Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-24
TAXES MUST Be PAID!
DeIinquentS on Personal Roll
Number 5,O18.
ROGERS Is DETERMINED
His Deputies and Clerks Will All
Garry Weapons.
SOME DEBTORS MIGHTY UGLY
When Payment Cant Be Collected
Legal Steps Will Be Taken in
Vigorous Fashion.
ROGERS is DETERMINED
SOME DEBTORS MIGHTY UGLY

Charles c. Rogers, collector of taxes o
| the District, today declared. in no IN
| certain terms. that from now on ar
earnest endeavor will be made by hi:
Office to collect unpaid personal tax bills
He asserted that the practice of not pay
ing personal tax bills is growing too com
mon and must be stopped. He also de
clared that there are persons in the Dis
trict, classed among the richest inhab
, tants. who have to be forced to pay then
personal taxes.
''All of this is going to end said Mr.
Rogers. Tomorrow the job of gettins
in this money commences. | have in
structed my bailffs to use every means
in their power to collect the money ceIt
the District and to accept no excuses. II
the money is not forthcoming ! have in
structed my men to Immediately distrair
every piece of tangible property in sight
If there Is no property to levy on We viii
then direct our attention to the realty o
the debtor and make an effort to collect
the personal tax bill through a forced
real estate sale.
District Is Losing Money.
The District has been losing money a
this game too long now, Mr.. Rogers con
tinued land l will not be satisfied with
my administration until / have brought
about a change of affairs
According to Mr.. Rogers there are eX-
actly 0,O1S separate outstanding bills fol
personal taxes that have not been paid
Some of them date back five years. There
are more than 100 accounts pending set
Element in the District Probate Court anC
twenty-four cases of unpaid accounts are
on file with the corporation counsel fol
legal advice. Some of the accounts have
been in the corporation counsels hands
for more than year.
That there are 3,O1S separate account:
outstanding is looked upon a deplora
BILE condition by Collector Rogers, anC
ever since his appointment he has beer
going over the books and records of his
office and outlining plans for future &C
ton.
Clerks to Help Out.
Not satisfied with having only three
bailiffs to carry out his plans, Mr.. Rogers
has decided to put four of his clerical
force out on the street, collecting. All of
these men will be furnished with police
badges and will go about their work
armed. The latter precauton may seem
unnecessary, but Mr.. Rogers explained
today that there are some men in the
District who have threatened bodily harm
to the collectors deputies If hey both
er them any more
One man. who Is in arrears to the tune
of couple of hundred dollars. recently
threatened to stab with a pitchfork the
next bailiff who comes on his property.
There are others who are just as bitter,
according to the collector, but. as he ex-
pressed il. he is going to call their
bluff and believes that inside of a
month the number of unpaid accounts
will be reduced so per cent.
while there are some ugly and threat
ening delnquents," Mr.. Rogers said
there are many others who need just d
little coaxing and others who must be
frightened into payment
This morning Collector Rogers sum-
moned his bailffs and the clerks who are
to act as bailffs and went over the sit
uation. He outlined his policy in regard
to unpaid accounts and made 1t plain that
he does not want them to come back emp
ty-handed.
Test Case Up Soon.
The amount of money tied up in the I'M
paid personal taxes is SCI. 1870 The large
number of separate accounts that have
not been collected is what Is looked upon
as needing correction. There never has
been a test case made where a delinquent
has refused to pay and who apparently
has owned no tangible property to dis
train. But Mr.. Rogers proposes TO make
one very shortly. AS stated. a number OF
the cases have been referred to the cor.
poration counsel. but have not yet beer
reported upon. In this list are four loan
and building associations.