Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-11-27

llone can bring the possibility Of equi.
able taxation, Is as far OF as 1t was In
1874. We refer to such an autonomy
VI government In Cook County as will
enable us to assess and levy taxation
inder system suited to our condition.
All efforts to accomplish this have met
with separate and continuous defeat.
one has but TO look through the as.
sessment roll to ascertain the reason
for this. The analysis Of Chicago tax
ntiOn. given In the publication of the
Illinois Bureau of Labor Statistics In
1894. may well he supplemented by
those recently published in our local
papers. The story Is the same-ine-
quality of taxation. Taxpayers asso-
Citations and protective leagues may
expose and threaten as they have done
In the past and IRE now doing. and In.
cases may be relieved; but
there never will be n radical reform UNI
til constitutional authority Is obtained
to reOrganize the entire system of ad-
ministratiOn by combining the city and
county governments into an economic
whole. loyal and integral to the state,
hut Independent as to Its method Of
taxation for local purposes. Examples
Of such a possibility are before us In
our own country. and are very common
in nations Of advanced enlightenment
abroad.
The occurrences alluded to above
were decidedly sensational In their ma
turp. and II the South Town Assessor
shall be upheld In his Interpretation Of
the law. the usual refuge Of the tax.
payer for relief from unjust or eAtOr.
tiOnate assessment will have been
taken away. The Inv seems to bc ex.
pllcit enough in allowing the taxpayer
the right to view his assessment for
the purpose Of comparison and com.
plant on the fourth Monday in June;
but In the present instance the Asses.
sOr positively refused to allow inspec.
ton Of the books or to bring them be.
fore the Town Board of Review. His
lWcks were eventually turned over to
the County Board. but not until August
4th, the requirement If the law being
ION or before July 1st." II such occur.
rences as these do not stimulate the
Taxpayers Of Cook County to some uni.
ted and persistent action In the direc.
ton Of abOlishing the present inlqui.
tOus practices In the assessment Of
property for taxation, II Is difficult to
Imagine what must occur to arouse
them. In the Investigations which fol
lowed the above, greater publicity was
given to what has been generally be
lleved. II not positively known, that be
sides the common practice Of regulat
Ing the assessment to suit the views
Of large number OF taxpayers, ther,
exists a regular system Of fraud, exer
ciseti by parties who have or pretend L
have the power Of reducing assess
ments for consideration. Tint bust
ness men should employ responsible,
agents to see that their stock In trad,
II equitably assessed Is reasonable, bu,
that practice II probably the parent o.
the alleged intOlerable iniquities.
ihe Investigations have also brOugh
home to some Of the largest taxpayer,
the banks. for instance-the knOwl
edge TINT gross inequalities exist ever
In the classes into which the assess
ment naturally divides the community
the banks In Chicago are assessed thi
year on scale which varies from 49,
per cent. to 3 $40 per cent. on thei
capital ana surplus. 1t Is impossible
to make such a comparison In the IN
sessment OF mercantile houses, bu
that similar inequalities exist II a
least probable.
The ridiculOusly low aggregate valu
alton Of property, real ana personal. o
former years. has again been reduce,
| $1O,OOO,OOO. Unless the State Board o
| Equalization brings the valuation ~
sufficiently to Offset this, the city, tn
county and the drainage district vii
he losers In their respective proper
lions; ana II the State Board does ~
increase the valuation, then the injus
t!ce Of the original inequality Of tn
assessment II increased. Our revenm
system II ut best antiQuated and un
suited to our condition, ana the praC
tices under II make II worse. But ~
gumcnt and exposure are useless n
remedies. The facts 10 briefly Sc
forth have been known for years; eac
succeeding year brings new Instance
Of delinquencies.
The total assessed valuation Of I'll
real and persona, property Of the Stat
Of Illinois, rs returned to the Stat
Board Of Equalization by the assessors
for taxation In 1897. IL $7l3,745,7l7,
decrease Of $l7,400,771 from that q
last year. This was increased by Opei
atoms Of the State Board to $717,O6?
S34, including the personal property o
railroad companies. In addition I
this, are corporations, $i,O5O,S33 70
capital stock, and railroads, $7S,031
030. These are assessed by the Stat
Board, and their amount brings tn
total Of taxable property In Illinois u
to $700, 1876, G03, including fractions
balances arising from the process q
equalization. This amount Is $16,0ii
OF less than that Of 1906.
Cook County alone shows n decreas
Of 1866, 5S4, and 81 other counties Il
gether Of S0,2l2,II7, while the remail
ing 20 counties aggregate decrease q
81 ,GOS,5 800 In the assessors return
The decrease of valuation, resultln
from the operations of the State BOar'
for this county this year, Is $l2,57s,D
This sum Is obtained by cOmparisO
with the equalized valuation of la'
year, ana includes every item OF tn!
able valuation. The fgures are: $21!
ycO.ll7 for 1896 and &o6O. BAL 500 IL