The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-09
To.a. .sle - q ss Q. 81 100 q So sls SO

This Is very significant ard striking
exhibit For 50 appears that while the
value OF property in Pennsylvania In
creased Daring the decade g. s4S 80 .eNa the
valae OF property IN the South excluding
Texas increased s. Isl asas.as or over
sos. eaa 900 more than IN the first case. In
ratio. too. the advantage Is in favor OF the
South. which shows sn increase OF IS per
cent. against only = per cent. Increase for
Pennsylvania But in this case. as IN the
case OF the assessed values. there seems
no good reason for leaving the great state
OF Texas cut of consideration. and in that
state the Increase. il VIII be observed has
bean truly remarkable, reaching 81 ~ ese
Go. or more even than Pennsylvania A.
indicating the marvellous expansion OF
wealth which has occurred in certain
parts OF the West and South. notwith-
standing ''the doFnineering power" "exer-
eiSed by concentrated capstal' IN The East.
II Is well 10 point cut that this gain OF
s. M. eaoa go in Texas Is IN excess OF the
amount OF addition during the decade for
every other state in the Union with the
exception only OF New York ana Illinois.
Including Texas. the South has Increased
It's wealth the decade S. 81. assa GO. asainst
only si,24s. esa5s9 increase fer Pennsyiva-
MIA. or nearly three times as much. In
ratio. the increase stands IS per cent for
the South, against only = per cent for
Pennsylvania
IT may be asked why ala Tiluan IN
making contrast OF wealth and progress
between the different parts OF the country
fal TO use these figures OF true valuation.
instead OF presenting comparisons and de-
auctions based on the assessed values7
The census publications that contain the
one set OF figures also contain the other,
both being hence equally accessible to stu
dents OF the subject. or course the true
values would not az sill have answered
for Tiiln1an's purpose. and in view OF that
fact IL seems hard "a avoid the conclusion
that there was deliberate intention TO
deceive and rnisrepresent.
But let US proceed further and test Till
mans other results. In his second com-
parison he takes the five Central states.
Ohio. Indiana Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.
and contrasts them with "the barren little
state OF Massachusetts," map or dia-
gram is added here. too. 20 INDICATE the re-
Iative size OF the two parts compared, and
we need hardly say that la this map MasSa-
ehusetts appears even more dimnutive
than did Pennsylvania In the other. To
show the natural advantages which these
five states possess, Tfilman says that they
represent the garden OF the world"
There is not on the globe an equal
amount OF continuous surface so richly
endowed or so conveniently located for
the convenience OF man as these states
the republic of France. They are settled
throughout by an intelligent. Industrious
and energetic people. They have
80 600 square miles while Massachusetts
has s3i5. They had by the census OF 1890
a population OF IA, lS2. Isl and Massachusetts,
only 2,23s. gts. so they exceed Massaehu-
sets in population six and one-thIrd
times. They had an assessment value In
1850 OF s.. $50. IS. oS5, and at that date the
assessed value OF Massachusetts was
81 ssh 1855 SOC. But from 1850 to 1870
these states gained in wealth ST.. SO. ISL.
while the granite surfaced patch OF Mas
sachusetts gained $3.50 81, ST. or within
So $4,000 OF all the other FIVE states. al
though they had nearly go times the ai-
vantage In soil. people and capital"
Now, what are the facts? In order 20
get at the actual situation we shall follow
the plan pursued In the case above, and
give. first. the correct comparison as TO
the assessed values. and then present the
figures as 10 real values. which latter alone
furnish a measure OF the progress In
wealth In the different sections. Following
are the assessed values:
Assessed Value OF Real and Personal
Properly.
1897 1850 Increase
Mass t,i5Li34 .62e 81, 500 sseo 81. se4
HANG. ASH S.. ais 4ooo. aos.oss s4a.47ssss
Here we find. as Ia tho other case. that
Tiluan has not presented the comparison
correctly even as 10 the assessed values.
Instead Of the five states having gained
$572 s2a. ISL or only 81, 500. GO more than Mas
sachusetts. their gain has actually been
sSie no0 ooo. or ST.. GO 600 IN excess OF the
500 600 .Oo0 gain during the decade for the
''granite-surface8 patch"
But TN this case still more than in the
other. the great disparity between the
value Of the property IS scheduled for tax
alton and It's real value, deprives the COM
parison of any worth. As our correspon-
DENT in his letter points out. in the West
property is assessed al very low agurrs-
in Chicago. az only one-tenth 20 cne-four-
teenfh its true value. We see that the CEN
sus puts the per cent. OF total assessed
OF total true valuation" for the whole state
OF Illinois IN the census year az only 1888
per cent For Massachusetts,, on the other
hand. the ratio is put at Ts3 per cent.
When these facts are stated, Il at once
becomes apparent that they must be a.
lowed for. ard that when allowed for they
must make an enormous difference in the
aparison.
Before giving the true figures, however
ge wish 70 quote some Characteristic COM
raents OF Ttiiman's on the supposed dis
yvouorffnnate gain IN wealth made by the
Eastern commonwealth. They add yest %
the inquiry. Basinw his remarks on the
erroneous statement Of thens he asks ths
question: why. then. did they fthe Eve
Central statex1 not accumulate more
wealth and BY what means do the Massa-
chusetfs people ron ~ such enormous
vajusav" And This question he proceeds
20 answer in me following fashion: The
agassAchusetts man generally cultiFatss
bonds The Western and Southern man
rot only works for himself, but be gives
.a,a 4.vye~ ~,e.~sgoe. Of hts earnings 10 ths
rza~+arn man. who. Ike che lilies. tolls not.
neither does he spin Tor he has those
fhfrrs done for him BY the ingenious rnec-
hangs~n Of legislation whereby he gamers
-share hs has rot pl0wed. and the Western
arsH S9sthern people sweat 70 pay BIN
gess a~a tribute and give their money %
,hoss thin hie-riwvsrs Of The East who 80
e. ,-eva TOO smart for ths aoci.e peop.s
- So west and South. Thsss Eastern
wealth ratnerera eircur1vsnt prinewai
~s~.- ,rsteir S~oas do rot sweat much 20
snerara ire bread they aexour-
sFsa~ ira Arrangement Il = refreshing
- have the actual facts al "a the growth
- -~oue~sv values ans % zee how can1-
$3.50 .sev unset the theory ard derno.iah
80. .~r4t-saut az his Soash Carolina dem
ev.gne Here is a comparison on the basis
- .rue values between ths Central West
-, sf.ses ard Massachusetts We think
- results via - revelation even 20
,,,,rw who 60 not train with the Tiliman
crow6.
True value OF Property.
Mas. - -. SIS 80 s2ssz0oc 900 1865. 81
o4.o. 9 Ms..ls.- sszse7 H. slzoasfs 4zss ssza7
,.s..s-ve how "sns--ous'' have been re
x-slus~ which fhs Massachusetts people
80 ben able 20 "roT up'' farosra '-tha
a~rfzr e4F So