The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-10-28

Unuer Ln0 bp6clOub piOn bhob bhO loPSANO
derived from taxation was not sufficient to
meet the requirements of the State govern"
ment, Governor Foraker, on April 8, 1885,
addressed the Legislature IN special message
which was promptly characterized by prom
inent Republicans as IAN indecent, unwar-
ranted and communistic attack upon the men
OF property. ,.,
to increase the burden of taxation on the
farmers and real estate owners or ONO, that
an increased revenue might pc secured In
imitation of the national RepuDncan ADMIN
istration when in powers so that the State
treasury IN ght overflow with the hard-earned
dollars of tine real estate owners and farmers
of Ohio and be q Temptation that could not
and would not be resisted to extravaganza,
private schemes and public plunder such as
occurred in Washington when appropriations
were made from an overhowing treasury oy
the Republican majority of that period, SO
grossly and palpably thtevng and brazenly
swindling that certain Congressman VINO got
whack to improve navigaple rivers IN thelr
districts, were unable to tind any thing in the
shape of water larger than mountain streams,
or rivers with an average depth OF less
than thirteen inches. It has always been the
policy, and hold 1t to be the right one, OF Cne
Democratic party to leave the money in the
hands of the people and draw as little as pos
sibe from them by taxation Tor the neeus OF
government. Better an empty State or Ma
tional treasury, which has become exhausted
from furnishing the money to supply the
wants of an economical government tn an
overhowing one made so by grlevoas taxa taxa
no temptation to extravaganza, and the peo-
pie have the money; an overhoWing one IS the
incentive to all kinds of schemes and extrav-
agance, at the expense of a taxTldden people.
I Now, let me present to you sections or eX-
tracts from this special message of Governor
Foraker. / do not think it necessary TO ac-
company them with the comments OF General
| Beatty and the other prominent Republican
leaders, who severely criticized the message
in the Columbus Dispatch and other Repupli-
can papers throughout Ohio, because the
cub mat n fhnGn nYfrNntQ
| are read, suggest proper comment in the
minds of every taxpayer and man otproperty
! who hears or may read them. The Governor
says:
1T is obvious tn at so long as the present
! valuation Of real estate stands great injustice
I will be done to all whose property Is even ap-
! proXimately correctly valued, and the state
| will continue unable to meet the public de-
| mands without embarrassment. IL is recon-
! mended therefore, that a revaluation be had
at once instead Of waiting for the Dext decen-
I nial valuation in 1890"
| He further recommended that permanent
| State Board of Equalization be constituted,
| consisting of eight members, who shall not
( represent the districts or localities. This IS
I in substitution of the present satisfactory
manner OF constituting StateBoard otEqual-
| ization once in ten years by senatorial dis
| tricts, anl in hich the farmers OF the State
| are we're properly fully represented.
! OF course the recommendation is aimed
| particularly at farmers whose tax returns
| the Governor doubts the honesty of, and also
at the real estate owners of the rger cities,
| who now pay on an average of 81 on the
| $l00 tax. Indeed, it is almost universally
admitted that it is much more economical to
| rent house ia any of the principal cities OF
| the State than to own or live in ones Cwn
| property, because of the burdens of taxation.
| And, surely, the farmers of the State must
| realize that they are now paying their equit-
| able share of taxation, considering the value
| of their farms and the profits accruing from
| their cultivation. Yet the Governor insists
| that we must noC even wait until 1890 the reg
! MAR d9ppuDi0l for the rpVnuafiO0 of
| the real property of the State, but must pro-
| ceed Immediately to revalue it. And why? Be
cause he desires an increased revenue to aid
| minister the state government. Repubhcan
| administrations, state and National, had
| ever this complaint in chronic form,
| The Republican Governor of Ohio then goes
on to say in deliberate special message to
| the aw-making power of the State, that:
"The valuation of real estate rarely exceeds
| seventy-fVe per cent, and ranges downward
| from that point as low as twenty-five per
cent. of its true value, while personal prop
| erty is valued all the way from it's full value
down to nothing. In fact the great major ty
returned, but entirely and fraudulently with.
| held from taxation. SO far as personal
property is concerned the fault is chiefly
with the people who list their property lor
taxation The idea seems to largely prevail
that there is injustice and inequality in taxa
tiOn, and that there is no harm in cheating
the state, although to do so false return
must be made and perjury must be commit
ted
"This offense against the State and good
morals is too frequently committed by men
OF ealth and reguted high character, and OF
cor espOndtng position in society,""
The men of wealth whom the Governor
here refers to rs having committed perjury
and who are politely admuuished Of their
Oiiense against good morals are the farmers
business men, mcIcL ants and manufacturers,
OF the third greatest State in the Union. In
the next paragraph he is more specific still,
and all but names some of the wealthy men
who have been comm tting perjury by the
wholesale. Hear him:
"ln connection with the recent refunding
of our State debt, maturing next December
ii was disclosed that some of the most prom
inent and highly respected men of our State
held large amounts of these bonds without
ever having paid a dollar Of tax on the same
or having in any manner reported them for
taxation. The only excuse that has been sug
gested for this is that the bonds were sup
posed to be non-taxable, but 1t is difficult to
be patient with such Il claim when 1t is ad-
vunced by men Of intelligence, familiar with
our constitution and its requirements, that
all bonds, etc, shall be taxed.
while such men thus regard and violate
the law, it must be expected that our tax
duplicate will continue TO decline instead of
increase with our growth and development.
The harm they do is not measured by the
amount of money of which they deprive the
State; their example is bad and fraught with
evil to the whole community. There should,
therefore, be severer penalties provided for
false returns and a more rigid enforcement
of the laws for the listing of bonds and other
securities and credits"
But the Governor is not through with the
farmers yet. for he makes a vigorous and
savage attack upon their banks, which are,
of course. the banks OF the people, the unin-
corporated banks Of the State. Here is what
he says of these banks, in the interest, of
course, of that Republican institution known
as the National Bank.
''There is special need of additional legisla-
ton as to unincorporated banks. 1t does not
seem possible that they are paying taxes on
any thing Ike an equitable basis as com
pared with the Incorporated banks of the
State
Take the banks of Columbus for illustra-
ton They are fair examine There are in
the city eight unincorporated banks and
seven incorporated banks reported to do in
the aggregate nearly the same amount of
The unincorporated bankers of Columbus,
speaking for their brethren throughout the
State and Nation, promptly replied to the
Governors imputation on their personal
characters and ably refuted his communstic
attack upon men of wealth and social stand
ing.
Returning to the real property portion Of
hi message, the Governor for the second
. time says:
at is obvious that so long as the present
valuation of real estate stands, great inius-
tice will be done to all whose property is
even approximately correctly valued, and
the State will continue unable to meet the
public demands without embarrassment"
But the State would be in fine condition
and would invite emigration of capital and
labor if it's real estate should be revalued
and assessed to suit the Governors idea of
taxation-say an increase of so to 100 per
cent. This would give an overfowing
treasury to be pointed at with pride and az
an evidence Of the superiority of Republican
economical government The Governor has
been regarding with jealous eye, the pros
perity and growing wealth of the telephone,
transportation, car trust and car equipment
and sleeping and parlor car companies of the
State, hence he directs the especial attention
of the law-making power to these corpora
tions and says:
''There is no reason why foreign telephone,
transportation, car trust and car equipments
and sleeping and parlor car companies should
not be similarly taxed"
Taxed on their gross receipts is what the
Governor means and says, too, by the words
ttairnflarlv taYad Thara ia hardly a doI1ht