The Opelousas courier., 1896-02-01
Sec. Rockland Co. 1ndst. Assn
.Allengany On. Y County Reporter.
For the Poor Man Has No "Pull"-Uniust
Operation Of the Tax Laws in Chicago.

Operation OF the Tax Laws in Chicago.
The last report of the Illinois state
labor commission shows that in repub-
lican America we have not yet reached
the goal Of equal rights before the
law" and "exac Justice"
The poor MARS home is assessed on
the average atlls15. per cent of its ac-
tual value: that is the value shown by
cash sales during 1893. This seems
small enough until comparison is made
with the tax levy on the rich mems
homes. Their tax valuation is but
ITS per cent of the true value. As
the rate of taxation to valuation is the
same for each, the poor mans home is
taxed more than twice as heavily as
the rich man in proportion to its
value.
Yet more extreme is the tax valua-
ton of vacant land, which owners are
holding in the expectation that it will
rise in value, not by their labors, but,
as the single takers say, by reason of
the ''unearned increment" resulting
from the general industry of the COM
munity. The tax valuation of such
property IS less than 5 per cent. of the
real valuation, while the poor mans
home pays on a valuation relatively
more than three times as great.
This discrimination against the poor
mar grows out of the practice of IA
voring the land at the expense of the
improvements. Land of all classes is
assessed at about 5 per cent, while
are assessed at from IL
~. Is per cent But the poor mans
house is usually worth three times as
much as his land on the outskirts of
the city, while the rich mans land, in
the heart of the city, is worth more
than his house or Office property.
systems of taxation like that illus
trated by the foregoing tables" says the
report, naturally tend to the establish
mentof land monopoly. In illustration
Of this tendency a special study is
made of the South Side," which is
the very heart of the business center,
and contains all the great stores,
wholesale and retail, the high Office
buildings and great banking institu-
tions of the city.
Here there are found to be 1,198
owners of 266 acres; the land alone is
worth some 1919, 0OO, o0o. which is an
average OF S266, GIT to each holder.
It was shown by the Illinois Labor
Report of 1887 that the average farm
in the state contained SO acres, and
was worth So, o00. Some conception of
the enormous values Of land in the
city may be gained from the fact that
this rate the 1919, 0Oo, 900 worth of
land in the heart Of the city would
equal $50, 500 of these average farms in
value, which at SO acres each, would
cover o.ss9. 600 acres, OF 1 $3.50 square
miles. that is, . square tract owe 1913
miles in each direction, is worth less
than these SO acres
AS to remedies for this gross inequal-
ity OF taxation, the commission lays
down the broad proposition that own
ers OF property be taxed in proportion
to the benefits which they derive from
the public, This would practically
con6ne taxes to the two sources of
corporate monopoly franchises" and
the taxation Of land values
ssStreet q franchises, water fran
gas and electric lighting franz
railroad charters and the like"
the report declares, ARE special priv
conferred By. tho
upon individuals. and tenn
power their owners to safaree parmsat