Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1891 — A TAX COMMISSION. [ARTICLE]

A TAX COMMISSION.

Sen a!or Gi 1 man has : . i ntroduced a bill in the -Senate—in >“uppres<: white-capping. Under the bill any person whipped by white caps can recover $5,000 from the county in which he. g.-'ts licked.. The ol iectii til :.-', r id against the bill S trtat ;• would lend to mut ffi 1 thrashing societies, for the sake getting the t-eward. iiwiiib r—■imuirrnrr* * Senator Thompson, an nnsekirh Democratic patrio', of Pulaski county has got his young son back into the service of drawing 85 per day for the family exchequer, according to the following from the DemoMugwump Indianapolis AVics, of Feb. 12th. “With the restoration of L. H.! Gambol, the one armed soldier, as committee clerk, the twelw-year—-old son of Senator Thompson, of Pulaski, goes back into fhe'service of the doorkeeper at $5 per day.” . The fee and salary bill passed the House Monday, by a vote of 77 to 10. As it passed the House, it is not to affect any officers now in office or elected to office. As a sample of the manner in which the Democratic majority amended the-bill after it was reported by the special committee, all the annual salaries in the always democratic Cass county were raised by amounts varying from S3OO to SBOO. the total increase aggregating $2,800. In the always repubton, the only changes were reduc- .... -4»-4he“ counties, five in number, and aggregating SIOOO, in amount.

The county scat changing bill, in which many counties were interested, but which was more especially designed to permit Hammond to get the seat of Lake County away from Crown Point, has been effectually throttled in the House, after having passed the State Senate. There ought, of course to be some method by which the people of a county could re-locate their county seats, if a great majority desired the change, but on the other hand, the changes ought not to be too readly and easily made. To prevent any hasty and destructive action in that respect something of the de-’ liberativeness and difficulty that hedge about the making of changes in the constitution should be adopted for changes in county seats. —— r - The fee and salary bill as it came back from the hands of the special committee, had but little resemblance to the document as it was given to them. Instead of dividing the counties of the state into nine divisions, each county is now given a section by itself, and and the salary of every officer specially provided for. In Jasper county, the latest arrangement gives the clerk §I,BOO per year, the auditor §2,200, the recorder

£1,400, the treasurer SI,BOO, and sheriff SI,BOO. The committee proposed 'paying the clerk, recorder and sheriff each S2OO more ' thin the§e figures, but when the • democrat i<- rippers got to a mending thejnll, by raising salaj-ies [ni d< u-'" ■' 8- <-<-tuntie.- :•:><! lowt-r- ---; ing them in republican counties, | they made the changes indicated. VGu-mit. is .I't-n-l thftt—ua-r.iiigemen-t-no previsum ' is made for deputy hire, and that \ each officer" tnust ~pajt for his own I will.be seen that tinfigures of the proposed salaries . • du'-i y.

So long as human nature is whai k :• bug will .mankind worship its heroic, and so long wilt n-ien'disagrec in their judgement as to tkt- relative greatness, of .their 'groat men. Vain and unprofilable as it is for men to - vrmugb m.’w o\'er the comjj&rati ve and other great Union leaders, there is a great deal of human nature in it. These are matters however •about which men will disagree so long as thofacts of the great war are kept fresh in the pages—of' liistory. Judged from the results ho accomplished and judged from his mental characteristics as revoaled Io 'us. his eontemporiu-ies, our opinion would place Sherman as the second greatest general of flip war. Like that .other leader whose superior greatness he himseli was always ready fn'ely to admit, !:■' always on the battle-filed had th a L JmiiiQvabLe.. Jnirepidi ty_ whieh characterizes all ths greatest generaTs of all times; like him too, the (>.Ui--r tiling element-m-his-nature was his incorruptible and unselfish patriotism. Still further did he resemble the other in the immaculate purity of bis heart and tongue,—his deeds and his wonls.He was a great and a good man. Peace aud honor to his memory and peace and honor to all of that army of patriotic soldiers of The late war who, in ever increasing numbers, are following Grant Sherman, Sheridan,> Thomas, Meade and Hancock into the silent shades of everlasting rest.

The majority in the Legislature has agreed to establish a State tax commission. A measure will be presented, of which the following is a synopsis: It provides that the commission shall be composed of two members, appointed by “the G overnor with the concurrence of the Senate, to receive an annual salary of $2,500 and neei essary expenses. The Governor, Auditor and State Treasurer shall be members ex-officio. The powers and duties of the commission feffy

To take the place of the State Board of Equalization and to perform its duties; to provide all the necessary forms and blanks and change them when necessary; to consider all the tax and revenue laws of the State and to instruct all subordinate officers regarding them; to see that all assessments of property are properly made; to see, particularly, that the laws regarding the assessment of the property of railroads, and corporations are strictly enforced; to look after all laws relating to taxes and revenue; to determine the amounts that the various countiesof the State shall levy for State purposes; to examine the books and lists of the various officers; to report to the General Assembly the whole amount of revenue derived or needed by the State, and the amount of revenue lost and the reason for the loss; to investigate the revenue laws of other States and countries; to visit each county in the State at least once a year to hear complaints and see that the laws are enforced.