Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 May 1892 — INCREASED TAXES [ARTICLE]

INCREASED TAXES

Caused by the Levying of Unnec*essary Local Revenues. Republican Scheme to Make the Law Odious At the Expense of the Taxpayers of the State. Increase es State Taxes More Than Hade IJ; By Additional Taxes Paid by Ballroads—Republican County Commissions Lery More Local Taxes Than in the Preceding Tear. Below will be found tabulated statements compiled from the official records, exposing the Republican scheme to make the tax law odious by putting $1,500,000 es unnecessary local taxes on the people, and the result of their scheme: Assessment of 1890 and 1891, The general increase of assessed values was $397,581,601. or an advance of 46 per cent, over 1890; the increase in railroad volnation wa5591,376,493, or an advance of 130 per cent, over last year. As all property ttees are levied at eqnal rates on all property, the burdens of various classes of property will be in proportion to their assessed value. Classing railroad property separately, the relative burden borne by it and by other

property for the two years is as follows? 1890. Per cent. Real estate * .553,987,744 64.6 Personalty 233,973,967 27.1 Railroad 69,762,676 8.1 Total $ 857,674,387 100.6 1891. Percent. Real estate * 798,600,323 63.6 Personalty 295,616,546 23.6 Railroad 161,039,169 12.6 Total *1,255,256,038 100.6 That is to say, the new equalization takes 1 per cent, from the burden of real estate, and 3.7 percent, from the burden of personalty. The law aimed to reach money concealed in banks, but under the recent decision of the supreme court it fails to accomplish that result. The per sonalty listed is chiefly visible property, such as merchandise, household goods, cattle, tools, etc. If money could be readied the percentage of personalty would be materially increased and the burdens of other property proportionately decreased. The total assessment in the forty-six Republican counties increased from $439,262,270 to $630,198,313, or $190,946,043, being an advance of 43 per cent. The total assessment in the forty-six Democratic counties increased from $418,422,117 to $626,057,725, or $206,635,608, being an advance of 49 per cent. Total Taxes Levied 1890 and 1891. The following table shows the total taxes levied for 1890 and 1891, the total increase or decrease, the increase of state taxes, and the increase of railroad taxes, by counties. Counties having Republican commissioners are in small capitals:

