Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1852-06-03

the taxpayer would his yearly burden thereby be in
creased7 - .tat
The difference you will observe is less than ten thou
sand year. That sounds like large amount; but /
what proportion is it, Of the taxes usually imposed
our people3 ..tav eta l..sf .l1s seal
For State, County, and Road purposes o say nothing
Of school taxi we usually pay, take the State
about nifty cents the hundred dollars Five cents
the hundred dollars nets about haudred thousand dol
lars; nifty cents, therefore, nets million In other
words, the State County, and Road of the State
of Indiana, nett annually, about million Of dollars
But what proportion of million is ten thousand !
Ii is the one-hundrsdh part The practical effect then
TAXATION between the parsmonious salaries Of
Committee, and these other salaries, extravagant
many will regard them, increase of onehundredth
only Thus if man, worth twenty thousand dollars i
pays hundred dollars of taxes the difference to him
will be dollar year To farmer, paying taxes on
one thousand dollars Of property, the difference will be
would fire dollars year Under the highest il would
be fUe dollars and fve cents. How grateful ought
constituent worth thousand dollars be- for the patr
otto exertions, which, after hardfought battle of two
three days, waged this floor If life and death
were depending actually him and his family, 4
each year, the odd picayune
But do not imagine, that am about to venture on /
any such rash proposal as to give Governor twenty
five hundred year, Circuit Judges fifteen him.
dred do not ask members 10 risk their popularity by
adding the pieayune 10 the five dollars do not
pect venturesome deed My expectations
moderate, and shall my motion be. IL is to amend
the bill, to put salaries as follows:
OF the Governor: 81 500 year.
vi the Supreme Judges ....,.....,.. 200 9"
or the Circuit Judges. ...........s...- 200 20
", the state Ofheers ..-...,.-.-..... LOU
OF the Librarian 49,. ...,,..... -. ZOO Z"
This is increase OF $500 each the salaries Of
eighteen officers making annually three thousand six
hundred dollars 1t will increase the taxes of mer-
chant worth twenty Thousand dollars, by the OF
niTtyfUe year. 1t will increase the taxes of
the farmer worth thousand dollars just cent and
fac0thirds Of cent annually: sum practically nap
preeIable. Ii a man, in paying an account, makes
change within a cent and two-thrds, dream,
here In the West where eoppers yisiters, of
demanding the balance None OF US would walk hun
dred yards to get IL. l--ly
But it so happens that the property oil five out of
every six tax payers this State Of ours does not
coed thousand dollars To five of every voters
in the State, then-and these ve-sixths the compare
lively poor, the men, if any, who pnched by high
taxes-the men whose purses pretend enderly to
protect and ought in truth carefully TO guardto them
the loss or gain, by the motion make, is and
two thirds year, at the very most TO many of them
not half that amount!
All these political hobbies What lean and lame
and worthless breed Of animals they are! unfit for
draught unfit, under any decent man, for the saddle
good for nothing this earth, but carry poor
devil Of candidate, hard run Tor time and breath
through single bosterous ourney-endng absut five
o'clock the afternoon Of election day!
In seriousness, fellow-members of the House, pray
YOU in regarding my proposal. to make no false issues
IL you against it, do 90 home and tell your
stituents that you did So them from the grev
burdens OF taxation; for that will be the truth
Say If you will, that you thought annual salary of
fifteen hundred dollars to the Chief aostrate of the
fifth State in the Union piece of unjustifable
gance. Say,-if that be your Judgment the best
Judicial talent in the land would be paid twelve
hundred year. and always be commanded for less
Or confess, If it should happen to be so-hat you
voted for political effect; rsking the efficiency of the
public service, in order to fve-sixths Of the
working men whom you represent the vast annual sum
OF less than two cents piece: honest confession is
good for the SOUL But If you scruple such confess
SON. do not unless you very that your constt
uents totally Ignorant OF arithmetic let any Of them
lay hands the State Auditors report any other
dangerous document that may disclose the amount of
Indanas taxables, the total her citizens yearly pay
into their State and county treasures.
Indiana is heavily taxed. The amount yearly collect
ed from the laboring is often hard to pay. That
will suffer neither doubt denial And any who
shall devise that may essentially relieve the bur-
den will deserve to be ranked public benefactor.
But 10 do this, must touch something that tells
thing that counts up; something that be felt
relief some question: reform that will cut at least
dollar two of the yearly taxes paid by each Of
the Of constituents. relief to each OF one
cent and two thirds, five cents cents, year,
reaches the case.
This is argument in favor of wasting, or careessy
expanding, even single dollar Of the public revenue
Grains OF sand make the mountain. Drop after drop o.
water escaping, at last exhausts the cask. But vet
ought mistake half dozen drops for gallon.
We ought to give to all things their just relative mpor
tance and no more.
Undue Importance has been given this subject
of State Salaries because it chances lie the
face ready the hand of every political decaimer
when other topics fail 1t is put forth the Aaron's
rod swallowing up all the rest. 1t is spoken of the
great ISSUE of which the decision mainly raises
lowers the rate of taxation throughout our State.
And yet, in honest truth, upon its decision, way
other five sxths OF the tax payers OF Indiana not
interested to the yearly value of ive-cent piece.
These truths Mr.. Speaker, may be unpopular; especi
ally on the Of the hot which precedes gen.
eral election. cannot help that. Nor will withhold
them, for fear of their unpopuiary They are truths
important both because Of their bearing upon the efici
ency Of public SERVICE and because their effect is to
recall the public mind urged in wrong direction from
seeking there what cannot find. They may produce
for the time, but little effect. So be it! Reforms
slowly. am content to wait cast this bread upon
the waters nothing doubling that it will return, after
many days.
+Under the law 1896 the Librarian employed
about 4O days in the salary OF $500 This sal
airy by the way was granted BY D,moratie Legislature 70
Just passed. the Librarian is employed 3l2 days the
Common honesty requires that should pay him. somewhat