, 1873-10-08
THE PROPOSED OUTRAGE UPON CHICAGO
AND MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE OF

u Tho Stato Board OF Equalization las ooml-
plotod its labors, and l,as from flrat to laat
proved faithful to the holders Of swiulting rail-
road-aid bontls. Tho assessment Of 1879 of tho
taxable property in this State ,gas e50s 1875, ,848l
Acting undor tho directions Of tho State Auditor,
tho Aasossors Of 1873 woro instructed to in
creaso this assessment, aud thoy roportod n
total valuation Of 81, ,1oA, ,23555o- or this sum,
Cook County WAS assesBod a1li, ,1A5,6G5.
Tho State Board has now iuoroasod tho tota
assessment to 1,1oo, 7ss, ,1o5, or only two mill
ions in oil, but It has nddcd to tho assessment
of Cook County 5141 ,G99 9401, making tho total
asaessmout for this county 9285, ,s44,0Go This
mont Of tho State. III othor words, thoy hive
placed upon this county one-fourtl Of the entiro
tax Of. tho State Of Illinois. Tho s1i0, 900, 900
addod to Chicago Was taken from the assessment
Of other countless Such IN arbitrary mud
1agrant net Of robbery can have but ouo result.
The Board Of Equalization may assoAs, and tho
Auditor may fix tho rato, but the collection will
bo more difficult Job.
Thore is, Of course, motive for this proceed
ing, and naturally tho end sought Is in keeping
with the means employed, dishonest and outra-.
goous from beginning to end. Thoro aro cor
tain counties and townships In this State which,
a few years ago, wero lurcd by fraud or drivon
by intimidation into voting their bonds to aid In
the construction Of certain railroads. Those
bonds amount to 81, 100000, and bear al aver
ago interest Of Q por cont. Tho interest On
these bonds aggregates nearly s1,200,0o0 q
year. Most Of tho towns and many Of
tho counties have neglected to pay their
interest, and the bonds arc rapidly declining In
pealed to the STATIC officers aud to tho Board Of
Equalization. The lobby at Springfield is loaded
down with these bonds, most of them fraudu-
lent iu their inception. Springfield ia the coli
tre Of the dishonest gang, whose transactions In
tho Gilman. Clinton h Springfield Road have
just como to light Thoso mon hold $3.50, moo Of
the bonds obtained from tho towns and coun-
tics along tho line Of tint road. It WAS resolved
at Springfield, under tho celebrated tax-Btealing
law of 1862 to transfer this entire debt Of $13,~
aud to put full one-fourth Of 1t upon Chicago.
This act OF 1869 makes tho State assessment
Of property for 1868 tho standard, and provides
TINT all taxes levied for stuto purposes upon
any excess in valuation Of the property ouer aias
Of 1868, In any city, town, and county owing any
debt contracted in aid Of railroad, shall bo de-
Qpctod. from the revenue OF tho State. and
placed In The stato Treasury, there to bo held to
the credit Of, such town or county to pay such
railroad-aid debt, principal and intoroBt. In tho
1868, such towns aud counties arc required to
levy special tax to pay the interest Oh ouch
debt. The County Of Sangamon and City Of
Springfield owe of this kind Of debt $401 1000,
tho interest," on which is nearly $4,000 year.
sangamon County has paid this tax few years,
and now proposes to transfer ita payment to
Chicago. Tho operation Of the law Of 1860 will
bo seen in tho following illustration
c,,u,,, Assess"'ens ,sss so' State psrpo'e'. 2s59
Goox coo.'ss. .ss5, ,ooo 900 sa8s' 900
sangamon n.................... I.000,00o 27,0Uo000
4 ta1 Of per cont on tho valuations will bo
tAu1 AgFAA1A ~ tAo A4o %AA VII VIVA
County. amounting to s2,860, 900, will DO paid
into tho State Treasury, but the tax on sapga-
mon County will be divided; Sl40.0o0 will
go into tho State Treasury, aud $780,
600 will be paid out to tho holders OF
the railroads.&c. bonds issued by that county.
The same course will DO taken by all tho other
countica and parts OF couutes in the stato, mud
tho deficiency in tho State revenue will have to
bo supplied by IN additional loyy on the coun-
ties owing no Huch debt. Nor Ia this all. There
aro about 5000 1nllos Of RAILWAY constructed III
this State since 1868. and which llo in tho coun-
tics aud towns owing this dobt. All this prop
erty, valued at perhaps s25, 600, paya no tux
into tho State Treasury, tho ontiro levy thereon
being held exclusively to pay this railsoad-aid
debt.
The following countios haue no raiload-aid
debts, and upon thom will bo thrown tho addi-
tional burden OF paying an increased tax to pay
this thrtoou millions Of dollars Of local railroad
tax, with ono million and quartor annually for
interest. L!Ht OF doubly-taxod counties includes