The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-02-01
FIGURES FOR TAXPAYERS.
Elsewhere we have made aSew structure,

TIScWItTt we nave lllitlt dNtW StllCIUItS ON
that wholly useless If not vicious organization
known As the Board of Equalization. The
general character of its work Is incidentally
illustrated by the following figures IN refer
encc to the tax levy for 1878 on La Sale county
COMPARED, in Il few instances with the same
levy on Cook and Il few other counties;
In 1873 we were charged with 23,1sS horses,
worth $40 - each; 1921 head of cattle, worth
$l403 each; So mule, and asses, worth 81 OF
each; 1920 sheep at Sl.7l each; SlA0l hogs
at S20S each; 81 steam engines at $3S920
each 223 fire and burglar proof safes at $5i2 10
each 1876 billiard tables, etc, at Si50i each /,
8, 2G carriage, and wagons at $3.50 each /,
1861 watches and clocks at S419 each; I.9S
sewing and knitting machines at Sl2.li each /,
Sol pianos at so each; 9Oj organs and mco
deems at 1884 each; 3patcnt rights ut Sl23.33
each; anc 10 stCamboatS-that half boat per.
haps referring to the Belle OF Ottawa Our
household property is put at ,s3O1 ,S37, and
total personal property at $5,410399, which
places La Sale second to Cook, and nearly one
and half dollars per capita ahead OF Nc Lean,
our close rival in many things. We have
G2i ,2j2 acres of improved lands within our
borders, and Mclean 69i91j, giving La Sale
the second and Mclean the first place in the
state in this particular, but our lands are worth
SO 1Gj, 1873 and our rivals but Sll,S45 POS.
We have S4,54l acres of unimproved lands
worth enough to make the total nearly seven.
teen millions Of dollars. The city lots of
Cook county are put at little over ninety five
millions Of dollars. La Sale has 81 29G tow
and city lots worth $42S9,Gij, but leaving us
behind five other counties, or fifth in the state
as to value Of clly property, viz Cook, Adams, |
Peoria and St CLAIR, in the order named: but
our city and town lots united give us again the
second place to Cook, being $26,jJG, 5Gj or
$1,000 Geo more than those of Adams, and 80 |
100000 more than Peoria, and about 50 100000
ahead of ST. Clair county, the third in the state
Our railroad property is assessed at %20,4l1, !
which gives Us grand total of all property
assessed Of S2GGlG,9S2, while Cook is 1892. |
92l 9GG, only trtlc over five times as great as
that Of our county.
Cook county claims population of 100000
people. This assessment, If divided PEI capita. |
would give a fraction less than S26G TO each
person. La Sale county claims Il population
of about 10000 people. In the same proper.
ton our assessment should be &tG,9JGG3G, |
whereas 1t is $26,GlG,9s2 Our people are
therefore assessed about $3.50 each, while those |
of Cook county are considered worth only |
1896 each But the difference is still greater /
IN another view. The miles upon miles of
marble palaces of Chicago, The luxurious fur
niture Of its mllionareS are scarcely taxed at
all Their bonds and stocks and moneys at
interest, and their gaudy trappings, diamonds |
md Jewels and wealth never reach the asses
'orS secretary. Their costly ecgancies, name
less and numerous pay no part Of the burdens
IF the government, state or national, while the
poor mans COW and pig force themselves upon
he assessors notice
1t is not charged that these inequalities Of
can be reached even by Il careful
Board of Equalization, but those that are such
ylaring selfcvident attempts to impose upon
common sense and so defiant Of justice and
lecency, should challenge attention and com.
bel notifications