Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 May 1920 — HERE FORDS AND CERTIFICATES [ARTICLE]

HERE FORDS AND CERTIFICATES

Kentland Papera Evade Dates in Denial of Published Statements.

The Kentland papers came out last week with a denial of a part of the statements made in a Chicago paper of the week previous regarding Warren T. McCray of that city who was one of the Republican candidates for the nomination for governor; they also published over the signature of A. J. Reames, T. H. Dixon and C. W. Roe dental of a statement made 1 in connection with the signing and circulating of the endorsement of McCray which was published over the state as a paid advertisement by Kentland citizens, and which provoked the statements made by the Chicago paper, it is said.

The Democrat knows nothing about the statements made in the Chicago paper concerning anything other than Mr. McCray’s personal assessments, etc., on his Orchard Lake stock farm and his bank’s subscriptions tor treasury certificates issued in anticipation of the Third Liberty loan. As the Chicago paper referred to The Democrat In its first article in this matter, we deem It proper, in view of the denials made in the Kentland paper's, to say that the statements published in The Democrat and to which the paper referred, are backed up by official public records. The Democrat had made no reference to Mr. McCray’s assessment since May, 1918, immediately following his annual sale of Hereford cattle. No denial is made by the Kentland papers of the truth about these assessments, but this defense is made: “Regarding his taxes on pure-bred cattle, Mr. McCray’s Herefords were assessed at double meat prices, and higher than any other herd of cattle in the state, and SIOO per head higher than any other pure-bred cattle in this county.”

Now on March 1, 1917, according to the assessor’s sheet, signed and sworn to by Mr. McCray himself on April 24, 1917, he had 265 head of these cattle on his Orchard Lake farm, 40 head under one year old, and the value on these 40 head was given at fl,ooo, $25 per head; SSO head, one year old and over, at $2,000, S4O per head; 40 head two years old and over, $2,000, SSO per head; 135 head three years old and over, SB,OOO, or $58.50 per head. A grand total for the 265 of $13,000. This is not “$10« per head more than any . other pure-bred cattle in the county” by any means. In fact, it Is not even the SIOO per head, for 265 at SIOO per head would be $26,500. It is not SSO per head even, and it looks like a rather low price for very common beef cattle, especially when the owner Is making a campaign on reforming the tax laws of his state. This eliminates altogether the statement that they were “assessed at SIOO per head more than any other pure-bred cattle in the county,” as the assessment shows they were asn sessed at less than SSO per head all

told. Only a few days after this assessment was made, 75 head sold at $131,000, one bull alone, if our memory serves us correctly, selling at $17,000, $4,000 more than the entire 265 head was valued at for taxation by the owner. — Therefor? the Kentland papers must be in error when they made this pre-primary denial. The Indiana tax law says that all property must be given in at its real cash value. How is this determined? Did Mr. McCray Imagine for a moment that the 75 head of cattle he sold at public auction some 10 days after he had listed them tor taxation would sell for less than SSO per head? Nobody believes any such thing nor do they believe that one having $300,000 worth of livestock should get off for taxpaying purposes on $13,000. In other words, should a $17,000 bull of the millionaire be assessed at no more than the SSO cow of a poor widow or a day laborer? Now as to the subscriptions for treasury certificates, the complete report of Indiana subscriptions Issued by Federal Reserve bank of Chicago about May 15, 1918, 'an official copy of which we have before us at this moment, snows that Mr. McCray's bank took only sl,-

000 Feb. 27, 1918, and SI,OOO April 22, 1918, a grand total of $2,000, a less amount than any other bank In Newton county except the Bank of Brook, which took not a dollar. The Kent State bank of Kentland took $20,000, or 10 times the amount taken by Mr. McCray’s bank. A comparative statement of subscriptions to this loan by the banks of Jasper and adjoining counties was published in The Democrat of May 25, 1918. It is possible Mr. McCray never suspected this information would be made public, and its publication in was no doubt a painful surprise to him, a man who had “led in every Newton county activity in support of our government” during the war. Such a showing would never do for a perpetual candidate for governor, so when the Victory Liberty loan certificates were offered a remarkable showing was made by Mr. McCray's bank, it taking $12,000 Dec. 5, 1918; SII,OOO Dec. 19, 1918; $15,000 Jan. 2, 1919; $12,000 Jan. $12,000 Jan. 30, 1919; $2,000 Feb. 27, 1919; $29,000 Meh. 13, 1919; $10,500 April 10, 1919, and $10,500 May 1, 1919, as shown by the official report of the Federal Reserve bank of Chicago, a grand total of $114,000. More than any bank tn Newton county. Ever) the Brook bank saw a great light after these delinquents had been smoked out by The Democrat, and It took $55,000 of these certificates. But where does the leadership of Mr. McCray come in for all this good work? The war was over before his

bank came to the support of the government in taking these treasury certificates and the fact that thia was trtle had been published in the newspapers. Is he entitled to any great credit for the very liberal subscriptions to the Victory loan after having been smoked out on the previous loan and when the gubernatorial bee got to buzzing again In his bonnet in December, 1918, and the early part of 1919 W