The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-04
MARION CUUETY'S TAMMAEY.

There are crowds, these days, about
the Office of the treasurer of Marion
county. They are not happy or serene
crowds. On the contrary, their manner
is that of persons who are angry, and
much of their language is not of the
serene type of that attributed to saints.
They have been paying the last INSTALL
cratic tax law. Some of them remem-
Der that a little more than a year ago,
when Auditor Taggart was re-electing
Mr.. Sullivan, he solemnly assured them
that their taxes would not be higher in
1892 than they were in 1891. Now, in
their wrath, they are so forgetful of that
powerful potentate of Marion county
that they declare that they can't be
fooled again.
Now, while the matter is fresh in the
minds of these people, who are paying
from % to 90 per cent. more taxes on
their homes, it will be we'll to call atten-
ton to a few of the causes of the in
creased taxation in Marion county, and
particularly in Center township and In
dianapolis.
In August, 1891, when the State valu-
alton was under consideration by the
tax commissioners. Assessor Wolf, who
is one of Auditor Taggart's understrap-
pers, returned the taxable property in
Indianapolis at SS9.051, 800, of which
over SCI, 0O0,0 900 was the appraisal of
real estate and improvements. A COM
mittee of the Commercial Club. COM
posed of some of the best business men
in the city, appeared before the tax
commissioners and showed conclusively
that the real estate was appraised 10 per
cent. too high, but Mr.. Taggart's AS
SCISSOR Wolf was there and fought the
citizens with tenacity, and, as it turned
out, successfully. because his valuation
was sustained. Here Mr.. Taggart's
henchman was able to add over Sc. 000,-
600 to the valuation of the property of
tax payers on which to pay taxes. AS
soon as this appraisal was confirmed
Auditor Taggart added S4.649. 100 to the
assessment, making it goa, 701 300, or
over 10,600,000 more than itwOuld have
been had the Commercial Club commit
tee prevailed. Why was this done7
Simply to enable Mr.. Taggart to cover
up the rapidly increasing expenditures
| of Marion county and Indianapolis under
the Democratic regime by reducing the
levy. regardless of the fact that the peo-
| pie would be assessed on the additional
| S10.500, 600 for State purposes.
Why is this increased revenue for
| Marion county necessary? Chiefly to
pay the increased expenditures incident
to the growth of the youthful Tammany
of Marion county. This year the ex-
penditures for roads in the county were
cut down from 2S,469, for the year
which ended May 81, 1892. to basis of
| $4,000 for this year. For the year end
| ing May 81. 1892, the expenditure for
roads, bridges and materials was
| SCI, 1857. For the six months to Oct.
1, 1892, it was only S12,S9S.1s. This
shows one of two things-namely, either
that the expenditures in the first period
wero extravaganza or those in the last are
| insufficient But If there has been q
cut-down in the money expended on the
peoples highways there is none In the
expenditures OF the tax-eaters. Like
the horse-leech, they cry More. morep
The growth of the amount drawn from
the tax payers pockets by Auditor Tag
CART, the sachem of the Marion Tam
many, is an indication of the develop
ment of the .ax-eater. Hero are the
figures from his own records, showing
the amount he has drawn from the
county treasury year by year:
From Nov. 3. 1887. to New 3, 1885,. SIG. 5s7. 2C
From Nov. 3, 1883. TO Nov. 3, 1882 l7.206.5t
| ~. - Nc