Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1919 — Page 7

r WEDNESDAY, APRIL A l»l®.

TAX VOBISCUM

THE GREAT REPUBLICAN ■ , BLESSIN6

The Legislature Increases Taxes All Along ths Line, and Provides That the Burden Shall Fall on Reel Estate. While there Is general agreement that the late lamented legislature was easily the worst that has met In thirty years, there Is some difference of opinion as to who Is responsible for IL Not a few put the blame on Governor Goodrich, for rousing resentment by trying to dictate as to legislation. It eannot be denied that he ignored the provisions of the Constitution creating three departments of government; providing that "no person charged with official duties under one of these departments shall exercise any of the functions of another;” and that “the legislative authority of the state shall be vested In the general assembly*, which shall consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives.” He decided in advance what legislation he would have passed, and appointed committees to prepare the bills; and he organised bls forces In the State Central Committee and the Republican press to compel the action he wanted. In addition to this unquestionable action, he Is charged with other for which he disclaims responsibility. State commissions, appointed by him and commonly believed to be controlled by him, were also busy. The Public Service Commission was on hand with several bills cutting into the power of local self-government. The State Board of Forestry brought out a voluminous bill for the conservation of Richard Lieber and the German vote. The State Tax Board came to the front with a tax law, the chief feature of which was the practical exemption of Intangibles, which the Governor has favored for some years past. His Republican enemies hoot at the suggestion that he was not personally responsible for these measures.

Time to Reap Harvest. On the other hand, the. Governor’s friends, Including the State Republican "machine” and its press accomplices, assert that the trouble was due to the unexpected landslide In the elections, which brought into the legislature a lot of men who were never expected to be ejected, and also created the feeling among Republican officials that this was their time to harvest the financial spoils of victory. That these conditions existed is very evident; but there are Innocent bystanders who hold that the Governor was largely responsible for the "grab game” on account of his open effort to build up a political machine by absorbing all the appointing power In the state, which he claimed had been Indorsed In the election. At any rate his example was contagious. In addition to the bills centralizing the appointing power, in his hands, his "visiting committee” had ■recommended giving him >I,BOO for house rent; had recommended putting >250,000 hi his hands as an "emerg'ency state institution fund” to be expended as he saw fit, Instead of being given direct to the institutions that needed it; and had recommended giving him >193,000 more for “repairs to the State Capitol," for which >132,000 had been appropriated in 1917, and >155,000 had been expended, in addition to contracting for much more that there was no money to pay for. State Employes Get Theirs. All other officers proceeded on the theory of "ask and ye shall receive." The Supreme Court judges demanded that their salaries be raised from >6,000 to >IO,OOO, on account of the "high cost of living"; and the Appellate judges offered to struggle along with >B,OOO. The State Tax Commissioners put a raise of their salaries from >3,000 to >6.000 In their reform tax law. An Increase of >1,500 a year was asked for circuit judges throughout the state, with >6OO a year for traveling expenses, and the right to appoint bailiffs at >135 per month. Senate bill 188 provided for >25 a day for “special judges” instead of >5 and expenses now allowed by law. Prosecutors In counties of less than 71,000 wanted >3,500 a year, Instead of >SOO and fees. The legislators did not forget themselves, and bills were presented In both houses increasing their [per diem from >6 to >lO, with mileage of >5 for every 25 miles of travel !ta going and coming. ! State employes demanded a law

giving them pensions of 25 per cent of their salaries The Fire Marshall wanted more assistants and salary Increases. A Department of State Police with an indefinite pay roll was proposed. The lx>ng Hospital modestly asked for a “psyoopathlc department,** with >190,000 for a building and >75,000 for maintenance. Only >60.000 was asked for a new normal school; but a "Rural School Commission” was urged to make a “survey” of school conditions, at >5,000, al 1 though the State Board of Education Is supposed to furnish all such information. Call was made for a "State Board of Electrical Crane Inspectors,” with three members at >2,000 per. Senator English wanted >25,000 to buy ground for a negro Industrial school. For a "Live Stock Sanitary Board” >35.000 was asked; and the Lieber Department of Conservation asked for >60,000 a year, of which >4,000 goes to the "Director,” with as many assistants and at such salaries as the commission sees fit to provide. The "State Moving Picture Board” was to have a chairman at >2,500, and two standing members at >2,000, with a total appropriation of >30,000. The State Board of Pardons called for a clerk, with salary to be fixed by them. A "State Motor Vehicle Commissioner” was asked, fit >3,600. The "State Employment Commission" wanted >75,000.

