South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-03-10
X X X \ X X X x x x X !:
(HENRY VI. HYDE IN CHICAGO
TRIBUNE)

Three years ago Joe" Pastoriza
was elected one of the commissioners
to whom was intrusted the govern
ment of Houston. Tex AT that time
the population of the city was $4,000.
When the commission organized to
divide the work among its members
the unpopular job of assessing and
collecting the taxes was handed to
Pastoriza. He took it so readily,
even showing pleasure in the assign
ment, that the other commissioners
should have suspected something.
Probably they did not know that he
was an ardent convert to the theory
Of the single tax.
AS soon as he was appointed Pas
tOriza announced that he would not
try TO collect any taxes on personal
property. Not one-tenth of the per-
sonal property was ever discovered;
it simply made half the people of the
town perjure themselves: and all the
real taxable value was in real estate
anyhow. He preached that doctrine
on the streets and in the office.
Presently and naturally the big real
estate owners of the city got fright
ened They called on the mayor and
demanded that PastOriza must stop
his revolutionary talk. The culprit
was sent for and at first he tried to
bluff the thing through. But the
committee of rich men refused to be
bluffed. They threatened to compel
him to obey the tax law as it appear
ed on the statute books.
"All right" said Pastoriza. finally
"I will do as you say and obey the
law just as it is written" He picked
up a Sheet of paper and a lead pen
ell. iii begin with myself. I've got
$1,000 cash in bank, $4,000 loaned
ont on mortgages and $50 in real es-
tate. I'll write them all down OppO-
site my own name.
Now Wen take you, Mr.. Smith"
| he said, addressing the chairman of
men in the city. If | have $40 in
bank you must have at least $50. 600.
Well put that down. If l have S13,-
600 loaned out, you must have at
least $4,000 invested in mortgages.
Wen put that down."
Pastoriza went on with two or
three other members of the commit
tee i'm the same way. Finally they
all threw up their hands. If Pas
tOriZa's talk about taxing nothing but
land was revolutionary. this threat
that he would really enforce the law
and tax all personal property was
complete madness. Anything was bet
ter than that. They agreed to let
PastoriZa go ahead with his single
tax scheme.
Not wishing to scare people to
death with a complete change at a
single jump. PastOTiza first of all
| caused a scientific assessment TO be
made Of all the land in the city
! limits. In determining the value OF
the property against which taxes
were TO be laid. he put in the land at
4 10 per cent of its full value; inn
provements of all kinds were listed
/ at only % per cent of their real
I value and that included even the
stocks of goods carried by the mer-
/ chants. The franchises of public
utility corporations had never before
/ been assessed at all. PastOriza put
/ them down for S1.S0O,0OO.
It was necessary to raise several
I hundred thousand dollare more that
year by taxation than the year before.
yet. when PastOriZa got through, the
I tax bills of some 5000 citizens. con-
stituting a clear majority Of the tax
I payers OF the city. were less than
I they had been under the old arrange
ment.
Last spring Pastoriza run for re-
/ election on a straight out single tax
/ platform. He even warned people
/ publicly that if they did not believe
I in the single tax they had better vote
against him. Single takers find vast