, 1873-10-13
THE BOARD OF TAX-PLUNDERERS.
Wo hayo received tho following iettor from o
,x1,o,r31,or ~, Thamrutrr I11fpoia+


In yo1r comments upon tho action Of tho Board Of |
Equalization nnd railroad-aid dobts you seem to i'm
ply that the counos and towns which these dGbta
havo naked or sought to push tho payment of upon
other couues Now tho fact Ia uat tho reverse. These
counties aud towns have not made themselves hoard /
concerning thoee debts, md what is TO DO done with
them. This county no debt Of TINT kind, but |
four Of the townships about 5000 900. Tho people
hero do not ask Chicago otter counties to pay this
debit When tho proper time couea, tho people OF these
towns will decide for themselves how to deal with tho
bontholdors. Tho action at Springfield wholly |
uncalled for.
We havo no doubt TINT this is substantially |
true. We have not aocuaod tho people Of the |
counties and towns owing such debts with q de- |
sire to transfer the burden thoroof to the State.
We have accused the dishonest ring Of bond
holders and speculators In and about Spring. !
field with purpose to rob the State generally,
in order to giyo to thoao bonds q value they aro
not entitled to. Thoro was no conceivable OK
cuso for raising the assessment ovor TINT OF
1879. It WINS just as easy to raiBo tax OF
81, ,000, 900 on an aggregate assessment Of $780,
G00 900 as 1t is to raise tho aamo sum On an aa-
sessmont Of 81. zoe, 100000. That had been tho
uniform policy of the State for many years. Dur
ing tho whole timo the State was laborng to pay
of ita Own debt, tho ono-fourth ono-tlfth as
sossmont Was adhered to- no ono over thought
Of doubling or TROLLING that assessment until
there was partial failure to pay intoreet on
theBo local MD bonds. Lottors from bondholdors
"wantod to know" why the intoreat was not
paid by :tc Stale in accordance with tho Bwin-
ding advertisements, aud the only answer that
could bo given was that tho assessment Of 1879
was 80 low that it did not afford an opportunity
to Bteal enough revenue to pay the interest,
Thon followed, chronojogicaly, the order to
raiso tho assessment. Tho assessments for a
number OF years had boon:
1867 .$50l $685. oo01s70. $4,000 900
1863. 473,377, ,0uD81l. .....-.. 4v9, ,goo
Tho state is now practically out Of debt. Tho
time had come when the revenue to DO raised for
State indebtedness was merely nominal, yet in
1873 the order waa given to mako tho aaso6s-
ment larger. It may be said that the Revenue
law required full "cash valuation" The law
of Illinois had required that tor forty years.
year ago. the Auditor. in his report, declared that
the =" cash value Of the taxable property in this
State" was not less than g. ,000,000 So that,
attoF al'' LIS 'A" ID no' s01 ee'npA0o WILL Au0
tho properly is mot assessed at more than 60 per
cent OF it's cash value. II it is lawful to aasesa
Is AZ 'o per ceo'' WY no' ~ ~ =.
oven ~ pos cent A'on 'no 1''"'o
OF Equal1@a'on !o'eo 'AS' 'n' "seo9'llo1, 1,.,
WAS oo' ~ pof eons y ''.' ''''''''t'''' aa
oS 'a"' ip" u4no'0n'o, Ao"o'''' ""'' @A1' w.
ls''SS.n'N. ~ .o'8 "'u'1 ~. ps' .' ~
Tue 'al1soaa'a oonos' Wv - .us1o"o sIs'
| 'oean01' " s".A '4e. s
on'S p"S '1aS 14A'',.''' ~. 'a' ~ .,s
suip'a0 ~ Wv rn,' -, aas1,>,,,a. Ill,
e'ets @ieH'u''' - .,.. H..
aH9 "o' oool' 'on4ee'09 w." ~
oen'' aos'9"'uh ~ 'Ao " n,...,..
~eooinns " '"' t'."1"" We :, -. ~.
petcons"so a'0aeA w ~, Wv .,., o,,,,,;,u.
ras'foaa'a'o oon"S "a7 o"''u'"'e" "A''' ''~''''~"
accuracy
The organ Of all this high-'anded proceeding
at Springfield has kept up perpetual howl about
taxing tho railroads. Tho Board Of Equalza-
ton. in fixing the value Of tho railroad property
taxcd tho lands, tie tiee' tron' slae'tfacKe' ae-
pots, buildings, cars, otc., anu eVely oesesll'on
Of visible property 1twaH thon PROPOSED 10 aaa
ess, 100000 moro tor the eoaE OF efau'ne Inc
roadway. Tho Auditor GaYo as his op'AleA 9'a'
tho cost Of grading could not be included IN tue
Ysluo Of the road. but might be included III tho
value OF tile capital stock. The board adopted
thia plan, and forthwith tho Springfield
Journal, entirely Hilont respecting tho
robbery committed In aid Of the rhtlroad-