The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-10-29
Tuc COwuNG CIECC1ON-AN IN.
pORlANT pSSCE.


Next in importance to the repair OF
our levce. is the question. of taxation
upon which Mr.. NJ. y. IIarrcll bases his
candidacy for the office OF Treasurer and
Assessor OF Alexander county. II is true.
as stated by him, that one o, the heaviest
drawbacks To our prosperity is found in
the enormous amount of taxes that are
annually charged to our property, and es-
pecially TO our realty. Upon an assess
ment far above the average of the
State, we. who are among the
poorest people of the State. are
paying levy Of from four TO six per
cent.-almost AN equivalent to rent Tor
our own property. Under such a load
as this no people can prosper: and, until
it is lesscncd. 1t is idle to hope for any
considerable increase of business. or per-
manent accessions of wealth and popula-
ton. But interposes the opposer of
low assessments, "thc County Commits
sioners arc limited by law to n
levy of seycnty-iive cents on the one hum
bred dollar.. II the value OF Our taxable
property IL so reduced as to compor,
with the average Of the State, the Ivy
of scvcnty-iivc cents would fail to pro-
duce the amount Of money needed o.
carry on the county government" We
grant this. II our present rIiinously
high assessment were increased my per
cent, we could not. even then, raise The
required sum by levy of sevcnty-iive
cents. II is manifest. therefore. that the
true policy is to reduce our assessment
until il shall comport with the average OF
the State, and then If the lawful levy OF
.eventy-fyc cents fails 10 produce the
amount Of money needed for county pur.
poses. we should raise the deficit By q
special levy. In this way we vii
keep all the money at home
BY raising the amount through an In
crease OF assessment. we will be subjccte,
to the payment of State. as well rs count,
taxes. In other words, for every seventy
five cents we collect for ourselves, W
will be compelled to collect thirty cent
for the State. The levy for 1876 fall
1900 short OF the county, needs. L
) raise this sum by increasing the asses.
mcnt. would subject us to the paymen
of $500 to the State. 70 raise IT b
special taxation we would be- called upo
to pay to the state nothing ct all.
i seems to us that. ~ between these tw
' methods, no sensible Taxpayer can hes
y tate an instant about choosing the latte
: To do otherwise would he to pay ;hirt
j. cents to the State for The privilege of 60
y Letting sevcnty-iive cents from oursely,
u for ourselves. and to bring about, event,
ally. di,tressc. 'carcely more cndurab
than an absolute forfeiture o. ot
property to the State. In we,
OF these and other facts which wi
suggest themselves to the thinking tax
payer, we feel that the emergency de
mands the election of Il man to he ofJjc
Of County Assessor who will carry on
this policy. The reduction proposed {
be made in the valuation of our taxabl
property will relieve us from the paw
ment OF several thousand dollars of stat
taxes, which. in justice and equity. W,
ought not TO pay. II will remove one
OF the great obstacle. in the way of our
prosperity heavy burden from the
shoulders of our property-holdcrs, ant
place us, in that respect, where we ough
TO be--on an equal footing with the tax
payers Of The balance of the State