The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-09-16

uuHty. SlHCC tIlC AHduSui desoH Va eA.S I
irst Republican administration in |
1861. That is fact worth fifty vol
lmes of euloey in determining party |
claims to power. During the preccd-
ing Democratic era the State officers |
took, or allowed to be taken, from the
people, no less than $2,S40, 900, and
forged $1,000, 600 ofState bonds, which
would have proved an additional loss
but for the vigilance and energy of the
Republican officers of 1862. We start
with this significant statement of Of
fetal integrity, because honesty is the
quality most needed and oftenest miss
cd in all administrations, general and
local. But the present State officers
have earned an enyiable addition of
efficiency to the record of unblemish.
ed honesty. It has been the fortune
of all of them to be charged with du
ties by recent laws far beyond the old
routine clerk-wOrk of their predeces-
sors. They have had, in some meas
ure, to reconstruct the State Depart
ment, to establish new rules and make
new systems, and no man ever en-
counters harder work than that of do
ing things in which he has neither ex-
perience nor precedent. 1t is all easy
enough when once settled, but, like
setting an egg on end, it is not easy to
find the way to settle it. A very in
different intellect may improve the
routine of a system that needed the
best of brains to contrive and put in
operation. In this difficult work we
do no more than justice to say that
Governor Hendricks has borne fair
share. His abilities, and an official
experience of unusual length and va
riety of service, qualify him above
most men for just the duty developed
upon the executive department. But
his Republican colleagues have kept
even step with him in all the new and
perplexing labors of the emergency
Let us glance for moment at some OF
these services: l. The payment of the
unsurrendered bonds of1S36, compell-
ed an investigation to the genuineness
of those bonds offered for redemption,
and this was no slight task. They had
been out fOrty-seven years, during a
great part of which time II, State Of
fees were conducted with dangerous
laxity, and often in Democratic hands.
with downright villainy. The Stover
forgery pointed to an ugly chance that
the old bonds had been similarly in.
creased To separate the legal from
the illegal, or to determine certainly
that any bond was genuine, was q
necessity. yet work of which the dill
ficulty can be but feebly indicated
by what we have suggested. This tell
mainly upon Secretary Curry and
Treasurer Glover. They have done il
thoroughly. and the old bonds, with.
out the slightest rational chance O
imposition, have all been paid, excep
very few which, in all probability
will never be heard of again. 2. Al
/ the executive department has hac
charge of the new system of assess
ments for taxation. The details hay,
fallen mainly upon Mr.. Auditor Wild
man, but the duty of equalizing asess
ments and of making valuation o
property outside of the province o
the local assessors, has been tn
- charge of all. To bring all the varie'
estimates to something like fair lev
ell, where nearly $1,000, 100000, seat
tered over ninety-twO counties, wa
concerned, was work enough for
set of frst-rate business men who ha,
nothine else to do. But upon me
with the whole current business Q
the State to look after, it was yer
serious embarrassment. Under tn
former system the State Board Q
Equalization was composed of dele
gates from the district board, and me
for nothing but the leveling OF irregu
lar assessments. And met at prett
round cost to the State, too. Unde
the new system the State officers wer
loaded with it at no cost at all, fo
they had to do it ex-ofheiO and to d
vast deal Of regular work besides
Nor was this all. The work o! equaI
!izing local assessments was a tritile t
the work of making assessments OF
and out upon all the railroads an
corporation property of the Stat
Here is where new modes and Ne
rules had to be adopted. 1t W.
work that had never been done in tn
State before, and the board had t
build from the ground up They ha
to determine what should be take,
the road bed. the ties or rails, II
tracks, the cars, the capital stocl
and what value each should bea
They had to decide about bridges an
about what proportion of capt.
should be taken as represented
property, and what should be take
as stock. They had to hunt out roa'
which modestly shrank from the col
spicuity or State tables, and frugal
sought to escape taxes. They had
examine witnesses by scores to get
the real value of the property th'
dealt with. Every step was upon u
tried ground. There was no guide al
no help anywhere. Yet out of tn
weary wilderness of new duties, s
peralded to old ones enorus enoug
the State officers come with such
promising result as this-nearly $4t
OO0, 600 of property subjected to tax
alton which had previously escap
at valuation of less than $4,000, &c
This alone made difference Of $50, 0
to the revenue, which formerly had
come Oft OF private property more jus
ly valued. Corporation property
the amount of several millions was
SO saved to the revenue by the vi.
lance and though work of the State
ficers. This is no little thing for t
public good, setting aside the servi
done the treasury by it. There
mischief in every unfair and unequ
operation Of law, and no more gros:
unfair operation than that of the Q
system of assessing props rty for tax
can be imagined. The whole of it
, this State, where the miles count
, by thousands, and cost from $lO,O
to 3O.0OOa mile, was appraised at Il
, than $S,0OO.O0O. Now it goes to 81
: 600, 900. A great deal of corporate
} property escaped altogether und
this old system The State Office
: with the new system, have raked it
, in and made it all pay, like otE
-, c.. IL