Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-10-11

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-1S7S, 1898, 1900.
The Republican party has been
charged with having had a panic in
1877, and it is quite generally known
that the Democratic party had panic
in 1898, but no one. except few poll
ticians, claims there is any panic now.
Let us therefore compare assessments
of 1877, 1893 and 1899. The cattle of
Iowa were assessed in 1877 at $10.26:
in 1893 at $685. and in 1899 at $6.S5
per head. The horses of Iowa were as
sessed in 1877 at $30.4S; in 1893 at
$21.67, and in 1899 at 1888 per head.
Mules were assessed in 1877 at $3.50 /;
in 1898 at $23.S5, and in 1899 at $10.19.
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 $0.S4. The farmers
present will be able to tell whether
horses have deprecated more than sc
per cent; whether mules have depre-
ciated more than 4S per cent, and
whether sheep have deprecated more
lhdh ~ pei SCht. ob'NC 1000. hC 90
sessed value of these animals has been
diminished in these proportions re-
spectively since 1893. Perhaps it was
superfluous for me to say that the
committee on resolutions Of the Op-
position parties did not come to the
capitol to examine the facts before
they prepared their deliverances.
Facts Concerning All Assessments.
But believing that the people of the
state, to whom alone 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 are discoverable, sub
nit the following, not claiming that
they are right, not claiming that they
are wrong, but claiming only that they
exist as l report them. For the last
decade the railways of Iowa have been
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, 5% per
cent The net earnings of the railways
of Iowa for 1898 would pay S1a 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, 1 have made some independ-
ent inquiries. Learning Of an entire
flock Of sheep being sold soon after the
list of January at SIS a head, wrote
tot hot hn
valued by the assessor at $3.75, and
assessed at less than a dollar. I 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 $48,-
| 600, and / ascertained that they were
| valued by the assessor at $31, 900, 35
per cent. below actual value. They
| were, Of course, assessed at one-fourth
| of that. / investigated four auction
| sales, where the aggregate sale of per-
| sonal property was $4,000 and learned
that this same property was valued by
the assessor at $4,000, one-seventh
the actual value and assessed, Of
course, at one-quarter of that. l in
vestigated the sale of seven punches Of
fat cattle, which were sold soon after
the list of January, at an aggregate Of
$13,S00, and l found that these same
cattle were valued by the assessor at
$4,000, 80 per cent. below actual value.
Had it been possible to investigate 9TH
er classes of property, manufacturing
establishments, stocks of merchandise.
etc., very likely similar results would
have been obtained.
These Are Simple Facts.
/ am not complaining; l 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.
Who Are Favored by Exemption.
The burdens of maintaining form
of government, both state and nation
al, are not so severe 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, am glad to record, have beeA
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. / have taken occa-
sion to examine the history Of these
provisions, as well as the provisions
exempting property from execution,
and those safeguarding the homestead,
and the team, and other exempted
property from alienation without the
joint signature of husband and wife,
and l have found they were ali pro-
posed and introduced by lawyers,
bankers or merchants. These be-
neficent and wise statutory reliefs were
all of grace, and none of them were