The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-02
INCREASING THE BURDEN.
The Arbitrary Determination of Demo-
cratic Officials to Increase Taxes.
The Appraisement To Be Made Regardless Of
Values, and an Increase of $S,000,000 To
Be Made in the Assessment.

that the present valuation Of the duplicate-be-
tween $74, 10000 and So 000 000-wlll not, with
the levy restricted. under the English law, to 33
cents. yield sufficient return to meet all the
requirements of county expenditures. Day be-
fore yesterday Commissioners Sahm and Reveal
had talk with Assessor Messick on this sub
ject and they urged upon him to have the
real estate appraisement made as high as posi-
BILE, and that particular effort be put forth to
increase the valuation of personally They set
the probable limit of an increase Of the dupli-
cate to $So,0o000o With this aggregate vaiua-
ton. and the tax levy at SO cents, they say they
can procure barely enough to answer all pur-
poses Of expenditures. Right here it can be
stated, without spelling the story of how this
increase is to be effected, that Marshall Palmer
Democratic candidate for assessor, favors this
plan, although he is comrnittal when asked
his views by any one who is not working directly
for his election.
A few days ago the township as
SCISSORS and County Commissioners estab
lished a basis for the valuation of
farm lands, which is considerably lower than the
valuation per acre during the last six years. The
aggregate reduction, however, will not be more
than 81, 1872 900, which q natural increase in the
valuation of personally would more than offset
Yet on this account, principally, the Demo
and the Democrat who wants to succeed to the
latters Office have agreed that there must be an
increase OF certain real valuations in order to
help the duplicate reach $50, 900, 600. This can
not be effected country lands, not even on
those outside the city, in Center township,
hence city property must bear the burden of ad-
vance in taxation value. It is within
the city alone that this increase
of real values can be made. On
this years duplicate city lots and improvements
man conversant with the subject, lis almost
equal to what the property would sell for In
other parts of the State only two thirds va.ua-
ton is used, but here we are paying big
State tax on full value"
The aggregate value of taxable property, in
Guiding personally, in the city, is $54 III, $50.
AT the request and the representa-
tons of the Democratic County Commissioners,
the Democratic assessor is to advance this to
nearly $50, 000, 900, for, as has been shown, the
city. in view of the reductions farm lands,
must meet altogether the proposed increase of the
county duplicate to $80,OO0,0O0. Washington
street property is already assessed at from $500
to 5000 per foot, and it will have to bear large
part of the burden of the advance. The Com
missioners are not content to wait a few months
until they can name a remedy through legisla-
ton, when low apprasement and an increase
of levy could be made, but they want to over
load real property in the city with values that
must stand for the next six years. 1t is the
opinion of those who know the system Of taxa
ton thoroughly that the natural increase in per.
sonalty will more than cover the deficiency
caused by the reduced valuation Of farm lands
and keep the duplicate up to what it is this year.
There Is no necessity to advance the value of the
duplicate to $50, 200, 900. But the Democratic
Commissioners. the Democratic assessor and his
would-be Democratic successor think otherwise.
The real estate appraisers began work yesterday
on Washington street property and other real
estate In the business portion OF the city.
The instructions given by the Commissioners
to the deputy assessors were the subject of
much comment among property holders yester-
up the high rate of assessment, regardless of
fluctuations in value, was generally very vigor-
ously condemned. In a talk arising from an al
fusion to the instructions given by the Commits
soners, State Auditor Rice said to
Journal reporter 1.-THE Commissioners have
no right to direct that the assessment shall be
made according to the amount of revenue needed
instead of according to the value OF the land.
The truth of the matter Isl real estate Is assessed
higher, proportionately, in Marion county than
in any other county in the State, and
proportionately the land sells for less
in market than in other counties. There
are many Irregularities in the system of assess
ment. The owners of small houses pay more
assessor knows the value of small house, but
when he comes to appraise stonefront or large
brick residence he has little idea of the actual
value of the property, and generally makes his
appraisement much lower than it should be-"
John q. Wright-The assessment value of
many pieces of out property is about what they
could be sold for under highly favorable circum-
stances My observation is that the appraise-
ment and assessment has been on the basis Of
the property prices prevailing during the gilded
hat 10 var fax hn nrofc nf
property In '83, "a and s., you see very small
decrease in the appraised values compared with
prices of the inflated period OF 1873 to 1876, or,
I term it. the gilded age. In 1876 we were
assessed 500 on lots on Blake street. In 1888
As, the assessment is $780, and sales. have
been made of those lots below that figure.
Another Large Taxpayer-Some Of our prop
erty is appraised at more than we can sell it for,
and other property is nearer its fair cash value.
For some of our property we cannot get within
Is per cent of the value it is assessed at
Willis w. Wright-The valuation of property
for taxation is far beyond what it should be- In
many parts of the city property is ap-
praised for taxation fully, % per cent
opinion, taking the township in the
aggregate that the valuation of real estate ough
to bear considerable reduction. Farm lands in
Center township are out of proportion to the
same quality of lands in other townships For
instance. right along the line with townships
bordering this township, where Center town
ship land is assessed on an appraised valuation
of 500 an acre, across this line the appraise-
ment is on a valuation of $40 or $45 an acre. If
we did not collect so much money we would not
have it to pay over to make up deficiencies in
other counties. Our overpus helps to educate
the children that are enumerated in Allen coun-
ty, but which are probably not all there
j. II. Baldwin, think it is well known to
everybody that our property is appraised very
much higher than it should be. In most cases it
is appraised at its highest selling value. think
as rule, it is appraised at its cash value. That
is not the way property is appraised elsewhere
In other cities the appraisement at not one-half
or two-thirds the value. There should be q
margin for fuctuation of values of property 1
have property appraised at three or four times
what it will sell for. have two lots in Wood
ruff Place will sell at $3.50 each. They are APP
praised at s., 200 each. Such things give In
dianapos black eye.
VIM. Coughen-I think the apprasement is