The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-01-10
acknowledgement
complaints Over the River
Ahont Properly keturns.

State Treasurer Millikan Of Ohio, In
III. late annual report, discusses at some
length an evil which Ia not confined 10
|ib.I stste-the differentiation OF certain
kinds OF personal property. "Thatm mill
lions Of property, from the seeretiyeness,
tbe dishonesty, the perjury Of owners, or
The incompetency, unfaithfulness and ool-
~la.ion Of assessors never appears upon
Inc returns" says he, "can easily be dem.
ons,raled by the returns themselves "a
we'll rs by other evidence" The frauds
are chieHy,in the returns OF two items Of
per.onalty-credits and accounts and
moneys-and the frauds In making re-
turns Of these prevail most In the large
cities and towns where these kinds Of
personal property are ckiefy held. The
State Treasurer illustrates the matter BY
giving the returns Of credits and
accounts and moneys from nine
coupties-four OF them, Cuyahoga,
franklin, Montgomery and Lucas, being
commercial counties; four others, Butler,
|CIark, Warren and Miami, being almost
exclusively agricultural; and one, Hamil.
ton, in which Cincinnati is situated, being
The commercial metropolis. The frat four
have an aggregate voting population Of
|78 $50. and return a total OF credits and
accounts and moneys OF Sl4,06S,O42, be.
inn an average Of Sl76 to each voter.
The four agricultural countie, have an
aggregate voting population Of 1896,
and return a total OF credits and accounts
and moneys OF ST., 400, 1892, or an average
OF $50 TO each voter. 0ne would sup.
nose that the first four counties, embrace
ing the rich and prosperous cities Of
cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and
Toledo, would make q large exhibit Of
personal wealth; but while they have
more than twice as many voters az the
hour agricultural counties named, they
return only Sl,627, 900 more Of credits
and accounts and moneys than the agri.
cultural counties. Even Hamilton coun-
Nv tCincinnati) with $4,000 voters-near.
Nv twice us many as there are in the four
agricultural counties Of Butler, Clark,
Warren and Miami, and with its known
wealth in moneys, credits and accounts,
returns only $9,4S3,000 Of these items
less by S3,OOO,0 900 than is returned by the
flour agricultural counties. In the agri.
cultural counties the proportion Of mon
eva, credits and accounts to each voter Is
|S379; in Hamilton county (%Cincinnati 1t
Ia $3.50; in Cuyahoga (Cleyelandl 1t is
Sl23; in Lucas (Toledol II Is only S34.
There 10 but Que explanation to this
Ia the agricultural counties personal
property Is fairly returned; In the com.
meroiaI counties It is not. Either through
the failure Of persons owning money,
credits aud accounts 10 make returns, or
by their making false and fraudulent re-
turns, or by the incompetency or dishon-
esty Of assessors, or by all these together,
millions Of personal wealth m the com.
mercial cities go uhtaxed from year TO
year, while owners Of 1t enjoy all the pro.
lection which the state laws afford to
their property.
The Ohio treasurer does not feel called
upon TO discuss the subject Of ~remedying
the trouble which he so sharply exposes;
but he iutimates that 4 partial remedy
might DO found In increased vigilance on
the part Of assessors in making their 10.
quiries after invisible property; a more
faithful and conscientious appraisement
oil personal property, and the infliction
Of more severe penalties for making
fraudulent returns and concealing per.
sonal property from the assessors. IL,
says he, I'VE hope to make any progress
In reforming the fragrant abuses which
prevail so extensively, the people must
elect honest, capable men, who will seek
to find and bring to light concealed prop.
srty, and who will enumerate and fear.
le.sly appraiss and return all property
that may come to their knowledge, ac-
cordiug 10 the true intent Of the require.
men,s Of the constitution and laws"