The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-29

Savillc suit, but for extensive inves-
tisation and inquiry in many other
states, to many OF which / have writ
ten and take pleasure III showing you
tho answers received
First OF which is from Michigan.
and reads as follows: The law for
recording instruments is IL cents for
every 100 words. Value or considera-
ton has nothing to do with tho same
short form warranty deeds. including
the tax certificates. amount to sl06,
and cult claim deeds to IS cents IS a
rule This confirms the statement Of
our Western correspondents as you Will
note the same deed in tile State OF
Michigan would cost sl,o6.,.s.
Thinking possibly this law was only
confined to the West, | then made in-
curry from the staid old State OF
Connecticut, and find that the sole fee in
that state, 10 cents for each $50 words
governed by value whatever, ana this
same deed. which cost nearly sl4 in
Virginia. would cost only 10 cents in
thcfSood old Nutmeg state
Pushing my inquiries further and
coming nearer home, | wrote TO Ru
leigh, the capitaI or North Carolina,
and have this reply: 50 cents for first
copy sheet and 80 cents for each adj
ditional sheet. No charge for tile
amount, from which you will note this
same deed that cost $l3.60 in Virginia,
Will cost only 50 cents in the good OLD
larhecl state
Pushing my inquiries further south
] wrote TO Georgia and this is the
bricf reply: Recording fee. 5 cents per
100 words or fraction thereof, and 10
cents for filing instrument From this
YOU will note a deed Which cost Sl3. go to
record in Virginia Will only cost about 80
cents in the progressive, up to- date
State of Georgia.
"Continuing on to Alabama, | find
that no ad valorem tax is,chargcd, and
only 10 cents per 100 words, which
wonld make this deed cost about 80
bama.
skipping again to, the West, wrote
TO the buckeye state. and. find that
the cost for recording, II cents per
100 words and 10 cents per name for
indexing. From this You will see the
same deed would cost probably So cents
in this thrifty State of Ohio.
II will further state that these In
Quiries were not from. any picked
States. but taken haphazard Just as
would doubtless be about the same
from any state in the Union.
Mr.. Brown Warns Up.
Contrast these charges ii YOU
ginia. which exacts a. tax amounting
to five times..as much as any other
State would require, and you VIII
readily see how grossly our people
have been imposed upon.
THAT Is not ALL" added Mr.. Brown.
as he warmed ZIP to his subject:
If the property is resold a dozen
times in one year. 1t is subject to the
same tax each time, and so far as
can learn this is the only State that
requires YOU to divulGe private affairs
IN recurring you to disclose TO the
public what YOU pay or get for any
property yon may sell. This is an un-
Just enactment, and to my mind an un-
constitutional requirement, and was n
thorn in the flesh of that good man and
great philanthropist, Major Ginter who
almost invariably used a nominal con
siderato in his deeds of purchase and
sale; ana many others also 40 the same
thing. hoping thereby TO save taxes and
to prevent disclosure of their private
affairs. s
But when the deed is recorded. In
order for the State to exact Its pound
OF flesh the clerk requires you TO dis
close the true value or else You Will
have. to lie about it; and hence any one
so disposed can go to the courthouse
and examine your deed and find out
your private business, be 1t sale or pur-
chase, simply from the charge OF the
tax upon the deed. This is all wrong
much right to know what you pay for
Your clothes or your groceries or your
| doctors bill.
4 Relic OF Reconstructlon.
Il cannot imagine any better use
| Of your real estate column than to
| inform the people about this iniquitous
tax. how they have been bled for the
! past forty-hve years, for as 1 under
| stand IT, this law was made soon after
] the war. when the State was impover
ished and there was some, need and
| necessity for 1t, which is not the case
now nor has been for the past decade
| or more" 81
MASSACHUSETTS MUTUAL.
|