County officers were right up with the procession, led by the officials of Marlon, St. Joseph and Lake counties. While most of the demands of this class were for individual beneficiaries, It was proposed to put all county commissioners on salaries, ranging, In ten classes, from >3OO to >3.600, and also to make county commissioners road supervisors In their own road districts, at >3 per day additional, and 20 cents per mile mileage. County Superintendents wanted an Increase of salaries, and also to be allowed to charge livery for the use of their own vehicles, and to have an assistant at >3 per day. The county surveyors asked an Increase of salaries, and In counties of over 240,000 wanted to appoint a “rodman, flagman, chairman and stenographer” at >3 per day each, and an "assistant engineer" at >5. The pay of "road workers,’ whose work has been a standing joke for yean, was Increased from >2 to >3.60 per day; and teams from >3.50 to >5. Court reporters made a strong effort for salaries of >I,BOO. County council men asked for per diems of from >5 to >2O, and members of township boards for >lO per meeting. Old Claims Revived. Old snags, that have been turned down heretofore, like the sale of the Marion county court house, and the Hord claim for >60,000, were revived and presented, the latter being passed by the Senate. But the most popular grafts t were “high cost of living” stunts. It was demanded that all illegal allowances during the war be legalized and future rates be put on a war basis. The most bare-faced of these was the call for 60 cents a day for boarding prisoners In jails, which the virtuous State Board of Accounts had authorized In writing, although the law limits the charge to 40 cents. This steal has been worked in the face of the fact that board at the women’s prison has cost less than 15 cents a day all through the war; and the prisoners there are better fed than in any jail in Indiana. To make It worse, Republican judges In Marion county have persistently sent women to the jail who, under the law should have gone to the woman’s prison, saddling 45 cents a day of unnecessary expense on the taxpayers, for the benefit of a Republican sheriff. Attention was called to this during the last campaign, but the Indianapolis News and Star suppressed it, and this scandalous defiance of the correctional laws of the state is still going on. The State Board of Charities and Corrections is apparently as completely cowed by Goodrich schrecklichkeit as the State Board of Accounts. Sheriffs Want Graft. Another proposed sheriff’s graft was on mileage; House bill 286, providing for 3 cents a mile for the first 500 miles, and 2 cents a mile thereafter, "in excess of railroad fare," and 1 cent excess for a prisoner, transporting prisoners. Of course the camp followers of the Republican of- ( flclal army were not forgotten. The newspapers were tendered an increase from 5 to 8 cents a line for legal advertising. Free school books were proposed, and dealers In school books were to be allowed 20 per cent 1 over cost for handling school books. "Relief of contractors” touched- many a tender legislative heart, and there were several bills to allow them increased compensation on account of. war prices, without regard to war prices being In effect when the contracts were made. It will be pleaded that not all of these proposals were adopted. Of

