Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-08-18
FRUITS OF TARIFF.
STARTLING DEPRECIATION IN OHIO Farm
LANDS
Tie Oosi Of al improvements Wipd Dat and
ihs Selling Valuation DscTsassi-A Decline
u agricultural Population.

study the changes IN realty NalOeS ID
Ohio in the last ten years. This Board
is the final court Of adjudication In the
matter OF property valuation for the
purposes Of taxation in the State. 1t is
composed OF thirty-six members, elect
ed bv districts, ia the same manner as
the State Senators. Its power is limited
10 a Encouragement OF property values
between the counties, towns and cities
of the State, the values having first
been fixed By the decennial appraisers,
then eQualized by a county or city
Board OF Equalization, and hnaliy oy
this State Board. II cannot increase or
decrease the duplicate, but simply rear
ranges values, 50 that each section may
bear as nearly as possible what Is It's
lust and propOrtiOnate share OF the
State taxes.
The present board was Republican,
and the Republicans are claiming the
credit Of its work in q political sense,
but the reflections il suggests 70 g
thoughtful citizen are far from favor
able 70 the tariff doctrine Of that party
II the results OF the investigations and
deliberations Of the board are equitable
and lust. they reveal change in prop
erty values in the last ten years that
amounts practically 70 revolution.
The board was In session several
months, and therefore cannot be
charged with haSty action.
Ten years ago the total valuation OF
realty I'm Ohio for purposes Of taxation
was i. or. sos, $50. This was approx
imately about One-third the market
value 10 being a notorious fact that
the cat -titUtional provision which de-
clare, l property shall be returned at
lisa value IS universally disregarded.
o. this -. O57. 500, $50 the farm lands OF
the State were placed al S6S4, s26,5l6
and the realty ia the villages, towns,
and cities ~ S412 $50, 3l3. In other words
the proportion Of farm lands
20 town and city property was
about three 70 TWO, and this general
proportion was approximately maintain
ca during the ten years, although the
gains 10 the duplicate from improve
ments and new buildings in the towns
and cities were much larger than in the
country, 50 thai last year the farm lands
OF the State were on the duplicate for
5.G42. 255' and city and town proper
" for $500, 663, 05S, a total valuation OF
S1.232, sos, 312.
OF this showing. $40, worth OF
new buildings and improvements were
put on the farms OF the State in ten
years, while 500, 979, IA represented the
increased valuation from the same cause
in the towns and cities. These figures
should be borne in mind when the valu-
atoms of this years board, which vii
hold in the main for decade, are
studied. The farm lands now 90 on the
duplicate AZ 1927, 27S, ga, which is $751;
1901 less than the County Auditors
returned them az, and S57, SAT, 54S less
than they were valued al ten years
ago, In other words, although during
the decade as the Improvements
were made, the local Appraisers
found that az the very low valuation
that obtains in Ohio, the farmers had
spent over $40, 700, 600 In improving their
property, yet to-day that property is
not worth, at taxable valuation, by
ST., 900, 900 as much as il was in 1850.
This means that not only have the
farms of the State decreased in value
so much as 10 offset all Improvements
made on them in the decade, but that
in addition they will not sell to-day for
$3.50, 600, 900 as much as they would ten
years ago. The improvements on farm
lands that went on the duplicate at $40,
O00 600 In the ten years undoubtedly
cost the farmers, in money outlay, more
than 500, 600, coo, so that the total loss
on the farm lands OF the State Of Ohio
for the decade just closed may be put
~ the tremendous figure Of $3.50, 900, 600.
There is no escaping these figures. 1t
Is a matter Of common knowledge that
,he valuation Of property for taxation
in the State is approximately one third
the selling price. That being the case,
the figures presented are a matter of
simple arithemetic. As was said, the
Board which fixed these valuations was
controlled by the Republicans. That
party cannot charge, therefore, that
these reductions represent changes
made for political effect II must ad-
NIT they stand for q distinct and gigan-
Tic loss. How, then, will they explain
it? How will they convince the farmers
of Ohio that the protective tariff has
been a blessing TO them when their
farms, by this showing Of a Republican
Board of Equalization, have been de-
creasing in value at the rate Of S25, 0O0,
GOO a year for the past ten years? This
loss is nearly Is per cent. for the de-
Cade, or = per cent. year, measure
OF the farmers prosperity" under pro-
lection that is startling.
The analysis of the valuation OF viii
lage, town and city property is scarcely
less interesting. Ten years ago it went
on the duplicate at SAP. 6S3,314 Now
it is retured at 5000, O26, 724, an increase
of S226, 343, 40 in ten years, or Over~54
per cent. That is, while sos, 600, 600, at
the taxable valuation, has been added
in improvements in the villages, towns
and cities of the State during the de-
cade, such property itself has appre-
ciated S129. OO0,O 600 besides. Applying
the same ratio between the tax valua-
ton and the selling price as before, and
il becomes clear that the realty in the
cities, towns and villages of the
state is to-day worth in the market at
round $3.50, 100000 more than IL was
ten years ago. This is the natural sup
Element of the depreciation Of farm
lands. Why is it that town and city
property IN Ohio has increased in mar
ket value by twO-thirds as much as the
interest bearing national debt, while
the farm property has actually fallen
of in the immense sum Of S15O.OO0,OOO?
The question is one Major Mckinley
will find difficulty in answering 10 the
satisfaction Of the farmers Of Ohio.
The total valuation of the realty in
the State is fixed at 81. 266, sos, 69S, as
against 81, 097, 500, $50 ten years ago.
This is an increase Of S16S, 759, SOS, or 16