Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1891-04-18
Personal Property Tax in California.

The state of California has almost
perfect system for collecting taxes or
personal property. Every property
owner is called upon to make n state
ment in full and swear to long lists
containing more than fifty questions.
looked over the report of the board OF
equalization lately. and l found most
remarkable and amusing examples OF
the wonderful working way of nature
IN that state. There are some 235. 900
bee hives in California. Every county
| in the state has thousands of bee hives;
but, strangely enough, there are only
! four counties in all California where
bees produce any honey. There arc
millions of cows in CALIFORNIA;; cows can
be seen and counted by the assessor;
and there are thousands in every coun-
ty; but in less than one-sixth of the
counties of California is there any butter.
The new constitution of California was
adopted in 1879 for the express purpose
of securing the taxation of money. The
first year they got hold of S.s,OOO,OO
and made it pay taxes. The second
year it dropped to $4,000 OOO the third
year it dropped to $4,000. 600 and the
fourth year it dropped to practically
nothing, except in one particular, to
and bye. Now very mysterious cir
cumstancc was that the banks. which
arc supposed to be the proper deposit
tory of money. turned out to have less
money than any other part of the COM
munity. The board of equalization, with
n view of discovering how this happen
ed, called cashier. and he was COM
PEELED to testify. His story was very
edifying. The assessment is taken on |
the first Monday in March. On the Fri |
day previous the bank wired it's New
ork correspondents: "Do you |
want gold? We are badly in |
want of government bonds.'' Gov |
bonds are not tax
,ble; but it was mere co.
incidence. The New York bank tele-
yraphed back. .'Ycs; there is nothing
we want SO much as gold. We have
plethora of government bonds.'' The
'alifornia bank tclegraphed, I'VE want
Il, 600. 900 of government bonds" New
ork bank telegraphed back. Done"
The California bank tclegraphed Tie
Ip those bonds, keep them for us. and
vc will tie up the gold and keep it for
ou." ''All right Great laughter
nd applause). i am not joking am
cling solemn facts. (Ecncwcd laugh
Ii.y tne We" OrH D1Dk |
ook out 81, 900, 900 worth. par value. Of
overnment bonds, carefully put them
, its vault. labelling them the property
such and such California bank
he California bank carefully counted |
ut S1,1o0.oc0 in gold coin. put it in a
n box, Endorsed 'Propcrty of New
ork bank, and put it in its own vault
hen came the first Monday in March:
lie bank cashier made out writ ,
n statement that his bank
vned no money at all, had moth ,
& but government bonds. which are
IT taxable, signed that statement and ,
ent home and slept the sleep of the
st. The next Wednesday he tele-
aphed to New York: Great pressure !
r gold in CALIFORNIA;: have you any to :
are?" "Oh. yes" telegrap hs the New
ork bank, there is a sudden demand
re for government bonds: have you
inly. got S1,OOO,OOO of them to sell.
me price Friday" "All right, we
ii make the trade and the trade was
lde; the California bank took the
Id out of its box and poured it into its
n general fund; the New York bank
leased the bonds: all was serene and
ere was no tax. / related this in San
and Il friend of mine who |
Is in the audience afterwards said to
:: You have been exposing my bus
sss; that is exactly what / have been
ing every year. "-Thos. q. Shear