course not, but plenty were to say with Mercutio, as to his wound: •* Tin not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door, but *tls enough; ’twill serve.’’ Enough were adopted to make a heavy false of taxes all along the lino, for it was not only state taxation that was Increased, but also local taxation In dozens of forms. Notwithstanding the burden of war taxes that still rest on the public, and must do so for some years, new and special taxes were imposed; old rates were increased; assessment valuation was put to 100 per cent, and it was even attempted to legalize the violation of the constitutional debt limit. And in all of this there was no consistency. As to objects, It may be noted that while >2S,uVO was appropriated for a monument to Charles W. Fairbanks, it was proposed to give >3.500 for a memorial to our fallen soldiers In the late war. While there was great solicitude about limiting the taxes on Intangibles by their "reasonable in-come-producing value.” the tax'’on dogs, which produce no income, and a majority of which have a market value of less than >2, was made >3 to >6. Democratic Minority Only Stop. What is more, the chief restraining Influence was the Democratic minority. It is well known that the proGerman sentiment was so strong with the Republican machine that no real prohibition of German teaching would have been made but for the Democrats standing by their platform pledge against It. It is also under stood that the "throwdown’’ of the prohibitionists was a sop to the Ger mans for their “throwdown” on the teaching proposition; relying on the theory that Shumaker and rianly, the “dry” leaders, are such hide-bound Republicans that they will stand for anything that is handed to them. Moreover, nobody knows what has got through the mill, nor will know for several months. From the first, the old legislative trick of holding back action on bills to farce compromises was resorted to, to an extent never before known; with the result that the last days of the session were reached with practically nothing done. Then bills were rushed through without consideration, and that is whore legislative tricksters get in their work. It will not be safe for anyone to believe it is not as bad as it might have been, until the last county is heard from. In the Senate, bills were put on passage, without reading, In bunches of a dozen at a time, and all voted on at once, in direct violation of Sec. 18. Art. 4 of the state Constitution.

Reform Tax Bill Jonah. The Republican newspapers have already begun congratulating the public on the passage of the “reform tax law,” but in reality there is no reform in It. The general complaint of the old law was that intangibles escaped taxation under it, by being concealed. After a desperate effort to provide for their taxation at a merely nominal rate, the interests that own them shrewdly made a compromise that leaves them just where they were. The provisions for making them noncollectible in the courts if not entered tor taxation, and for the employment of tax ferrets, were dropped at the last hour, and the people who have been sequestering their money, stocks and bonds can go ahead just as they have been doing. The intangibles that got on to the tax duplicate were valued higher than any other kind of property, but the trouble was that they belonged to widows and orphans, and to people who were not "smooth" enough to conceal them. It is easy to see what will be the result of this law. The total taxables of the state in 1917 were >2,199,523,803, of which >1,380,165,875 was real estate, >137,000,000 tangible personal property, >350,000,000 intangibles, and >280,000,000 railroad and other corporation property. By the report of the tax commission, which agrees with other authorities, real estate is now assessed on the average at less than 40 per cent of true value; tangible personalty at 50 per cent, and Intangibles at 77 «per cent. If they are all Increased to 100 per cent, the increase on real estate will be $2,070,248,812; on tangible personalty :t will be >137,000,000; on Intangibles it will be >105,000; and on corporations about >300,000,000. In other words, the Increase on real estate will be nearly four times as much as on all other property combined. In theory there is to be a large amount of intangibles put on the duplicate, that are not taxed at all at present, but as "the teeth”-have all been pulled from the new law, there is not much probability that the intangibles will be brought out. In other words, instead of being 63 per cent of the total taxables, as it is now, real estate will tnake 72 per cent of the total. This is the great Republican “reform."

THE TWICE-A-WEEE DEMOCRAT

ini /a\JIJ il I Jh ' f v "_B_ ■* * BtAil, v 1 ....... ~w®BBSZ MiiißiiiL il mMI M liill■■l■■Bl < lM!f «£ IWBt. S : MI * w,l » «■ Ur’ 1 ' .fill i , wipri'F i.il ,HUUjijijjjr ,|l I' . tiw. ft*w 4mm >y wjr f J llllili' and half-pound tin humill P dort and that clotty. 1 I ' practical pound cryttal ilOfsO ■*M- > ' flail humidor utith r tponpa moittonar top that •’ hoapt tho toiOMt in tuch parfoct condition. QUT a pipe in your face that’s filled cheerily brimful of Prince p Albert, if you’re on the trail of smoke peace 1 For, P. A. will ■' sing y° u a of tobacco i°y that wiu make y° u wish y our life job was to see how much of the national joy smoke you gwjSamßArfMrT Could get away with every twenty-four hours! I W I You can “carry on” with Prince Albert through thick and thin. | You’ll be after laying down a smoke barrage that'll make the ® I boys of the old front line in France! I I F. A. never tires your taste because it has the quality I And, I - ji|| ■ sive patented process that cuts out bite and parch assurance I I that you can hit smoke-record-high-spots seven days out of I MffFTgiMi I every week without any comeback but real smoke joy I | B R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem, N. C.

