Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 May 1891 — A Knock-out for a Dishonest Tax-Law Liar. [ARTICLE]

A Knock-out for a Dishonest Tax-Law Liar.

~~~Editor Republican. The Sentinel of Friday April 24, contained an article over the signature of “Alliance” commending the new tax law. It is news to me, and I think to many members of the Alliance, that the whole thing was concoct-cdf-passedTipon and petitioned for by the County Alliance organizations. I wonder if the farmers knew; this before? He says the Jasper County Alliance recommendvd an increase to 25 cents. Well, they kept their light under a bushel. The state school taxis 16 cents, the state tax 12 cents, endowment fund | cent; the new tax for hospital purposes is 6 cents, all told 344 on each one hundred dollars. I am not a member of the Alliance but I wonder if the Alliance petitioned to have the appraisement changed “to a fair cash” basis? That will double the tax or nearly so on personal property and treble or nearly so on land. He seemed certain that the farmers were feeling so badly because they were paying only about one third as much tax on their farms as they ought so they petitioned a Democratic Legislature to have the appraisement increased so they could pay more. The farmers ought to be very happy because they have this opportunity! He says “the increase in these values will cause a corresponding reduction in the levy for county and township purposes and the amount paid by the average farmer in the county and township taxes will be reduced to a much greater extent than his state tax will be increased.” Let us see: Any man of sense knows that each county and township needs a certain amount of money to pay expenses and the levies have to be made with that object in view. If a man has a farm appraised at SI,OOO under the old law and the levy is 75 cents on each one hundred dollars as it was in Jasper county for 1890, he will pay $7 50 for county purposes. In 1891 his farm is appraised at a “fair cash value,” or S3OOO and the levy is reduced to 25 on each one hun-

dred dollars will hp pay any less' for county purposes? No, he pays the same or $7.50. In 1890 this same man’s tax for state purposes was, for schools 16 cts., endowment fund | cent, state tax 12 Cts., total 28| cts., or on his SI,OOO he will pay $2.85. In 1891 his farm appraised at $3,000, and taxes for , schools 16 cts., state tax 12 cts., hospital 6 cts., endowment fund | • cent, total 34|cents on each SIOO ihe will pay $10.35. The argument of “Alliance” looks more like the Special plea of a shyster lawyer or a democratic demagogue than a defense of the so-called Alliance scheme of taxation. “Allianefe” says that under the old law a man who has SSOO worth of personal property pays as much tax as the owner of a farm worth $2,000. I heard the editor of the Democratic Sentinel repeat that yarn on the street this week. Yet he says the Democratic party is the only party that “does anything for the farmer.” “Alliance’s” efforts to bolster up the blunders of the late Democratic Legislature is pretty thin. I think the blindest man in Jasper county could see it. He calls the editor of the Republican a liar and a brother also at the same time. In the mean time yon can be getting ready to pay yonr taxes next spring.

OLD DEMOCRAT.