The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-10-06

erty never has been assessed at it's full
value, and the change in the law was
made in the belief that it would eff
feet an increase in the assessment Of
the state.
Assessments Compared-1s77, 1898, 1899.
The Republican party has been
charged with having had a panic in
1877, and it is quite generally known
that the Democratic party had a panic
in 1898, but no one. except a few poll
ticians, claims there Is any panic now.
Let us therefore compare assessments
of 1877, 1898 and 1899. The cattle of
Iowa, were assessed in 1877 at $1O.26:
in 1893 at $500, and in 1899 at $685.
per head. The horses of Iowa were as
sessed in 1877 at $30.4S; in 1893 at
S21.67, and in 1899 at 1888 per head.
Mules were assessed in 1877 at $3.50
in 1898 at $23.S5, and in 1899 at $1O.19.
Hogs were assessed in 1877 at 1926; in.
1898 at $2.14, and in 1899 at Sill.
Sheep were assessed in 1893 at $1.36,
and In 1899 at $O.S4. The farmers
present will be able to tell whether
AOACS AdNO uCpICC1ulC0 luOlO LudA ~
per cent; whether mules have depre-
ciated o than 4s per cent, and
whether sheep have deprecated more
than 40 per cent. since 1893. The as
sessed value Of these animals has been
diminished in these proportions re-
spectively since 1893. Perhaps it was
super1uous for me to say that the
committee on resolutions Of the OPP
position parties did not come to the
capitol to examine the facts before
they prepared their d~eliverances.
Facts Concerning All Assessments.
But believing that the people Of the
state, to whom alone a political party
Is answerable, and on whom all par
ties must rely, are anxious to know
the facts concerning all assessments,
so far as they + discoyerable, / SUBJ
nit the following, not claiming that
they are right, not claiming that they
are wrong, but claiming only that they
exist as | report them. For the last
decade the railways Of Iowa havebeen
assessed at a valuation assuming
true value to have been four times the
assessment on which they have
earned, above operating expenses, as
shown by their sworn reports, 5A per
cent. The net earnings of the railway
of Iowa fol 1895 would pay 81 per
cent. on the valuation at which the
executive council assessed them for
the year 1899.
Assessments Are Real Values.
Thinking that the public might be
interested to know what proportion
assessments generally bear to actual
values, l have made some independ-
ent Inquiries. Learning of an entire
flock of sheep being sold soon after the
LIST of January at So a head, I wrote
and a~scertained that they had been
valued by the assessor at $3.75, and
assessed at less than a dollar. / in
vestigated the sale of five distinct
tracts of land taken promiscuously
and without advising the parties re-
porting the sales of my purpose in
making the inquiries. These five
tracts sold in the aggregate for $751;
600, and / ascertained that they were
valued by the assessor at $4,000, IS
per cent. below actual value. They
were, of course, assessed at one-fourth
Of that. I investigated four auction
sales, where the aggregate sale Of per-
sonal property was $4,000 ~andlearned
eHo SAAC oahAO PAOpOlty WIS Sd4uCu Nv
the assessor at. $4,000, ~one-seventh
the actual value and assessed, G
course, at one-quarter of that. I in
vestigated the sale of sever punches of
fat cattle, which were sold soon after
the LIST of January, at an aggregate Of
$l3,SOO, and l found that these same
cattle We're valued by the assessor at
$4,000, 55 per cent. below actual value.
Had 1T been possible to investigated 9TH
er classes of property, manufacturing
establishments, stocks of merchandise,
etc., very likely similar results would
have been obtained.
These Are Simple Facts.
l I'm not complaining; / am simply
giving the public the result of these
inquiries, believing that to know the
facts will remove many erroneous i'm
pressions created for the sole purpose
of influencing voters and without
foundation in fact.
h Are Favored by Exemption.
The burdens of maintaining a form
OF government, both state and nation
al, are no so yer as they are pict-
ured by those whose stock arguments
are appeals to prejudice. They are, it
is true, severe enough, and they should
be reduced to the minimum, and made
to rest as equitably as possible on all,
giving preference always to those who
are least forehanded, and upon whom
the struggles of life necessarily rest
most severely. The statutes Of this
state, l am glad to record, have been
drafted with these wise purposes in
mind. The farmer has exempted to
him from taxation all his grain, his
colts. his calves, his pigs, his lambs,
his poultry, his wool, and ten colonies
of bees. None of the earnings or prof
it's of the banker or the merchant or
the lawyer are exempt. The farmers
machinery, the professional mans IL
brary, the workingman's tools are ex
empt from taxation, but there are no
corresponding exemption to the mer-
chant, the manufacturer, the banker,
or the business man generally.
Wise Distinctions.
These distinctions, however, are
wise, and were accorded by broad
mined legislators. I have taken occa.
sion to examine the history Of these
provisions, as well as the provisions
examining nronprtv from ayac1tion