Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1891 — One Thing Sure. [ARTICLE]

One Thing Sure.

Judging from the the proposed buildings at the Cliicago Wprl Ts Fair, published iu-the-illustrated papers, the buildings..alone.2»•ill. IE vvorib jtMUNUiv—-ing-theneands of miles to see. That they will far exceed in magnitude and beauty the buildings of any previous world’s fair, in any country, is now beyond question. That the fair itself will be equally beyond all previous occasions of the kind, is also nearly as certain. It would have been not a bad idea for the Democratic Legislature to have provided in their new tax law for the assessment of realestate at its full value, had they at the same time, adopted sufficiently rigid methods to insure the assessment of personal property, especially notes, mortgages and accounts, also at their full value; and further, had they taxed corporations, railroads, express companies and saloons a fair proportion; and further, had they made proper provision for cutting down the state levy to fit the increased revenue from the increased taxes on corporations saloons <fcc., and from the increased assessment. None of these things that should have gone with the increased assessment of land were done, however, and the result will be enormously increased state taxes on re-al-estate until the levy is reduced, and an entirely disproportionately small portion of the expenses of the state government paid by corporations, and an equally disproportionately large portion paid by

the 'farmers, as Jong as the law remains unchanged. And the Democrats have ho excuse for these glaring defects of the law, for they were clearly pointed out and every effort made by the Republican members to have them corrected. The Democrats were after a law in line with their new single-tax idea, however, and would listen to no suggestions from tire Republicans. . . iU . ■

Editor Republican :-The editor of the Democratic Sentinel affects great hilarity over my expose of the sophistry of his “Handy Andy,” “Saw Dust” Alliance man. I would not be suprised to hear that he wrote it himself. He published Senator Ewings’ article from the Greensburg New Era. The Senator talks about county and township taxes but does not say one word about state taxes and that is where the increase will be as I contended in your paper last week. We all agree the County Commissioners and township Trustees can decrease the county and township taxes in proportion to the increase of the appraisement. We all agree there is nothing wrong in appraising real and personal property at a true cash value. The difficulty’ is to get ..it done equally all over the state or counties in the state. The Sentinel resorts to ridicule instead of argument in the matter. That proves one of two things either thatheis incapable or has no argument to offer in favor of the high state taxes. I further ask all democrats to watch his course in this matter.

OLD DEMOCRAT.

Oxford Tribune. The sure thing about taxation is that Democracy is a tax. The last Legislature increased the number of officers, increased the tax levy, increasecLthe rate of assessment, and lowered the special taxes on corporations. The farmers will pay about four times the State tax they have been accustomed to pay.