Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1881-09-07
inclnded in Document x1 in the item
~ ioansaa hnsinas.. &c. As40. DIG. Oa.O

inclnded in Document x1 in the item
"Iicenses, business, &c. $40, 0le.0s,"
but if Document x Of the report is ex-
amiued, it will be seen tina. this item
represents the revenues from Licences
alone. The fact is that Mr.. Riddle
berger was simply mistaken when he
made his statement to the representa-
tive of the National Republican.
But then we are not surprised at this
inaccuracy when we fad in Especial
to the National Republican,, dated
Richmond Jan. 22d," and also copied
in the Woodstock VTginian ofJanusry
%, 1881, OF which Mr.. Riddleberger was
then editor in chief, a statement made
to "a representative Of the Republican"
BY Mr.. Massey estate Auditor OF pub
lie accounts" of the annual receipts
into the State Treasury during the past
eight wears, which contains the gross
,naccuracy, considering its source, OF
putting the receipts, exclusive OF tenn
porary loans, for the year ending Sept.
20 1879 at $3.50, OO0," when they
should have been stated at s2,649, 800,
as apy one will readily discover who
will take the trouble to examine the
Auditors report for the year ending
Sent. 80. 1879. We will begin there
fore with the sums of %, sS7, 4s7.O6 and
100000 aggregating S2,7sS, 407.oe as
the amount of gross revenues instead
Of the lst named sum, as enormously
adopted by the author of the Riddle
berger bill. After enormously stating the
gross revenues to the Republican req
resentatlve, Mr.. Riddleberger begins
with his deductions" and is guilty OF
a. much. inaccuracy here as In his
statement Of the revenues. The first
item in his account of deductions Is
A237. 92S. Is taken from Document XIX
of the Auditors report of 1879 which
shows the cost Of assessing and collect
mo the revenue, insolvent capitatien
and personal property tax, and delln-
ouencies from other sources. He should
have remembered that from this item
it was proper to deduct at least s3S,OVO
for delinouent taxes so reported, and
afterwards collected and paid into the
treasury. In fact the deduction Of
s2S. 900 is entirely too small, as will be
seen bya careful examination oil the
Auditors report. We will therefore
deduct $500, 900 in round numbers from
%. 1873 4S7. O6 instead of s2s7, '2s.ls
from 81. 5S7, 4S7 .O6, as was done by Mr..
Riddlebergzr, and we have left s2,SSS,'
4S7 .Oe as the net revenue instead OF
a. $40. 569. SS as stated in the Republic
can. But Mr.. Riddleberger proceeds
further and states that there must be
deducted at least s248, 1888 more on
account of tie reduction Of the assessed
value of real estate. And in making
this statement he Is just as inaccurate
az in his other statements, for the re-
ducton in revenues consequent on the
reassessment as accurately ascertained
bv the Auditor, amounts to only 1884,
S47. which deducted from s2,53S, 4S7.O6
as above. leaves as the net resenUe to es
relied on 81, 453, o4O.O6 instead of e.
oOs 1918, as stated by Mr.. Riddleber-
rer 10 the representative of the National
Renubhcan. and instead Of 90, l65, 900
"a slated by him IN the preamble to bis
hill. And this is not all. A recent
report OF the Auditor shows that there
has been large increase in the assess
ed value of personal property, and that
the revenues from licenses, poll tax
and incomes have materially increased
all of which with the increased reven-
ues to be derived from Railroads, Will
more than compensate for the reduction
consequent on the reassessment oil real
estate. We can rely therefore IN
future on not Terenue amounting 10
cot less than s2,5OO,OOO at the lowest
estimate, and all the probabilities
polnt to the constant increase OF this
amount as the material resources OF the
State are developed. So mnch then
for the grossly inaccurate statement
in the preamble of the Rlddleberger
Bill that the net reoenues Of the State
cannot safely be relied on for more @s"
t2,l65,OO0. We will proceed further
with the dissection Of the measure here
after.