The herald., 1895-10-26

credulous people than the figures pur-
porting to show the assessed valuation of
all property 10 Chicago in 1894. In 1869
the assessed valuation of that city was
$266, $40, 900. Since that year the popula-
ton of Chicago increased from 250 900 to
at least 800. 900 in 1894. And yet official
figures givs an assessed valuation of prop
erty in 1894 at $247, 425. 442. In other
words. according to the assessors, the
value of property in the city is now $40,
49i, 55S less than it was twenty-five years
ago, when the population was only $780,
900. Chicago boasts of its rapid growth,
but if its increase of population shall
continue to be attended with such fear
full decline in property values, the time is
not far distant when Chicago can poast
of being not only the most populous out
the most poverty-stricke city in the
United States.
OF course the only reasonable explana-
ton OF such an anomaly is found in the
corruption and absolute rottenness of the
Illinois taxation system, supplemented
by the pliancy, ignorance and oishones-
ty OF the average assessor. The report OF
the bureau is replete with facts, figures
and suggestions that constitute the most
astounding revelation concerning taxa
ton iniquities that has been made any
where in this tax-burdened country
And be it said, to the credit of the re-
port, it proposes a remedy for the evils
exposed; remedy plain. sim pie practl-
cable aud Just.
In one respect the taxation laws OF
California are less Objectionable than
those OF Illinois. In California real
estate and Improvements are assessed
separately, while in Illinois Il piec, of
ground and whatever Improvements ii
may have are assessed as one and
the same thing. Thus, as Il rule,
neither the owner nor the public,
nor in fact anybody besides the
assessor himself, knows the I'd
valuation OF either class OF property. In
his field notes the assessor has two col
umns of figures, one showing the assess
ed valuation of the land and the other
that of the provements, while in an
otrer column appears the aggregate
amount 1t is only the total that goss
on the assessors bouks, to be seen and
known by the public. The assessors field
notes are his private property; out in
some way the Illinois bureau or statistics
managed to get hold of numerous field
notes. from which they obtained COM
parative statements Thai ought to make
many owners of very valuable property
blush to the roots OF their hair and call
upon the rocks and the mountains to
cover them. The report gives the figures
on seventy different properties in the
business center of Chicago, which show
that the assess ment valuations of the
buildings average II per cent of their
true value, while the assessment valua-
lions Of the sites average only per cent
OF their true value. In the words of the
report: Land owning is favored at the
expense of building" Where the site is
owned by one party and the improve
ments by another the landlord is favored
and the improver is compelled to pay all
the more tax because ''the other fellow"
is, in negative way, rewarded for his
uselessness.
The gist of the bureaus plan for re-
forming the rotten taxation system now
prevailing in Illinois is Its recomm enda-
ton to change the constitution. $50 as
to permit each political division OF the
state to adopt its own system OF raising
all taxes within its jurisdiction" We may
add that a similar change is as much
needed in California as in Illinois.