The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-14
Personal PROPERTY.
Some Philosophizing Upon the Ancient Sub
ject of Taxation.

Some Philosophizing Upon the Ancient Sub
ject of Taxation.
Gath, in Minneapolis Tribune.
Personal property has become the great de-
morazer of modern times. 1t is related in the
Old Testament somewhere that Lot and Abra-
ham, who had been partners in the cattle trade,
came to a time when their families did not
agree So they agreed to divide the property.
Lot looked at the cities of the plain, and he
went to Seldom and would have nothing but
personal property there. OLD Abraham took
the sheep and goats and went off into
the grazing hills. You can count the
posterity Of Abraham in the stars. / mean
the genuine moral posterity for am sorry to
say that large proportion of the physical pos.
terity has slipped around to Lots side and
prefers personal property to anything. This
personal property constitutes most OF the great
fortunes of this country. How much land did
the Vanderbilt family ever haveg Where Is
their estatel If they have any it is IN the land
grants of the government upon thelriar western
connections and extensions. They have no real
estate in this city but some five or SIX houses.
The contents of these houses, pictures, Jewels
ETC., constitute personal property and they escape
the TAXPAYER. But the real property OF thiS
family in bonds, stocks, mortgages ana other
pieces of paper which are locked away in safe
deposit companies partly hidden, perhaps, In
Europe or slipped from State to State in America,
so that, like the lively flea, you can never get
your hand upon it, but you are more aware OF
pSSo~SS'
long ago $40 900 900 to $50 900 900 of this property
were in government bonds, untaxed what is
the sense of saying that we are going to have the
essence of reform by drawing our attention
away from these great subjects to the matter OF
discharcnc q 81 200 clerk at WashingtonY
The great questions of the day are the questions
of taxation l sometimes think that no country
can escape the penalty of its original motive.
We broke away from England because we would
not nav taxes We had hardly broken away
when we began to have conflicts IN several OF our
States with great masses OF otherwise respecta-
bile people who refused to pay taxes. We had the
Shavs rebellion in Massachusetts, the Frey re-
bellion in Pennsylvania and the whisky insur-
rection in western Pennsylvania. all arising out
of the determination of everybody TO let the
next neighbor pay the taxes, or the next
State or the next generation 1t is held now by
all those individuals and organs which claim to
monopolize financial wisdom that the only thing
to collect the taxes on is the real estate.
When you go to get your taxes on the real
estate all the churches have to be exempted, all
the institutions of whatever kind, most of the
depots and railroads, and at last the man with
the most moderate income who is not wise
as q serpent and lives like his fathers pays
the whole matter. Yet it is out of per-
sonal property that nearly all our abuses
of our legislatures. This personal property
centers up in few but half responsible men az
law, who lay out the plan to oetwit the Staoe
legislature TO lobby at the capital, TO inluonuo
the newspaper: and when you ask why there ca. ga
be no comprehensive understanding OF the pasisor
society, you are told to keep your eye risus -
the next President, with his butchers apIvu
around him, and he will presently turn ~ snv
cascals out