The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1898-01-28
The 1el,lorrat.
Tax PAYERS Protective Association
EDITOR DEMOCRAT.

EDITOR DEMOCRAT.
Since mention was made ia u late 10
sue OF your paper, that Linn County
Council had appointed committee Ct
Eve to formulate plan for organizing
Tax payers Protective Association, 1t
will likely interest your many readers.
who are tax payers, 10 know something
OF what gave rise to the bringing forward
OF this question in our Oranges. The
following taken from The Independent,
of New Years, under date OF Nov 4. 1893,
gave the first start ;and 1t concerns every
taxpayer, many more Of whom are out
side of the grange, than are its members.
1.-THE question OF equal taxation will
become a burning question in this coun-
try when people are made TO see how
monstrous are the inequalities Of our
present system or systems. State
Comptroller Roberts, o; New York, re.
Gently showed how little of personal
property the assessors find. Selecting
at random one hundred and seven estates
passing to heirs, from lists in his Office,
lie states that of these. thirty four were
personal property ranging in value from
So, 900 to S., 500, 600. paid no tax at all,
before the death Of the owner.
The assessment the year before death
on all the estates amounted 10 less than
two per cent of the actual valuation.
These men, the Comptroller says, were
not sinners above taeir fellows; the
cases are simply representative cases.
No doubt similar inequalities exist
| elsewhere. They certainly do in Chi
eago, for the Taxpayers Defensive League
organized cnly last summer has brought
them to light. An estate which passed
81 ,0OO, 900 of personal property through
the probate court, had only paid tax
on $3.50; and the heir was assessed for
800.
One large grocery firm sas assessed
for $50, 900; another no larger, for $780,
600, af,erward reduced to sos 900, A rich
man pays on a one per cent valuation; 9
poor man on Q twenty three per cent
valuation, while q large packing house
escapes altogether.
These are few OF the many instances
given by Edward W Bem,s In The B,bli-
otheca Sacrs. which also prints an open
letter to the Pullman Car Company
from the president of the Taxpayers
Defensive League. E Swift Holbrook
contendiDg that the property OF that
company, il taxed as any other property
in Illinois is assessed. namely at one
tenth Of its value, would pay $500 .0Ol
more annually to the city.
THIS League has been able to hav,
some glaring inequalities OF assessment
corrected: It begins in the right wa'
to secure reform, namely, by showing
the monstrous character OF the evils
1t would be good thing to have such I
league IN every city and town.
That Linn county's taxes are lowe
! o1J OAuCt AZ t1C SsaAu A'S
ing this year only l2izz mills is no evil
dence that much personal property hai
not escaped taxation. Does any rersol
OF intelligence, believe that tue $50, 90
assessed last year, Is all the money il
this county subject 10 taxation? From
the best information obtsiDable. th'
Linn county banks have on dspoai
subject To loan, not less than $500, 900
by far the larger part os which belong
TO Individual depositors, there. remain
one qua rtsr OF million dollars unassess
ed, that at i2iS mills would give thi
county $3 l25, sum Sufficient to pa,
the saIeries of the County Clerk and tn
Recorder for one year. The money tina
should be taxed, If not always in tn
bauks, has notes or other securitie
somewhere that represent it. This il
quite certainly not all the personal pro
Iperty not assessed Should an organixs T.
tion be determined upon. to be calle,
perhaps Taxpayers Defensive Lesgue
it will not be confined to the srangers
1t will be public and Tree to all iaxpay
ers. Albany Ore, Jan. ie. lseS.
G II WALKER.