-■ ... ■ .... ■ ■ H Hi Hi H H o g g ! e i . £ sii ? I . fi ■ fi | a I ST £ tj>! 9 COUNTIES. i g. | ; 18 s. f ft ft . p ; p-2® § S ai §: : 2.H & p r • :: : r j i ; j ; |y P rr— — Tmai« jn t —*6 t 28,0(M 98 * IO.OHO 56 * 6,623 18 ams 1 499,848 48 * 438,423 68 42,334 90 38,408 09 ’ 998 78 494,339 37 10,210 53 14.147 01 10,371 02 Bartholomew 230,782 84 240,999 73 48,425 47 11,898 16 13,648 12 Spjckford. 18K4M 62 34,464 50 14,500,08 8,812 40 s°™? H 98 3,113 03 1,307 82 £“*° U ® 37 *20,651 60 21,003 19 5,439 43 To ** *45,125 09 11,901 58 7,900 95 SJ“ k I&2Z 2 llf&i 76 30,5.55 39 11,777 81 5,581 97 J&’S! S HS»JSS 05 57,171 09 17,026 21 12,099 69 S’S2 ?? 3-SI 56 56,224 61 11,981 85 9,457 57 twSSL' 33® « IiPSS 68 39 - 761 23 9,109 57 9,589 36 Twilh IW7S7SS J B 7 88 87 81,214 26 18,659 70 12,850 58 £?KY AEE 489,873 84 I B7 '! 8 , 7 *702 67 5,200 07 2,880 37 S?*’? 1 ?-•• 9 88 37,691 30 18,977 68 9,682 8B S • fTS’oJI 36 16,012 10 7,614 83 9,022 90 Iws " 117 000 79 159 000 56 34,365 84 14,178 42 6,410 79 SSKtS* 84 *1,932 15 5,519 83 2,145 59 p^f klya 2? 22 12,807 48 11,413 60 5,715 09 i2n OIK 7S 85 35,808 07 12,474 90 10,217 04 gs?£? 19,918 ™ 42 66,654 40 23,717 10 6,081 97 ill’ow rli ssi 80 29,789 58 10,203 64 9,377 22 S R ™ nB JJa’mi 9 80 37,991 38 15,936 81 5,755 76 bS’™ m 14 9,472 05 11,424 22 10,979 14 HKimwcKS 11’483 05 213112 19 47,929 14 12 ’ 440 83 18 - 505 81 HENBBICKS 498,483 05 213,112 79 45,829 04 15,600 09 22,049 05 VU 083 OS ito’Sti 21 21,888 16 15,248 39 4,465 22 Htotington 172 375 14 204 872 30 32,496 16 14,261 40 8,282 29 H™ 4™ fS’™? 43 *1,732 72 9,853 57 9,512 11 j“ k ™ n Im’Sm ?9 26,084 99 7,020 84 11,077 91 is9*ft7Q 83 43,424 62 8,880 86 ’ 11,507 99 Jefferson 1M244 49 ll’eos 92 22,361 43 9,915 47 6,279 07 iFKOTNns* 72 675 52 94’3T0 23 21,694 71 0,473 37 11,942 68 tSPLPP ili’SS S; 02 17,529 45 10J8S 38 5,807 05 alOllllßOn i • lOwjOliO 57 10U,05U i~t oo iyr. IQ -i ir iqq Ai n KQT? 71 Knox 146,948 31 170;083 £ 48 j' ’ “ 9 9 74 Kosciusko 201,082 85 267,552 S 1 2’H 71 l I V'i;!. l i AIiGK Iw’SSs 9Q 17 137’,075 88 284)70 09 JS-SSS H » 47,800 81 21! 157 30 27i332 83 IS 61 34,083 21 8,218 74 15,087 51 3SS 83 04,511 74 26,957 05 10,843 55 1 68 427,766 88 130.609 96 95,344 02 - 28,912 81 14,203 36 17,028 50 An’orfi 90 21140 . 3,372 89 . 3,507 40 ifvvm m ISI’OOR 19 *561 70 15,571 04 * 2,720 43 ’S?, Montgomery fl 224’913 56 1 - 83li 14 17 - 134 19 12 ,453 25 BT 7ZqV,I fa SS’SS 84 16,963 06 7,536 42 7,800 59 Newton 71 651 74 97 376 93 25 ’ 725 19 9 - 313 55 12,404 30 Noble..;;'.'.;!’.!!! 146’,720 06 1681365 2 i’^ B SI 6,119 78 glSii' I'SS 948“ 13 a S S’S? 30 11,433 96 5,313 52 6,356 08 ill'll m 01 16,576 00 10,040 07 12,203 57 w’SS 14 *4,825 80 5,583 36 2,227 07 SSI™ 73 63,538 45 13,857 67 a 5,723 16 MfOK w 70010 78 18,035 19 5,499 93 7,544 47 KL,' H nm*. ss ira‘rai 09 27,365 21 7,750 34 5,149 69 9*u7ns 43 47,902 00 14,922 21 17 653 99 S’SS 14 47 *3,486 00 2,578 95 2,421 78 S.” " loTSm* aiS’tiS 46 24,545 66 16,542 99 12,652 53 '• im iss ® ifff’isi 78 5,632 89 5,738 76 5,515 61 §L E 1“ B m RtWnh 241 uS « mm 68 81,776 99 25,686 27 10,006 81 iu™::::::;;;; ffislS iIS 78 l9 Switzerland 52,021 02 52,443 XA «o as 21 059 si bb iAA no Tippecanoe.. 385,633 72 448,832 63 31 27,932 81 23 f“ 8 ® Tipton 88,909 62 92,386 92 3,47949 I- 9 }' 99 2 48 Union 89,815 24 127,391 78 j 37 ' ® 3 S 1 9,887 98 Vanderburgh..,. 374,898 85 501,323 31 1 g’ 424 49 93 38 HP 34 99 Vermillion 85,406 02 110,517 72 24,943 79 9 >223 04 10,591 39 VIGO 343,546 80 389,790 “ 49,244 18 24,894 29 19,2 ?1 39 WABASH 177,100 69 328,015 89 g^ 914 81 19,879 99 9 99 Warren..: 107,827 76 146,733 38,998 S’o77 so Warrick 104,381 08 107,657 92 3,278 94 8,977 89 f-l 99 47 Washington 99,736 21 114,037 84 44,394 99 9,843 g 4 ,544 75 WAYNE 336,819 06 405,159 S I B, A! 4 38 993 34 Wells 133,902 53 130,005 39 H’2 49 S 98 White 118,283 83 136,547 74 J’iS 3 88 44,894 ,S’ 798 96 Whitney.,...,.,., 132,525 08 166,098 “ 33,5<3 44 1 2,968 48 10,192 25 Total ■ $14,511,146 38 $17,510,428 54 t 2,999,282 26 $1,230,547 73 *987,203 28

