the latest il
headed: Citizens OF Pawtucket, Aroused
A Political Banditti stalks in Your Midst
When he first made application for a
place on the personal property list O'Connor
offered in evidence his BAN book, showing
the possession OF the required $500. Year
by year he has been adding to his wealth
and he recently purchased two lots for
$3.50 each.
Now" he said to his friends. -they can't
refuse. am a landowner"
They did, none the less. No taxes have thus
far been assessed on the land he bouRht, and
the chances are that he will again find him
self without a vote in November.
O'Connor's plight is due to that political
condition In Rhode Island which caused
one muckraker to designate it as "a State
for sale" By manipulation Of the per-
sonal property list OF voters city councils,
which nave in charge the vast ppr opria-
tons for municipal improvements, are in
all cases overwhelmingly OF one political
yaith. while the Mayors, elected by the
whole people, are in most cases OF the other.
Pawtucket, for instance, with a normal
democratic majority Of several thousand,
has only three Democratic Aldermen.
Boards Of tar assessors practically have
life tenures OF ofioe. New additions to
the personal property lists must be right"
II . man Is Known to be all right" il =
not necessary In some cases that he should
own any property at all. He will find his
name on the list, and should he make in
quiry he will be told that his taxes nave
been paid.