Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-01-06

Of THIS act, the NTH general Satuatloh look
place and was equalized in 1883. The aggre-
gate Of the equalized valuation was 1888, 725,
242. The personal property listed the follow
ing SIR ng was valued ut S:9T.O Gl ,572. The
Grasd Lis. fr 1854, including with these val
ues those of the lands and ncw improvements
listed in the spring. was $500, 8 . 1852. The
increase in several years had been again start
ling. 1t was s4~56,I66.822.
The appraised now more closely approached
the real value, and ns such apparently rapid
augmentation of the list could be in future ex-
pected.
The sixth valuation touk place during the
past year, under an act Of the last General As
sembly. and its equalization is not yet compile
I'D. According to the returns made by the
County Auditors, under the act of April last,
the aggregate number of acres taxed is 25,-
3I4,28O the average value of each acre, ST
4s cts; and the total value of the whole real
property S64l ,9IS,l51. The lists of personal
property included in the spring valuations, are
not yet made. Should they show an increase
during the year proportional to that of real
property during six years, the amount Will not
be less than $257, 100000 and the general
aggregate, assuming that the total valuation
of reality will not be reduced by equalization,
viii be about 5000. 900 900. The increase for
six years will be about $33, 10000
The Grand List of $50 will doubtless show,
with reasonable accuracy, the true amount OF
tavable property in the State. Returns of
exempt property from all the counties, except
Hamilton and Fayette, exhibit au aggregate
Of S1O,570,85s. These returns are doubtless
imperfect. The real amount of this d~escrile
tien Of property, i'll all the counties, including
.chattles, does not, probably. fall much short Of
$50, 600, 900. The commissioner Of Statistics,
basing his opinion on reports of actual sales,
estimates the entire property ID the State at
81 ,050, oO0, 900.
The population of the State is now about
two millions and a Lalf. Such a population,
grown up from the twenty-five thousand OF. 60
years ago. educated, energetic and indefatiga-
bic, and possessed of such a mass of means,
created by the skill and industry Of two gen
e~raticns, present = stfskng picture Of progress
an power. 5@s.t5-. s,5,i.a..
I venture to suggest the expcdiency of d.
rscting the general valuations Of real estate,
after tie next. to be male once in FIVE years
90 that the results obtained under Stale au-
shortly, may be easily compared with those
obtained under Federal in The census years
while those obtained by the general valuation
in the intermediate years, and the annual esti-
mates. siH supply the means Of determining
u. rate Of growth and progress each year du:
ring the interval between those years.
The amount of debts of whatever descrip-
ton, State. corporate, coIamerci&l and every
ether, is now estimated at S240, 000, 900 but
of these not less, probably, than one-third
would be cancelled by payment Of other debts
embraced in the same aggregate. The whole
existing debt, consli ating a real charge upon
the whole existing property, hardly, if at all
exceeds 81 60. 000, 600 about one sixth of its
value. IF this sum BE- compared, not merely
with the entire property, but with the entire
products of the State, which according to my
estimate in ] 85S, amounted in 1857 to $26l,
167 500, and doubtless exceeded that sum in
1889, or with the probable net products after
deducting the consumption, direct and indirect
of the people, the qualification afforded by the
spectacle of our general prosperity, viii not
Ne sensibly abated.
While this review of the progressive deve.-
opment of our revenue system and of our ma
terial resources, must necessarily inspire a just
confidence in the physical energies and fnan
eial strength of our great commonwealth, il
will also serve, / trust, the humber purpose o
contributing to a clearer understanding o
The relations of taxation and disbursement tt
means Of contribution, and of the necessity o
carefully observing these relations in levies ant
appropriations.
The fundamental principals Of cur revenue
system, thAt-eaPrvPertJ uvt exemPued up9r
everything considerations Of policy, shall con
tribute to necessary public expenses in JUS
proportion to value, is now firmly established
In the convictions of the people, and moth ng i:
more certain than that they will INSIST Ga is
uniform and universal application. If there be
any description of property which has hitherto
escaped just contribution, the Legislature rep
resenting the paople will not hesitate to sub
ject it to the operation of the general principle
It is a gseat merit Of the system that it il
easily understood, and that the result of an!
given rate of assessment cannot materially de
ceive expectation. As the Grand List sup
plies the basis of revenue. and as the neces
sary means to meet all State, County ana
municipal expenses are provided by assessment:
for State purposes on the entire list and fol
local purposes on the property listed within
the respective localities. legislative adjustment
Of levies to the public needs, and ofappropria
tions TO levies, can never be difficult. Tht
rates of levy bsing fixed, the revenue for tha
years intervening between general valuations
can always be predicted with reasonab!e-cer
tainty. The equalized valuation is the per
manent, and the annual valuations ara the
variable elements of the Grand List. The
= A.-af1.ol 1y,I-o+so- 1-aa ,xo1a ra-,,in ~,
changed until the next valuation year. The
first Grand List after equalization exhibits the
aggregate subject to contribution and thu
Grand Lists of subsequent years until a. new
valuation, will, of course, exhibit the same ag
gregate, increased, or diminished only by thu
increase or diminution of the annual valuations
The Grand List of no year except inmediatcly
after a general valuation, or in consequence Of
some legi- latiye action, the results of which thu
Legislature must Of course ~foresec, can differ
widely from that of the pr-c ,ding year.
The General Assembly convened in any
year, has, therefore, Away: at hand the mean:
of ascertaining, with substantial accuracy, The
revenues of that and the next fiscal year. Lev
les already made on the Grand List of the pre-
cedmg year will produce the former, and lev
les on the Grand List of the cnrrent year o
rates fixed or sanctioned by the Legislator;
itself will produce the latter. With a giveI
basis and given rates it is easy to compute re
venue.
With these observations it seems proper t.
submit to You a suggestion more than once ad
dressed to your predecessors that it is III
dispensable to every sound financial system
that appropriations be limited by revenues
and expenditures by appropriations. The de
rangements which have sometimes einbarlass