, 1875-12-23

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TIE PERS0NAL.TAX OUTRAGE.
Probably 10 subject is exciting SO much at-
teuton and Indignation among the business
men in Chicago at the present time nj tho
valuation OF tho personal property Of the
South Division for taxation. 4 few COM
rarisons will servo to illustrate tho unjust
discrimination which las characterized this
nlonstrous assessment. Tho assessment for
city taxation last year was S25e.549.310 OH
real estate, and tho assessment for Stnto mud
county taxes this yenr pn tho same renl cs-
tatc Is only st25,4aI, ia, or less than hnlf o.
much. If the whole assessment Ind been
equitable, tho personal property would hive
bcou rated in nbostt tho Eal,le proportion i,-
stcnd Of which it is SIS, 7,5a:s for Slate and
county, and WIS only $40, 15',sa0 for tho
city last year, or actually more for tho former
than for tho latter, instead of less than half
as much, nj it ought to have bccn, Tho bulk
Of this burden has fallen upon The South
Side. III the WcHt Division md The North
Division tho Assessors madc the pro-
portion of the real-cstate valuation 10
tho rersonal-prolerty valuation about j to
/, while in thu South Division it IL not
even 3 to /. The personal property Of tho
West Division IL assessed at 1861 Zig, nnil
TINT Of tAa North Division ~. esq 400. wli,e
t1ne Of the South Division is s33,. ..o7.
Tho valuation of thu South Sitlo personal
property is more than t1cice "a n,nd ny it
ought to be in order to be uniform with the
other two divisions of tho city, or with tile
proportion of city valuation to state yalua.
ton Of real estate,
The gross injustice Of tho South siao ns-
sessment is further illustrated by a cou,pari.
sou of some Of the bank assessments. The
National Dauks ere assessed q regular per-
ce,ltuse on their actual capital,-the First M.
tionnl at = l0u. 900, tls Merchants National ut
5000 600, tho City Nat;oual ut A1Oo. 600. mud
80 op.-wl;]c the priyate 1,Rnkin1 institutions
arc assessed at only small fraction of their
capital. Tho Merchants Savings, Ioan and
Trust Co,npany was nsscasod at onc.t1,irtl it's
capita.. Alargo institution liko tic Hibcrnian
Banking Association was nut down at ouly
~, 900 ! anil MIR. ], II, Aps1r pnys tex
OH only $685., with which 10 does n very re-
spectacle banking business, In individual
cases, it is now pretty certain tlat three
fourtls Of the residents Of tho South Side
aro required to pay twice to three and four
times ~ much as much as in nreyious years
on tho same amount Of personal property.
The explanation OF all This In very sin1plc,
and it ia for this p,,rposo that wo hive u;yen
additional nro,n;nenco to tho auh;cct J,oat
PPfng wv eoo'. c't'=ens aa" ta1-paycia
Ssayet. III taelf shops antl o'hees and per-
.n'Iteo q lot 0: ouhanera' thleves' and loaferH
10 taRo possession OF the polla; hhsl did not,
II wo feeollect f'Sht' present eson one decent
''eAeL Ill opFosltion. ~ system OF
repeating ma Dallot-po1 stuihng, IT
necessary, or by mere prevalence
OF oahlnierlh'n md scala~npsm on tue
ono hahd' ana nosenco OF taxpayers on tho
osher' one Ed Pn1Ah1pa was elected Assessor
among tho saScral town otlicors 'stusea
1or a. 'i.o tsme' Illis ta the reason Why tho
oot'tA olae IL paying about three times Al
large q proportion Of the personal tax as tho
othef TWO DIVISIONS, why Somo banks are
assessed ugh and others on MORO nominal
| snn1' a'lu Why somo individuals pay three or
four times AZ much aa they did last year Oh
tho samo or less property, and others not Oh
muca' H. next spring, the good citizens and
taxpayers asa1n permit the bumtners, re.
pe"ters' and ballot-bo1 suffers to elect thcir
own cron'es, the taxpayers may expect ia
kuifer III the same way, mud we don't know
but what thoy will deserve to suffer evou
"or"o.
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