The increase of the state tax shown in preceding table includes the twelve cents levied for state purposes and the six cents levied for the maintenance of the benevolent institutions, these being the only taxes that go to the cuMpt expenses of the state governing®*' The state school tax (sixteen cents) lAll apportioned back to the counties for common school tuition, and is properly a local tax. The increase of the state school tax in 1891 is $752,027.17, and as the enumeration will be substantially file same as last year, (763,207) there will be ninety-five cents per school child distributed to the counties. The local school taxes should have been decreased to this extent. AS the total of taxes is $2,$99,282.26, and she total increase of state taxes is $1,230,547.73, there has been an increase of $1,768,784.53 of local taxes, which is distributed as follows: Forty Six R«pubUc*n Counties. Total increase of taxes. XL,866,090 84 State t«wi increase 806,766 18 Local taxes increase

Forty-Six Democratic Counties. Total increase of taxes 81,134,251 42 State taxes increase 623,792 60 Local taxes increase $ 510,458 82 Of the increase of local taxes in Democratic counties it will be seen that $297,156.92 occurs in Marion county, and $213,291.90 in the remaining forty-five counties. This is largely due to increases by Republican trustees, town boards and school boards in those counties; thus, in Marion county the Republican school board levies $113,014.86 more taxes than last year, besides receiving about $32,000 more from the state school tax—which is the same as increasing local taxes $145,000 in the city of Indianapolis alone. The valuation has increased more in the Democratic counties than in the Republican counties, and if the whole increase of taxes were due to the law the taxes would increase in the same proportion. It will be observed that the state taxes, which are at the same rate everywhere, increase in that proportion. But the increase of taxes in the Repnb-

lican counties is actually $747,806.91 greater than in the Democratic counties, which shows conclusively that the law was not responsible for it. Taking the counties separately, it will be observed that in ten of them (nine Democratic and one Republican) there has been a decrease of the total taxes paid. In five of them (four Democratic and one Republican) the increase on railroads alone is greater than the total increase of taxes paid. In these fifteen counties individuals pay less taxes, in the aggregate-, than formerly. In thirty counties (seven Democratic and twentythree Republican) the increase of railroad taxes is greater than the state increase, and in these, if there had been no increase of local taxes, individuals would certainly have paid less taxes than before. This shows the effects of the increase on railroads alone, there being no convenient mode of ascertaining the increase on other corporations. If the increase on banks, street railroads, mining and manufacturing corporations, etc., could be shown, a number of the other counties would probably present the same result.