The Washington times., 1912-08-21
WASHINGTONS INEoUITABLE PROP
ERTY ASSESSMENT

That property assessments in Washington are
grossly unfair that they discriminate in favor of the
wealthy and against the poor that there is utter lack
OF system or science and that assessments are re-
organized in order to make the values appear high
whenever property is about to be condemned by the
Government for public use-these are the general
conclusions of the Henry George subcommittee of
the House District Committee. ~.
There is not word or suggestion in this conclu-
sion OF the matter that is to the people Of Wash
ington.
For many years these conditions have notorousy
and fagrantly existed.
The George committee has done its work carefully
and panstakingly 1t has produced wealth of elab-
oraon and specification. 1t supports its charges with
amazing citations of the inequalities between par
ticular and well-known properties.
1t is demonstrated that 10000 small homes in
Washington are assessed at an average of 90 per
cent of their true value, while the paatial residences
of the northwest section average but so per cent
To him that hath shall be given, and from him
that hath not shall be taken away"
Yet all this is nothing new to people in Wash
ington. No such compilation of the data no such
complete presentation of startling averages has been
made heretofore; but the general conclusions are
exactly what any intelligent Wasnn ston businessman
would have given for decades past
These evils, ruinous alike to the general pros
periY of the city and to the fair opportunity of the
poor man, have been fastened upon this community
and could not be reformed Until Henry George
appeared in the District committee-and it is worth
while to observe right here that he placed there
as the direct result Of fight which The Washington
Times made with that in view-nobody in authority
seemed to know enough about this outrageous
condition to undertake serious effort at rightng it.
The committee took many hundreds of pages Of
testimony, which is summarized in forty-page re-
port, Number 1915, 62d Congress, second session.
That report ought to be read by every property own
in this town. 1t would develop an insistence on
better conditions that even all the inertia of the
House District Committee would be unable to with
stand
The committee finds that property ought to be
assessed at full value instead of two-tnirds that
every authority should be given and exercised to
determine what full value Isl that excise powers
vested in the assessors office, should be taken
from it, that board of assessment appeals should be
created, from which the field assessors should be
excluded; that real property should be assessed an
nually instead of triennially
Sucn conditions proved by this report are
calculated increase the social unrest against which
the wealthy and favored invegh, and whose results
they fear Can they expect otherwise? A working
at the navy yard had the assessment of .- nome
IL dUOVc OF It's
value. He told the committee it was done because
he had painted his house, That workngman is pay
ing about twice as high an assessment as million
aire pays on Sheridan Circle palace. Do the rich
and fortunate people of Washington or of the nation
think that sort of imposition will help to put down
disaffection, class consciousness and murmurngs
against inequalities of existing conditions?
The reforms which the George committee de-
mands ought to be written into the laws with the least
possible delays.