Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-03-31
QDbib Statesnrarr,
EXEMPTION FROM TAXATION.
Remarks of MessrS. Bloom and Hill.
In the Ohio House Of Representatives,
ON Wednesday, March 2s, 1865, on
Mr.. WeIsh's Bill, Repeating
the fty-DOIlar-ExemPtiO
Clause In the General Tax
.., l... I. Law

ing the FIFTY-DoLLAR- R-ExEMPTIoN-cLAUsE
in the TAX LAW of this State, came up for
consideration in that body, on Wednesday,
March 2Sth. 1t elected an animated and
spicy discussion, which was participated in
by members on both sides of the House.
REMARKS OF MR.. BLOOM.
Mr.. BLOOM said he desired simply to
call the attention of the House to the pro-
visions of the bill and give his reasons for
opposing it: .,.., -.,
The bill changes the present law by sink
ing the exemption OF FIFTY DOLLARS, and
charging the Door upon every dollars
worth of property they possess. 1t would
but cucumber the duplicate, and cost more
for collection than the tax would amount
to.
1t introduced an arbitrary valuation of
property. lie preferred to swear to the
value of his own property, rather than
submit to the judgment of others. He
might add as an additional reason that it
would justly bring odium upon this Legis-
lature for neglecting to bring upon the tax
duplicate the wealth of the rich man, be-
cause of the character of his investments
in Government bonds, and then reaching
down to the poorer class subject to taxa
ton every dollars worth of property they
possess. He was unwilling to assume any
such responsibility; and hence, called at
tention to the provisions of the bill, which
he hoped would alone be sufficient to defeat
its passage.
REMARKS or HON. W. D. HILL.
Mr.. HILL said he was opposed to the pas
sage of the bill for several reasons, and he
desired to call the attention of the House to
some of the arguments advanced In favor
of the bill by its special advocates. 1t was
claimed that under the present law, allow
ing parties to swear to the value of their
own property, many frauds were practiced,
but it was also true that under the law as
it now is, Assessors were authorized and re-
uuired in all cases where they had reason
to suspect that persons were evading cor
rect return of their property for taxation, to
report such persons to the Board OF Equall-
zation, and to make out list themselves;
and any person had the right to report such
persons to the County Auditor; and the
Auditor, upon such information, has power
to send for witnesses and ascertain the true
value of property in such cases, and place
the same upon the duplicate for taxation,
| with penalty of fifty per cent. attached.
| The existing laws were sufficient to insure
| a correct valuation of property, if it was
only enforced. He was also opposed to re-
uuiring Assessors to put a valuation on every
| mans property Before doing that he should
want to be assured that all Assessors were
honest, and men of good judgment as to the
valuation of proper ty. He was also op-
posed to the bill because it repealed the
| law which allowed every man $50 worth
of property exempt from taxation. If
gentlemen desired, as they claimed, to sub
ject all the property of the State to taxa
| ton, let them join with the Democratic
members of this body in urging some
legislation to make the wealthy bond
holder pay little taxes. He thought it
came with bad grace from gentlemen on
the other side of the House, to, urge the
passage of a bill here subjecting the last
dollar the poor man had to taxation,
while they were sustaining policy which
had consolidated nearly half the wealth of
the country into the hands of the Iich
bond-holder, and had exempted them too
from bearing any of the burdens of the
very Government, the advantages of which
they were enjoying, and which by its laws
protected them in person and property.
If these gentlemen wanted all the wealth
of the country placed on the tax duplicate,
why do they not favor the taxation of the
bOnd-holder as well as the mechanic and
the laborer?
Mr.. BANNING, of Knox, here asked if
the gentleman from Defiance believed that
the law creating these Government bonds
was constitutional?
Mr.. HILL replied that he did not profess
| to be an eXpounder of constitutional law, but
if there was any clause in the Constitution
empowering Congress to pass laws eX-
emptiug the wealth of the rich army con-
tractor, the sutler, the quartermaster, and
others, who had fattened on the misfortunes
of the country, during our late troubles,
and saddling all the burdens of the Govern
ment upon the labOring poor he had yet to
see il, He could say to the gentleman from
| Knox however, that whether constitutional
or not it was in direct antagonism with
the very genius and spirit of Ourrepublican
institutions, and he would never, by any
vote of his, sustain the policy or the men who
had inaugurated this odious system of class
legislation. 1t was but a short time ago
that it was claimed all over the country
that shares in National Banks were exempt
from taxation, but the Supreme Court of
the United States had within the last few
days decided that stocks in these banks
were taxable like other moneys and other
property, Notwithstanding the dissenting
opinion of Mr.. Chief Justice Chase, the
father of greenbacks. he repeated, If gen.
tlemen were so anxious to have everything
taxed, why don't they put themselves or
the record in favor of taxing the bond-hold-
ers; why dodge so important matter and
smother resolutions on the subject in their
caucusses and committees? Let gentlemen
| show their hands on this bond business be-
fore seeking to increase the burdens of the
poorer classes. His attention had just beer
called to the fact that this bill exempted
cold and silver watches from taxation
Why was this so? Hehad recently read 9
report in the newspapers that Mr.. Pike, o.
Cincinnati, during the late calamitous fire
there, had his pocket picked of a golt
watch worth thousand dollars, and he re-
n1ennbered that acitizen of his own village
possessed a gold watch reported to be worth
that sum. Here then was proposition tC
EXEMPT the thousand dollar watch of the
millionaire, and at the same time tax tn,
hlacksmith's anvil, the shoemaker's ham
mer and the widow'scow. He was opposed
to all such legislation, and hoped the bill
would not pass. l.,i .r,....s.-
Mr.. WELSH, of Meigs, replied, renewing
the old charges Of disloyalty against thI
Democrats in opposing the Government
during the troubles of the country.
Mr.. HILL replied shat he was sorry th'
gentleman from Meigs had not confined
) himself to the bill before the House. Thi
howl of disloyalty was the stock in trade o
that party, and without it, their occupation
like Othello's would be gone. 1t was will
great reluctance, at this late period of tn,
Session. that he felt constrained to motto
the charge of that gentleman that Demo