Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1894 — DO YOU EVER THINK [ARTICLE]

DO YOU EVER THINK

Of the New Tax Law’s benefits to You Personally ? And of How the Bailroads are Made to Help You Pay Taxes? Compxriion of the Aaaeumenta on Railrood Property Under the Qld and New Law»—Railroad AaeeMmenta Increased More Than 100 Per Cent, With a Corresponding Saving to Other Taxpayers. Did it ever occur to you to note what the new tax law had done in your county to increase the assessment of railroads and to compel them to pay their just share of the taxes in your county? Did it ever occur to you that the average increase in railroad assessment was 135 per oent under the new law? Did it ever occur to you that under the new law the railroads are paying double the taxes that they did m 1890 and that the extra amount they pay is just so much taken off the burdens of taxation resting on the farmers and other taxpayers residing in your county? If you have never done this it is well that you should do so for the fate of the new tax law is at stake in the approaching elections. The Republican party is pledged to repeal thia law if it gets the power. In other words the question is put to the people of Indiana whether they will take <91,000,000 of railroad property off the tax duplicate, - and lose thereby the taxes on that amount, every bit of these taxes being placed upon the people of the state. It is a question whether the railroads or the farmers shall pay taxes on this <91,000,000 of property. It is a very easy matter by the aid of the figures appended to determine just how much taxpayers of each county would be called upon to pay us a result of a fulfillment of the Republican pledge to make this donation to the railroad corporations. Just note the increase in the assessment under the new law, then take the rate of county taxation and compute the size of your county’s gift to the railroads and the amount of your share in that gift. The figures will prove startling. The assessment of railroad property in the various counties in the state under the old and the new laws was as follows: Railroad assessment by counties of the state of Indiana for 1890 (old tax law) and for 1891 (new tax law). IA9O. 1891 Adams 1471,600 <1,281,M0 Allen.. 2,856,674 5,840,747 Bartholomew 684,815 1,880,897 Benton... 524,428 1,731,651 Blackford 272,158 720,639 Boone 591,808 1,888,005 8r0wn,,.,,..... ' , Carroll 574,842 1J21L084 Cass. 1,287,077 2,794,836 Clark 1,016,878 2,439,062 Clay. 889,282 1,436,537 Clinton... 781,740 1,787,934 Crawford 194,201 463,187 Daviess 547,575 1,215,118 Dearborn 646,802 1,856,738 Decatur 589,115 1,266,962 DeKalb 1,277,960 2,700,875 Delaware.. 641,264 1,482,663 Dubois 800,124 698,973 Elkhart 1,262,830 2,168,716 Fayette 312,678 1,029,628 Floyd.. 298,882 954,411 Fountain 762,976 1,909,248 Franklin 169,278 858,979 Fulton... 578,016 1,506,684 Gibson 700,094 1,503,408 Grant 683,133 1,514,181 Greene 876,119 1,280,675 Hamilton 395,571 843,824 Hancock 631,143 1,757,950 Harrison 167,476 890,639 Hendricks r.... 942,804 2,227,648 Henry 961,876 2,658,783 Howard 480,888 1,087,658 Huntington 726,160 1,464,234 Jackson 788,925 1,825.582 Jasper 588,466 1,426,199 Jay- 487,951 1,154,464 Jefferson 191,451 707,285 Jennings 637,742 1,745,212 Johnson 451,475 968,208 Knox 775,699 1,779,469 Kosciusko 1,529,717 8,013,932 Dagrange 261,755 409,885 Lake 4,055,800 8,058,209 Laporte 3,840,269 6,430.086 Lawrence 689,680 1,677,501 Madison 931,411 2,157,568 Marion.. 3,385,745 11,156,172 Marshall 1,772,628 8,700,932 Martin 298,172 066,418 Miami 893,593 1,867,066 Monroe 268,156 669,593 Montgomery 797,614 2,139,160 Morgan 262,440 719,725 Newton 614,329 1,786,601 Noble 1,254,846 2,462,651 Ohio Orange.;,,,., 174,510 384,693 Owen 275,258 831,039 Parke 587,889 1,668,112 Perry 63,613 151,356 Pike 173,007 446,706 Porter 8,829,171 5,425,812 Posey 727,001 1,486,170 Pulaski 492,045 1,246,521 Putnam 1,071,308 2,347,104 Randolph 910,609 2,365,534 Ripley 417,537 901,988 Rush 495,681 1,846,534 Scott 286,144 859,580 Shelby (103,424 1,846,417 Spencer 809,807 788,411 Starke 1,140,075 2,567,310 Steuben 185,254 396,045 St. Joseph 1,406,201 2,860,352 Sullivan 532,751 1,204,969 Switzerland..... Tippecanoe 1,291,616 2,543,W Tipton 456,552 976,686' Union 181,445 563,979 Vandsxburg 972.951 2.042.940 Vermillion 463,385 1,225,556 Vigo.... ),212,5% 2,511,888 Wabashßss,3o7 1,632,442 Warren..'..'.,..,',',','.,.... 467,049 1,042,947 Warrick 207,964 526,628 Washington 229,832 570,107 Wayne 907,821 2,334,323 Wells 422,820 1,143,206 White..... 724,541 I.BOVM Whitley 1,094.090 ft,W,445 T0ta1|0?,7a»,676 Total increase. ..,, ....>91,046,599 Per cent of increasel3s

It will be seen that the railroad aasefla-. meat under the new law is mope than, qjuble what it waa under the ojc| law. That means a great deal to the taxpayers of Indiana, a 4 U x, ye ! thia 4«w> which is conceded the best law ever devised for compelling the railroads to bear their share tho public burdens, the' Republicans are pledged to repeal if they get the power. Voters should figure out in dollars and cents just what this means to each of them.