The Washington times., 1911-10-21
THE EXCISE AND ASSESSMENT
AUTHORITIES.

It is getting along toward yea
since sensational rumor began to secur
wide circulation, alleging improper &C
tivities in the excise board of the Dis
trict. Last spring some Of these allie
cations were aired on the floor of tn
House of Representatives by Represen
tative Bennett of New York, and ther,
was a good deal of iteration and denial
The heat generated was, however
sadly disproportionate to the light
the Congressional furry left bad i'm
preston and almost no information
worth while.
Now the District Commissioners ar,
looking into the same situation with
out much more definite results. Blu,
any casual student of municipal admin
istration must see that the organiza
tion of the board of assessors and its
Siamese twinship with the excise board
is altogether bad business. Whether II
shall be shown that anybody has done
wrong, some things are sufficiently
apparent to need no verdict from the
Commissioners.
Excise conditions in this town are
bad. The law is bad. It's administra
tion is bad. There are too many of ths
entirely undesirable sort of saloons
and loopholes in the law about con
sents of adjacent property are toe
numerous. The real purpose Of the
law, as to keeping saloons out 'ot
neighborhoods that do not want them
is too easily distorted.
The assessors are five in number
and are appointed by the Commission
ers for indeterminate terms. Prac.
tically, they are life jobs conditioned
on satisfactory behavior. The CHIEF
assessor designates three of the as.
SCISSORS to value real estate; and unde,
the law these three realty assessors
are ex x'officio the excise board, in charge
of granting, withdrawal, and admins.
tration of liquor licenses.
Thus there is concentrated in the
hands of three men, first, the contro
of the assessment, and, second, the
business of excise administration. II
is too much power, too much authority
too indefinite tenure of office. If tn.
present assessment and excise authori
ties have never committed any indis
cretions, have never exceeded proper
discretion, have never used their vast
power in any questionable ways, ther
they are most unusual and deservins
men. The temptations of their position
are such that average humanity, veal
and erring flesh, ought not to be sub
jected to them.
Mr.. F. Oden Horstmann has indulget
charges that these temptations hav,
not always been resisted. Mr.. Horst
mann was inspector of saloons, and, il
substance, he has undertaken to show
that there was improperly in certain
business relations between brewery ant
saloon interests on one side and al
official of the assessment and excis,
body. The testimony thus far take,
has not been very satisfactory as t,
illumination of the particular thing
which Mr.. Horstmann suspects; but i
has been quite convincing as to tn,
need of radical amendments in the Dis
trict code governing these subjects.
Neither the excise administration no
the conduct of the property assess
ments in this jurisdiction has been emf
nently satisfactory. The universally
of complaints about assessment o
property, the constant charges of in
equalities which suggest either bac
judgment or favoritism, are ample tes
timony to the community's dissatis
faction with the results accomplished.
Considering how ill-adapted is th'
law, it is small wonder that people arr
displeased with its workings, or tha
gentlemen trusted with its execution
are placed in embarrassing positions.
The present investigation by tn,
Commissioners may not be expected II
go to the bottom Of the affair. Perhap
1t is not quite the b.,siness of the Com
missioners. Il certainly Ia the bust
ness of Congress, however, to provid
a better law. That Is what Congress
ought to do, and the Commissioner
will strengthen their own gesture be
fore the community if taey will, recon
mend sweeping reorganization.