BUMWWIiF!’ It ?

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fluenza. He had the "sleeping variety’’ of the disease. Mrs. Perry Record died at her home near Indianapolis last Monday and the husband, who is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Record, north of town, is seriously sick ot the disease.' John F. Kopka met with a painful accident one day last week while town. He fell on an axe in such a way as to cause a bad laceration on the right leg, and as a result he is kept at his home in the west part of town. J. A. Clark of Longmont, Colorado, arrived here yesterday for a few days./visit with his brother, C. A. Clark/Mr. and Mrs. T. M. Wise and others. He Intends to leave shortly to spend a few days with his mother at the old family home in Clarksfield, Ohio. Daniel Finnegan, one of the oldest and best known citizens of the community, passed away at his home in Francesville Sunday afternoon The cause of his death was the infirmities incident to his advanced age of more than 80 years. He had been declining in health for many months and his death was not unexpected. He was born in Ireland and came to this country when quite young eventually becoming a resident of this township and after retiring from the farm came to Francesville. The funeral was held from, the Catholic church yesterday morning and burial was made in the family lot at Pulaski. He leaves his wife, daughter Marie, sons Owen, Edward and William. Charles J. Kaupke, whose death occurred last Wednesday of Bright’s disease, was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, sixty-five years ago. He came to this country when he was a lad of seventeen years. In 1878 he was married to Dorothy Westphal, who with seven children survive—Mrs. Fred Smallfelt, Mrs. Joe Kaaupke, Mrs. Robert Kopka, Mrs. John Kopka, Anno, 'Edward and Harry—four sons and one daughter having proceeded him in death. Mr. Kaupke spent most of his life in this community and was one of its successful farmers. He retired from the farm two years ago, and moved Into town. The funeral was held Saturday morning at the Salem Evangelical church, Rev. C. E. Weiss officiating. Interment was made in the cemetery east of town. Death came to William Garrlgues, a well known citizen, Tuesday night at ten o’clock, after a stroke of apoplexy, which occurred sometime during the morning. Mr. Carrlgues had not been in good health for many months. Last year he underwent an operation at Rochester, Minn., which seemed to Improve his health generally, but he had probably deferred the operation too long 'as the high blood pressure shown then continued to cause him more or less trouble. During the morning Mr. Garrigues 'had been looking after work about the farm When the attack came. He went to the house where he soon lapsed into and the information that he was critically sick came as a great shock to all. The funeral will be held at the residence Friday afternoon at two o’clock.

COUNTY EDUCATIONAL NOTES

Several schools In Union and Milroy townships have closed lor the year. Pleasant Grove In Barney has closed also. Under the new wage law several of the class A teachers will take professional training and pass Into class B. The last institutes of the year will be held Saturday, April 6. There will be a large joint institute held in the high school auditorium at Rensselaer. Several topics of a general Interest have been assigned. Miss Beatrice Tilton and Miss Helen White each have musical numbers; Mrs. Sterrett, Miss Dillon, Miss Porter and Miss Pancoast will lead in a round table discussion on the subject “The Influence of the personnel of the teacher on the school’’; Miss Tilton, Miss White and Miss Sage will lead in a discussion “From a teacher’s standpoint in what way can a trustee help to make the school a success’’; Mrs. Brown, Miss Wineland, Miss Huff and Miss Helen Porter will lead in the following discussion “Suggestions on how to handle delicate problems of the school”; Mr. Campbell, Miss Waymire, Miss McGlynn and Mr. Tyler will lead In a discussion on “What can be done to create a better school spirit and Interest in a community.” The public is Invited to this institute. Miss Esther Sage will sing a vocal solo for the afternoon session. The most conspicuous feature about the teachers’ examination last Saturday was the absence of men. There was about one man to every 10 ladies who took the examination. It is very evident that the scnools are falling to attract men. This will begin telling m the course of a few years as men are very essential In the school room to give the children masculine characteristics. The primary and under grade work can be done very satisfactorily by lady teachers, but upper grades require the Influence of men teachers to properly develop the children.

