, 1874-05-05

a.ably connected therowith. Wo then have tho
remarkable exhibit that, Of tho taxable property
actually assessed and taxed, thero arc.
Lands and other rcsl estate. .......... &ao7oio,702
Personal property found on 1Arms...... 14aooo'ooo
Total lands and aprnrtenunccs.. ,2o2
All oho1 personal property In Blato.... &l4s2o2so9
These, with the $ao,872, 500 assessed agaiuBt
railroads, mako up tho aggregate valuation Of
real aud personal property In Illinois amounting
to 81 ,25G, ,105,514
It will lboscen, therefore, that tho lands, and tho
1iycstook. and other nppurtonanccs Of the farms,
and tho other rosl estate, pay taxes on TEH~
rwE1rrus OF tho asaoBscd real and pcraonal prop
orty in the State, and that, excluding the live
stock and other property Oh the farn,s, and tho
railroads, tho Assessors find in tho whole State
Of Illinois only $145 600 900 OF personal property.
In the whole Stato Of Illinois the Assessors only
found $88, ,000 0o0pf merchandise, wllllo in 1873,
tho sa1es OF merchandise, wholesale snd retail,
in Cheago were not less than thousand mill
ions Of dollars.
Tho ya1uo Of tho farms and other lands OF
tho State boing only equal to that Of tho aggre-
gate personal property, tho owncra Of that land
and real estate pay ten-twolfths Of all the taxes
for State, county, and town PURPOSES. Out Of
ovory dollar Of revenue collected they pay 0214
cents leaving to tho railroads and the holders OF
the residue Of tho personal property tho pay
mont Of tho other III oentg.
| This ia tho result Of system which atl export
enco has shown to DO defective, unequal, and op-
pressivo. Tho entire burlon Of taxation is
| thrown upon tho land. What is true In Illinois
la true elsewhere, and tits aaoortod officially that
In New York not over Ii per cont OF the personal
property is>ovor assessed. Another grievance is
the cost OF collecting. Tho Auditor has made
loyy for school purposes in 1879. The revenue
to 10 raised is e1,000,000 Ho has levied for
over $1,o00,000, tho additional 20 per cont be-
ing tho cost of collecting. Tho aggregate taxa
tion for State. county, and town purposes for
| 1878 may ba put down at $24, 900, and tho
operation may bo thus stated:
Eeyeage M e1eitsd sto Il mar
Totallevy.... .............$2teoo'ooo
OF this sim there will be paid:
by lands, lots. mud property on farms eoo ooo
By railroad ptopoftx' ,,.c,cr; 1roo0o
Total.
1s It not time to abandon system that works
40 uuinstly as this, and to resort to tho other
form Of taxation provided by tho Constitution,
whereby lands and roal estate may all be OK
empted like tho bulk Of personal property from
taxation, and the State collect Its revenue from
business occupations in the form Of Il
eenses, tax On gross receipts Of railroads, mud
other corporations? In this way the
aggregate revenue Of tho State may DO 30 in
creased that, in addition to paying all the State
expensos there will be largo surplus to apply
to tho credit OF the local taxation. This revenue
can all be collected at cost not exceeding
per cent, and would be cheerfully paid, or, it moi
30 paid, eaaily enforced aud the now oppressed
aud plundcred land-holders would bo allowed Z
season Of mercy and forbearance. We auggeh
that tho Farmora' meetings take into considera
tiou the oxpedieney OF making as part Of thei
p,atyorno the substance Of the following proposi
ton:
That In Ill nominations for candidates for the Stat
Leessturc In 1874 there required Of tho nominee
| Of the Farn,ers Associations assurance that th
| 6tate Revenue lava be amended that the burden
tnxatiou, now boEna almost o1cluAively by the Ian
and tho property thoreon be evenly distributed
aua that the powers Of the Constitusion hihsrto nc
exccssive> Of taxing occupations, and persons, M
corporations uHng special franchises III TUG form
cenaea aud in the Shape Of percentages on gross re
celps BE- put in operation, to ts end that the ta1
]anls and ali o.hor property By valuation shall b. Re
pealed at tha earliest day possible.