The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-05-18
The Republican Tax Conspiracy.

The Republican Tax Conspiracy.
The evidence is rapidly coming in, and
in few days THE SENTINEL will be able
to demonstrate conclusively the most in
famous conspiracy against the people that
has ever been known in Indiana. 1t is
already certain that as soon as the last
legislature adjourned an agreement was
entered into by republican leaders to as
| sail the new tax law on the ground that
| 1t would increase taxes, and under cover
of this cry the republican officials wher-
ever in power should increase their local
taxes as high as they deemed safe and
blame the result on the new tax law. In
structions for carrying out this plan were
at once sent to all parts OF the state, and
the republican press Immediately set up
the cry that the new law increased the
taxes of the people and decreased those
created by this falsehood and while it
was at its height the preparations were
made for the next step in the conspiracy
by instructing every republican official
who had any voice in !evying taxes to
make the local levy as high as possible
The implicit obedience with which this
instruction was carried out is now mani
fest in the returns made by the county
auditors to the auditor of state. Without
regard to the public needs the republican
officials raised the taxes, expecting that all
they would have to do would be to cry,
IF you do not believe democracy is q tax
look at your tax receipt" and the people
would believe them. 1t happened that
just one-half of the counties were con-
trolled by republican commissioners, and
these forty-six counties were called upon
for additional state taxes to the amount of
$606. 1913. Instead of raising the same
amount of local taxes as before, the repub-
lican officials in these counties increased
their local taxes 81, 25S, 265.71. making a
grand total increase of 81 1865, 030. "a or more
than three times as much as there was
any need for. There was not the slightest
excuse or justification for this action.
Notification was given to all the counties
by the superintendent of public instruc-
ton that the superintendent of school
revenues would be increased at least rs
cents per capita, and that local school
taxes should be decreased to that extent
Every republican official knew exactly the
increase of appraised valuation in his
county, township or town, and knew what
rate he should levy in order to raise the
same amount of taxes as last year. And
yet these officials deliberately and wan
tonly increased the local taxes for the pur-
pose of making the people believe that the
new tax law was a bad thing, while getting
hold of more OF the peoples money to
squander and speculate with.
1t should be remembered tn at the full
est warning was given to these officials by
the press, and in nearly every county in
the state prominent citizens went to them
and insisted that the taxes should be lev
led in accordance with the law. In this
city every effort was made to induce the
republican school board to make its levy
reasonable, but without avail. THE SENTI-
MEL and Ne,Cs repeatedly insisted on this,
and the two democratic members of the |
board offered a resolution to fix the levy |
accordingly, but only one republican |
member voted for it. We said at the |
time when this board increased the city |
taxes Sl7l, 013.S6:
This increase is far beyond the require
ments of the board. There is alb solutely |
no justification for it. 1t places pre- |
MUM upon extravaganza and jobbery in |
the administration of school affairs 1t /
will, of course. be a fine thing for the
bank which has the use OF the school |
funds without interest and for the little /
clique which is managing the school board |
as a close corporation, but il is a gross
outrage upon the taxpayers of Indianapo-
lis.
We adhere to every word OF this, but |
we did not know then, what we know now,
that this was part of an enormous
republican conspiracy that extended |
throughout the state. The democratic
platform charged that as a result of this
conspiracy republican officials had in
creased local taxes more than 81 ,25O.O00
1t is now certain that they increased them
more than 81 100000. and the probabili-
ties ara that the sum is much larger. For
the purpose of creating unjust prejudice
against tax law-for the purpose of cam
paign capital-these officials have need
lessly taken from the pockets Of the tax
payers over s1.5OO.OOO, probably over one
tenth OF the entire taxes raised in the
state. There have been remarks made at
times about peanut politics" but this is
regular cocoanut politics, and the milk in
the cocoanut is duly accounted for.
The Mistakes of Watterson.