IMPORTANT NOTICE We are working on new directory. To be sure you will be listed properly, drop the office a card and give name and number correctly, where you have changed location. Business firms wishing changes or parties wishing to be listed, please make proper arrangements. Parties wishing advertising space please notify office for proper space. After forms are up they cannot be changed. As an advertising medium, remember, these directories are daily used by some 8,000 persons. We will try to have you listed correctly, but need your help. JASPER COUNTY TEL CO. als What is thought to be the first shipment . of American housebuilding materials ever sent direct to Norway# has recently gone forward.

BIG STOCK SALE The undersigned will offer at public auction at their residence, * miles north, IV6 miles west of Rensselaer, 3 miles south of Virgie, on the Jackson highway (all stone road), the former J, W. Faylor farm, commencing at 12 o’clock noon, on TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 1919. 100 Head of Registered and Grate Shorthorn and Hereford Cattle ■ ■ Consisting of 1 roan shorthorn bull, and 3 registered Shorthorn oows, papers furnished; 12 young Shorthorn milch cows, some with calf by side; 10 choice quality spring •heifers; 20 Shorthorn heifers, wt. 600 to 800; 12 Hereford yearling heifers, dandles, wt. 500 to 600; 30 2-year-old short fed Shorthorn steers, wt. 750 to 850; 2 yearling bulls, registered Shorthorns, papers furnished; 10 head of calves, heifers and steers. 1 pair 3-year-old Colts. 100 Head of Hogs— ©onslstlng of 1 registered Duroc male, papers furnished; 2 Duroc males, 6 months old; 2 Duroc brood sows, wt. 600 lbs. each, will farrow in May, bred to registered Duroc; 3 Chester White brood sows, will farrow in May and June; 2 sows each with good bunch of spring pigs; 15 Duroe gilts, bred to registered male, will farrow in May and June; 50 Duroc ah oats, wt. 100 to 120 lbs.; 25 pigs, wt. 50 to 60 lbs. Seed corn, oats, fence posts, binder and other implements. No auctioneer. Stuff will be sold to the fellow who outbids the fellow. Lunch will be given on ths ground, the proceeds to go to ths prisoner relief fund. Terms—A credit of 9 months will be given on sums over >lO, notes to bear 6 per cent Interest if paid when due, If not paid at maturity 8 per cent interest will be charged from date; 2 per cent oft for cash when entitled to credit. JOHN and ED EILTS. C. G. Spitler, clerk. Parties purchasing more than I head we will assist in delivering half way.

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Notice is hereby given that the undersigned has" been appointed by the clerk of the circuit court of Jasper county, state of Indiana, executor of the last will and testament of Elizabeth A. Powers, late of Jasper county, deceased. Said estate is supposed to be solvent. LOUIS HINCHMAN, March 24, 1919. Executor. M B. Beard, Attorney for Executor. m26a2-9

NOTICE /TOl HEIRS, CREDITORS In the matter o.f the estate of L. H. Myers, deceased. In the Jasper circuit court, April term, 1919. Notice is hereby given to the creditors, heirs and legatees of L. H. Myers, deceased, and all persons Interested in said estate, to appear in the circuit court on Monday, the 17th day of April, 1919, being the day fixed and endorsed on' the final settlement account-of S. W, Myers and G. M. Myers, executors of said decedent, and show cause if any, why such final account should not be approved,; and the heirs of said decedent and all others interested, are also hereby notified to appear in said court on said day and make proof of their heirship, or claim to any part of said estate. S M. MYERS and G. M. MYERS, Executors. W. H. Parkinson, Atty, for Estate,

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