Litchfield enquirer., 1872-11-07

es $21 In 1866, Cornwall paid States tax es on its land at s1eper acre, in 1871 at, SIP; while Roxbury paid on SIS in s66 and on $21 in Fl. The change that has added one sixth to the taxable value of lands in the latter town and deducted one fourth from the taxable value of land in the former is plainly arbitrary and unjust. When we consider, too, that land consti- tutes about ttlmee-fiftlas of the wholeerands lists of Cornwall and Roxbury it is obvious that this difference is rather serious one. Other equally important if not quite so obvious inequalities characterize the as- Esesament of landss That towns contain ing villages should show higher average valuation of dwelling houses is not re- markable; but that Kent should assess it's houses at $292 on the average; Cornwall, at S4S4; North Canaan, at $623;s Washing ton.at $579; and Warren, at $327, is as un- accountable as that houses in rapidlv growing New Milford average only s5s7, while Litchfeld assess themat 1858, Water town at $963; and Canaan at $96S. al .,..
 Inequality in the estimates of horses and neat cattleare of less importance but more obvious s-.- - ..''
 There is no reason why horses should. average only about half in Kent what they do in Washington, Norfolk, or Co1ebrook;
 
 or that in fast trotting Wolcottyille they should fall $40, each, behind fast trotting Winsted. Cattle average much nearer than horses; but the assessments of S15,I in Washington, $16, in Warren, 80, in Bridgewater, and $26 in Roxbury, are. ab- snrdly dispropo afof" sei 8 iI '!.5s ?!
 The machinery of the Board of Equa1i-, zation seems to be very ineffective either to. to prevent under-yaluation or to. remedy over assessments. Litchfeld has never had a fair reduction of its over assessment in 1866. In 1865 Kent assessed it's houses at S531, each, and its land at $12 per acre; in '66 it reduced the assessment of its houses to s295, each, raising 1andto $13 peracre. The board of Equalization added $46, 900 to its real estate; yet, in Fl, houses have fall len to $292 each, land remaining at SIS, per acre.. In '66 Kent assessed its horses at $4S a head, and the Board added $6 to that valuation; nevertheless, we find Kent horses rated at but $44 in 1871! The Board raised the, Harwinton assessment of dwelling houses $10O, in 1866; yet, in 1871, it has fallen to within $26 of the old under-valuation. The Board also raised $50 each on the Barkhamsted assess ment of dwelling houses; yet in Fl they have fallen to within $6 of the old aver age. They also raised land in Canaan from $23 to $24, and now it goes in at $22 They seem never to have noticed the enor- nous reduction of one-quarter in the as- sessment of Cornwall lapds, ,aoal, ? Ha.. !.
 In closing we cannot but reiterate our opinion that the only way to get fair as- sessment for State taxation is to have occasional assessments of real estate, at least, by State authority. '' . .,.,., .'.'' i'
 The oil men are in tribulation because production is so plenty ss to bring down prices to what seems to them an iunrea- sonably low figure. They first tried a com- bination to limit the supply and 50 raise prices. Now they are trying to bring the entire oil interest under control of grand company with $1 ,Ooo, 600 capital that is to manage the oil production, refinement, transportation and market, of the world. The Springfield Republicans comments iudiciously on this project, as follows: |. This strike is 1ittIeitoo biz. It will break down of it's own weighE Nothing under the sun can shield the oil-pumpers or the oil-refners from the action of the laws of commerce. The industry IS too big, and cannot be harnessed into 8 pro- tective guild, any more than wheat-grow- ing or wool-raising The sooner the. oil men bow to this fact, the better for them and for eyerybody.t 4a,s '.,,;-I ,a-,i.. ,.i- Warrington" the noted correspondent ofthe Springfield Republican, was one. of those who fished in troubled waters at Cincinnati and found himself caught. He took the shortest way out of the scrape by bolting Greeley and supporting Grant. He assumes that Boutwell, will succeed Wilson in the U. s. Senate, and that Butt Ter will succeed Washburn as Governor of Massachusetts in 1873, movement that he believes will make g bigger split than Cincinnati has been able to effect in the Republican party of that State. He con- siders the reelection of Sumner probable, remarking that, "He who supposes tha' MT. Sumner, even after his .blunder of supporting Greeley as reformer and an apostle of reconciliation and civil rights, has lost influence in Massachusetts, will find himself mistaken. '''na st.ti.e .s A curious case of contempt" excites much feeling in the City of Brotherly Love. A Quaker was summoned as Q iu- ryman. The judge ordered him to take off his hat; the Quaker refused; and it was forcibly removed by constable or other minion of the law. Philadelphia is out ragged at such an invasion of Quaker priv