The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-03-16

seems perfectly clear that it is to the in
terest OF wage-earners to find some less
expensive and more equitable method of
deciding the differences with the en-
ployers. Indeed, labor must find some
better method in selfdefense.
The Real Opponents of the Tax Law
\ few months ago the republican press
OF the state raised cry that the new tax
law increased the taxes of the people and
decreased the taxes of the corporations.
They made the statement before the law
had passed into effect, and when its
workings could only be explained on
theory. They were incessant in their
clamor. They would hear no argument.
They would not wait for the practical
operation of the law to demonstrate its
good or bad qualities They made many
OF their weak-minded readers believe that
their taxes would be doubled or trebled,
while those OF the corporations of the
state would be reduced. They carried
their point for the time being and created
most unjust and unreasonable prejudice
against one OF the best laws that was ever
passed by any Indiana legislature.
But little later a change came. The
actual effects OF the law began to be seen
and the people began to realize that some
very able lying mad been DONE They
found that taxes were not unreasonable.
They found that where increase had been
made ii fell on the rich, who had managed
in variOua Uavu 10 a-oapa tovo+iOn bofora
They found that in many cases there had
been an actual reduction of taxes to those
who had formerly borne an unfair portion
of the burden. They found that many
names had been placed on the tax dupli-
Gates that were never there before, and
that hundreds of thousands of dollars of
property had been listed that had never
been listed before. They found that for
the first time in the history of the state
the corporations had been placed on a
footing with other taxpayers by rating
their property at valuations equivalent 10
the valuations of property of other tax
PAYERS. They found that the corporations
whose taxes had been said to be reduced
were practically the only taxpayers who
found 1t worth while to resist the law
They saw the banks of the state united for
that purpose. They saw telegraph com
panies, telephone companies. sleeping
car companies, express companies, rapid
transit companies and others either pay
ing under protest or refusing to pay at all,
and all OF them declaring that they would
resist the law in the courts.
The latest move in this line was on
Wednesday evening, when the attorneys
OF leading railroads assembled at the
Bates house in this city to take measures
for fighting the law. Among the roads
represented were the Nickel Plate, the
Mackey lines. the Lake Erie & Western,
the Terre Haute. the Nandalia, the Big
-Four, the Grand Trunk, the Glover Leaf,
the Pennsylvania lines, the Chicago &
Erie the Monon, and others. Only one
representative lifted his voice against the
proposed resistance, and he put it on the
ground that if this law were overthrow
a still more stringent one would be passed.
He was right. The people of this state
have had their ewes opened to the injustice
they have suffered under the old repub-
lican system and they will never rest sat
isfed under any return to that old system
The corporations of this state must be re-
quired to submit TO equal and just taxa
ton, and if the supreme court overthrows
this law another will be passed, and an
other, and another. until the ends of JUS
tice are accomplished.
Nevertheless, the other representatives
decided that they would oppose the law,
and as the supreme court had withdrawn
its permission for the railroad lawyers to
take part in the oral argument OF the bank
case they decided to make their fight sep
arately. This closes the list of the corpo-
rations which the republican press said
were benefited by this law. Every one of
them is in open resistance to the alleged
benefit. VIII the republican press ex-
plain why they object to being favored by
the law? Moreover, this indicates the
source of the attacks on the new tax law.
The corporations are the authors of those
appeals to the oppressed farmer. They
are the interested parties who have Sc
cured the aid OF the organs of monopoly
and corporate power TO create prejudice
against this law which brings them to
justice. We invite them to the contest in
the courts. We are waiting for them to
show the unconstitutionality OF a system
which, so lar as their objections are con-
cerned, has been in force for years in this
state. For years their property has been
assessed by a board which did not assess
other property, andthey have quietly paid
taxes under ITS assessments as long as
they were made from one-half to one.
fourth what they should be- But we trust
there will be no more fighting from am
bush-no more pretense that this law is
oppressive to the people and favorable to
corporations.
Protection for American Labor.