Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-10-15
REPUBLICAN DUPLiCiTY.
Its Evasion of The Revenue Laws of The
State.

REPUBLICAN DOPllCii 7.
Its Evasion of The Revenue Laws of The
State.
The last Republican convention in this
state was more completely under the
control of one man than any of its pre-
decessors and that man was Gov. Joseph
w. Fifer. The twelfth resolution in the
platform adopted by that convention is
as follows:
1--WE demand the adoption of sys-
tenn of uniform rates of appraisement of
real and personal property to the end
that equal and just and corresponding
taxation shall prevail and the existing
inequalities be removed. We demand
more stringent enforcement of the law
and supplementary legislation If need
be, to secure the proper listing and
appraisement of all property subject to
taxation"
1t would be impossible to conceive of
a more impudent declaration than the
one quoted in view of the facts as they
appear from the record. The Republic
can party has had practically absolute
control of both branches of the legisla-
ture since the adoption of the present
constitution. If there are inequalities
under the present revenue law-and
there are very many-that party alone
Is responsible In order that the gross
inequalities may be seen let attention be
directed to the state board of equaliza-
ton. 1t is the duty of this board to
assess the property of railroads and cor
porations. At the session last year the
board adopted resolution that the local
assessors had assessed the property of
state at one-fourth of its value. They
then asked the attorney general whether
Or not it was their duty to assess the
property OF railroads and corporations at
their fair cash value, and he replied that
it was their sworn duty to assess the
property at its fair cash value no matter
what the local assessors had done.
Now let US see how this Republican
state board performed its duty. The
various corporations, other than rail-
roads, reported paid up capital stock
OF the value of one hundred and fifty
millions, two hundred and ten thousand
and forty five dollars. This capital stock
was assessed at six million, two hundred
and seventy three thousand, six hundred
and ninety three dollars. 1t is but fair
to add to this amount the sum OF SlA,
493, $50 at which the taxable property Of
the corporations were assessed and this
makes the total assessment of these cor
porations Sla.16S. 653 or about Is per
cent, while, according to its own show
ing, personal property and real estate
were assessed at twenty-five per cent.
But the amount of capital stock paid up
does not, by any means, represent the
total value of such stock. The Pullman
Palace Car company is returned at S24,-
965, 900, when the stock is worth pre-
MUM of at least eighty cents on the
dollar. The Chicago stock yards are
returned at "a, 400, 900, when the corpo-
ration claimed at the last session of the
legislature that it was worth over s13,-
600. 600. The Chicago West Division Rail
way company returned 81. 250, 900, while
its stock is worth nearly three times that
amount. The same can be said of other
corporations in the state, yet the board
makes no effort to ascertain the actual
value of the capital stock of these corpo-
rations and assess them on the same
basis as they did the lands and personal
property.
But the manner in which the Republic
can state board of equalization allows
the corporations to escape taxation
amounts to nothing as compared with
the manner in which the railroads are
permitted TO escape Inc lOLtl dSSeSS-
ment of railroad property last year was
S14, 626, 553. The railroad and warehouse
commissioners last report shows the
average value per mile of the various
railroads doing business in this state to
be $54, $50. This is the report made by
the railroads themselves, and shows the
value placed upon their own property,
yet the average assessment per mile Is
only 81, $50. Under the revenue law, as
framed by the Republican legislature in
1871 and maintained by that party, the
immense buildings in Chicago and other
cities owned by the railroad companies
are assessed at so much per mile. Prop
erty in Chicago that could not be bought
for less than five or ten thousand dollars
per front foot is assessed at about that
sum per mile. This is why the great cor
porations are willing to keep the Republic
can party in power. While Gov. Fifer
is telling the people that the state tax is
only SO cents on the hundred dollars,
why has he not honesty enough to tell
the people that if the Republican state
board of equalization would honestly
perform its duty, the tax would not be
ten cents on the hundred dollars
Carrollton Gazette.
Gov. Fifer and THE Herald"