The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-01-13
ON TO RICHMOND

On TO RlCHMOND.
GET OUT YOUR TAX LIsTs-BRINa FORTH THE
sABER-LIKEwIsE THE sToUGHToN-BoTTLE
FOR EVERYTHING MUST BE LISTED IN
THE WAYNE COUNTY CAPITAI.-woMEN ON
The wAR-PATH.
A telegram from Richmond yesterday says
that the war over the new assessment law
eliminated Tuesday night in the adoption of
resolution by the Common Council sus-
pending the operation of the act for two
weeks, in order to give time for a full ex-
preston of the people on the subject. To
appreciate the merits of this row, be it
known that the Common Council of Rich
mond, by reason of the power vested in
them, passed a city tax law and made
schedule of taxable personal property. So
far so good. But imagine the horror of the
quiet and Quakerish inhabitants of the
Quaker City when their eyes rested on that
list. They rose up with a sigh and said:
Can this be? The tax list specified every
article of that human invention could sug-
gest in the way of running a we'll regulated
household. Chandeliers and lamps and the
oil that was in them, chickens and the food
they were fed with, wearing apparel, who
they were fer, age and sex, garden products,
pawnbrokeIs' property, and then the whole
was Jumped and clutched by the item "any
property not included in the foregoing
HOW tU6 p6OpA6 HOWL ~ lulS.
They got out hand bills, of which the fol-
lowing is a copy, and stuck them all over
the aforesaid personal property, and every
thing else big enough to hold a hand bill:
"Citizens awake! The inquisition about to
be ewed-There will be a mass meeting
at Lyceum Hall on Monday night, January
8, of the citizens of Richmond, to discuss and
protest against the iniquitlous, odious and
pimping tax schedule, recently passed
by the City Council" And so they had their
meeting. Previous to this meeting one had
been held on Thursday evening at which
some resolutions were adopted. The follow
ing of which will give an idea of the stu
alton: l. That we protest against said tax
law. and especially against the assessment
list for 1874, as being unjust, impracticable,
oppressive and inqnisitOrial in character,
and that in our sovereign capacity as citizens
we hereby declare our purpose, while assert
ing our readiness to submit cheerfully to all
Just and proper taxation for the support of
our municipal government, to resist and
refuse TO list our property I'M
| der the absurd, impracticable and inquisi-
| tOrial provisions OF said assessment list. 2.
Believing that fairer, more honorable and
less offensive list would produce equally as
much or more revenue, we hereby firmly
but most respectfully ask of our City Coun-
ell the repeal of section sixty-three of the
city tax ordinance (which is the schedule
above alluded toy, and the substitution
/
the State and county schedule, with such al
terations and exceptions as prudent regard
| for the growth and encouragement of our
| great manufacturing interests az wisdom
and experience may suggest.
HOW THEY PUT DOWN THE INQUIsITIoN.
The first of the above resolutions was
adopted at the Monday night meeting. The
Richmond Independent gives report of
| what occurred, from which the following ex-
tracts are taken: Maj r Popp being called
| for all over the house, made short speech
which was well received by the audience. He
referred to the inquisitorial nature of the
| law-how under it an assessor might invade
mans home and demand to see the
wardrobe of mans wife and children. He
| had five chickens, and under the law they
| were not only subject to taxation, but the
| half peck of corn he had procured to feed
them. The flour in the barrel and the pota-
toes in the cellar were subject to taxation,
| even bis jar of sour kraut was not exempt.
The Majors remarks were telling, and were
applauded by the audience. After one or
| two other speeches of similar import, and
one which favored the law. the following
was submitted by a lady and unanimously
adopted:
| To the Honorable Mayor and Common Cbi,,-
cI Of the City of Richmond:
! Inasmuch as women are taxpayers, but
| have no voice In making laws, yet by cpur-
tesy are allowed the right of petition; we. a
class of persons fortunate or unfortunate as
the case may be, viz: Old maids. widows,
and wives whose husbandsare mot of sound
mind" or have absconded, most earnestly
petition your honorable and august body
TO appoint an equsl number of female
assessors as there are male assessors for the
obvious reason that we feel much delicacy
In permitting man to enter our houses and
"list" not only what is generally under
stood as household furniture, but our bed
ding, dresses and our babys clothes; and
! that these persons be such as shall be fully
capable of giving a righteous estimate of the
value of such articles as may constitute our
bedding, be found in trunks and drawers, or
on'the persons of those "listed." In consid-
Grafton of the binding and solemn oath to
be taken, and under the "pains and penal
ties" of perjury" we submit the foregoing
to your candid consideration, on behalf of
the above named class of persons, old maids
and wives whose Husbands are not of sound
mind, or have abscended.
ALI of which was to explain the reason of