The state capital., 1891-09-05
Is ILLINOIS PoOR2

Over 5000, 100000 on Deposit i'm Illinois
Banks, and Only &9,OOO,OOO Found by
the Assess0rs-Possessing = Great City
Like Chicago, Yet Poorer Than Indiana,
Missouri and Michigan, According to the
Assessors.
A great deal of the time of recent ses.
sions of the state board of equalization
has been consumed in discussions re-
garding the assessment of personal
property. Some of the members, and
notably Judge Glenn have spoken with
particular reference to assessments OF
moneys and credits. At recent ses-
sion OF the board Judge Glenn spoke
in the following pointed manner: by
an examination of the report OF the
comptroller of the currency and OF the
auditor of public accounts of this state
I find that on the I'd day of last October
there was on deposit in the national
banks of the state, Sl26 600, 900; and III
the state banks, at about the same
time, there was on deposit S49, 900, Ooo.
Since last October the deposits In the
state banks have increased about II Per
cent, bringing them up in June 70
about $50, ,o0c, 600. Assuming that the
/ deposits in the national banks have in
creased in the same proportion, the de-
posits in these banks would be about
Sl46, 900, 600. This makes total OF over
$500. 900, 900, to say nothing OF the de-
posits in private banks and the money
which the people have outside OF the
banks. And yet moneys in ILLINOIS are
assessed at little over $1,000, 600
Judge Scott has also engaged the at
tention of the board in discussing the
assessment Of live stock. He introduced
resolution declaring it to be the sense
of the board that the real and personal
property of the state as returned by the
local assessors for the year 1891 IS as
sessed at not exceeding 25 per cent. OF
it's fair cash value. In discussing the
resolution Mr.. Schorr said that the
property in his district was assessed at
one-third it's fair cash value. Mr.. Bocock
opposed the resolution. Referring to the
assessment of horses, he said that In MS
district at least three times the assessed
value would about represent the real
value. Mr.. Funkhouser said the same
statement would apply to cattle. sheep
and hogs. Judge Scott in supporting
his resolution expressed astonishment
that personal property had been re-
ferred to by the opponents OF the reso-
luton. Hogs are assessed at Sl.2a
each" said he ''Now is there anybody
in the state who has a hog that is not
worth Sc? | have seen carload after
carload go to market at SIS per head.
In Fulton county horses are assessed at
| $780, I would like to know if horses
| in that county are not worth four times
that much. Now what does it take to
buy them? About $l25 apiece. ! tell
you that if there is anything that is as
sessed too high it is the lands of the
state, but the personal property is not
assessed at over 10 per cent. of its real
value"
While these discussion are going on IN
| the state board, would it not be well to
| show what the late census revealed IN
| Illinois: The assessed valuation of all
property in Illinois in 1880 was $780,
GIG, ,394 In 1890 it is S727, 4l6,252, de-
crease of $50 200, 142, or ~ per cent
How ridiculous and misleading the fig
ures as to the wealth in Illinois are APP
pears in the showing Of assessed valua-
ton per capita. Only six states, and
those VIGOROUSLY the poorest in ac-
cumulated wealth in the union, show
smaller figures than Illinois. These
six are Alabama, Arkansas, Missis-
sippi, Nebraska. North Carolina and
South Carolina. The wealth per capita
in Illinois is given at 500, while in In
diana it is $a57; in Michigan, $452; Wis
consin, S351; Iowa, $3.50; Minnesota,
1852; Kansas, $2O4; Ohio, $3.50; Ken
tuclxy, 1913; New York, 1929; Penn sy :
van1a, s493, and in West Virginia S@4j.
Massachusetts,, the highest Of all the
states, is credited with S962 Rhode
Island being good second, with 1881;
California third, with $SS7, and Mon
tana fourth, with $SO5. Even such
states as Florida, Georgia, Louis
lana, Nevada and the Dakotos
are apparently ahead of Illinois.
though in the bulletin a some
what obscure foot note informs
the wondering reader that the illinois
state board of equalization declares
that in 1886 the assessed valuation is 30
per cent and in 1890 only 25 per cent. OF
the true value" In total assessed value
New York leads with S3, 775, 325, 600;
Pennsylvania second with 1892, SAL
Op0; Massachusetts third with ~, 154,-
134, 900; Ohio fourth with 81, IT'S, 138, 900,
aud California fifth with $1,071, 102, 600.
These are the only states which pass
the billion-dollar mark, but before Illi-
nois is reached down the list, at S727.'
600, 900, Michigan, Missouri and Indiana
are found. Texas, New Jersey, Mime
sofa and Wisconsin are each credited
for total almost as great as Illinois.
| Illinois school Exhihits.