Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-10-21
Farmers, Read and Decide.
A Lick at the Farmers.

On the 9Th of April, 1886, Governor For.
aker sent special message to the General
Assembly, containing the following para
graph and recommendation:
SIT is obvious that so long as the present
valuation of real estate stands, great injustice
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. It is re-
commended, therefore, that a re-valuation
be had at once instead of waiting for the
next decennial valuation in $780,"
The next paragraph contains a recommen-
dation that permanent State Board of
Equalization be constituted, consisting of
but eight members, who are not to represent
the districts or localities. But the people of
Ohio recognize the good old way, which pro-
vides for the election of State Board of
Equalization, once in ten years, by senatorial
districts.
PROPOSED REPUBLICAN LEGISLATION.
On the 9th of April, 1886, Mr.. Brown,
Chairman of the House Finance Committee,
introduced in that body two bills, which were
prepared in the Governors ofice-House
Bills Nos. SIT and 51S-embodying therecom-
mendations contained in Governor Foraker 8
special message on the subject of taxation
House Bill 518 seeks to carry out his recon-
mendation for the immediate re-valuation of
every farm in Ohio. Both these bills are
pending in the House, and Governor Foraker
will push them through next winter, and
have them enacted into laws, unless the peo-
pie forbid it by giving decisive Democratic
majority at the polls, on the I'd day of No
vember next.
The late Republican State Convention in
dorsed Governor Foraker and the Republi-
can majority in the Legislature; hence, that
party indorses the recklessness of the present
Republican General Assembly, and the views
of the Governor, to add to the taxes of the
farmers.
The reckless and startling extravaganza of
the Republican State Government and the
Republican General Assembly in appropriat-
ing a sum amounting to 81, ,956.63 in
excess of all revenues, as shown by state
ments furnished by the State Auditor last
winter to Mr.. Brown, Chairman of the House,
has already created q deficiency of orer q
million dollars. In order to meet it, the Re-
publican managers have adopted the scheme
to re-value the farms of Ohio, and thus in
crease the taxes of the farmers.
THE DEMOCRATS PROTECT THE FARMERS.
The Thirteenth Plank in the Ohio State
Democratic Platform for 18S6is as follows:
"We are opposed to an increase in the tax
burdens upon the agricultural interests of
the State of Ohio, as recommended by Gov
ernor Foraker in his special message to the
Legislature, and embodied in bills now pend
ing in that body; and we demand that the un-
taxed wealth now withheld from taxation by
evasion and artifce shall be placed upon the
tax duplicate, thereby relieving those tax
payers who are already overburdened."
This shows that the Democratic party is
opposed to an increase of the taxes on farm
ers, as proposed by Governor Foraker and
the Republican managers; and that it de-
mands that the untaxed wealth of corpora
tions, monopolies, and the like, shall be
brought upon the tax duplicate, and required
to pay their just proportion of taxes, "there-
by relieving those taxpayers who are already
overburdened."