Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1892 — State and County Taxation. [ARTICLE]

State and County Taxation.

The Democratic and sub-democrat-ic press of Jasper county has lately devoted considerable effort towards comparing Democratic state taxation with Republican county taxation, with the hopes of making an impression unfavorable to the latter. In the first place the new tax law is a Democratic measure, and was enacted by a democratic legislature. In pursuance of one of the many communistic ideas with which modern democracy is impregna ted, this law shifts a vastgreat^Lproportion of the harden * tate an( i local taxation upon the property of the farmers, upon their than previous laws had done. This is the most objectionable featers of the law, and for it the Democratic party is solely responsible.

i And now for a little comparison of the Democratic State Legislatures and the Republican County Commissioners: The Democrats in the Legislature not only passed a tax law which would 1 Nearly double the revenues of the state, without any increase of the tax levy, by its operating to increase the assessment of property, especially of farm lands, but they also actually increased the levy for state purposes from 12 to 18 cents, an increase of 50 per cent. Some increase of state revenue .was necessary in order to pay interest upon and prevent the

further increase of, the enormous s tate debt,built up by the mismanagement and extravagance of former Democratic Legislatures, but there was no necessity for more than doubling the state revenues, as was done by the combined result of increasing the assessment and raising the levy from 12 to 18 cents. Compare the above with Republican county taxation: Where the Democratic Legislature added to the already enormously increased texes resulting from the increased assessment, by raising the state levy from 12 to 18 cents on the SIOO, an increase of 50 per cent, the Republican County Commissioners, instead of following the Democratic precedent of increasing the levy in about the same proportion as the assessment was increased, thus making a double, double, took the opposite course of reducing the levy for county revenue and cut ft down 75| cents on the SIOO valuation, which was the rate for the tex year 1890, down to 45 cents for the tax year 1891, a REDUCTION of 44 per cent. Briefly summarized, the comparison of Democratic state and Republican c ounty financering, is about as follows: The Democrats have piled up fit enormous debt, for the people to pay interest upon. They have i shifted the heaviest burden of taxation upon the property least able to bear it. They enormously increased the state revenue by increasing the basis of assessment (especially the farms) and then enormously increased it again by raising the state levy 50 per cent.

The Republicans have kept the county absolutely free from debt, and no money has to be raised for interest upon county bonds; county orders are paid as soon as presented and draw no interest from the county treasury; and lastly the rate of taxation was reduced 44 per cent., to offset the increase of assessment. Where is there any truthful and fair-minded man who will say that the facts of the above comparison are not all in favor of the Republicans?