The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-25
A SANDER UPON INDIANA.

A recent issue of the Chicago Record con-
tains a letter dated Anderson. under the
startling caption. "A Tsx-ridden State"
which gives the impression that all kinds Of
taxation have been increasing rapidly in
Indiana. Other statements are made which
IL seems that paper circulating widely in
a State should verify before publication.
The statistics are from the auditors report,
but statistics are often used so as TO mis-
lead. County. township and particularly
municipal taxes have been increased in Indi-
ana as in other States. In some instances
county affairs are not managed upon bust
ness principles. but many counties are ex-
pending large sums of money for gravel
roads. Cities have been making costly
streets and putting in systems Of drainage.
which have increased local taxation. In In
dianapolis last years levy was 1s 2-3 per
cent. over that of the previous year.
The writer seems to have prepared his ar
ticle with a view of giving the impression,
among other things, that state expenditures
have increased heavily since the year 1890.
the last year that taxation was based upon
the old system of valuation. II he had been
DESTROYS of giving correct information he
would have stated that in the years 1891 and
1892. under the present system of valuation,
the levy for state revenue was kept at II
cents per 800 reduced to 20 cents for 1898
since. Instead of declaring that state taxa
ton has been increased $1,5s6,000, he would
have turned to the auditors report and
given the figures as follows: State revenue,
$780, 81 POS e57: 1891, $685. 5s4 1892. 81 7O4 sos;
1897, s1.379.2sS. He would have stated, fur
Their. that the state school revenue
was 81 $50 in 1890 g. 1sS, $50 in 1891 and ST..
Gil 61S in 1895; that the fund for the support
of the benevolent institutions fell from s752,-
9e2 in 1891. TO ss42.S74 in 1885, and that the
sinking fund to extinguish the state debt
added to the state taxation s3s7.542 in 1893
and all the years subsequent until the pres
ent time. Instead of so doing and thus pre-
senting the truth. he has added the state
taxation for all purposes including the high
err state and state school revenues of 1891,
1892 and 1893 and divided them by five to
make 1t appear that the present state tax
alton is 81, $50. 600 year in excess of that Of
1890. If the purpose Of the writer had been
to tell the truth rather than to present In
diana as being "a tax-ridden State" he
would have said: The debt of Indiana, in
1891, was s., SIG. las, but it had been reduced
to $5,016,615 Jan. /. 1899. If he had been de-
sirous of giving Indiana a fair show he
would have consulted the auditors reports
for four or six years prior to 1891. and found
that the receipts of the treasury of Indiana
from taxation were less than the dsburse-
ments and that temporary loans were ne
gotiated nearly every year to pay current
expenses.
If this correspondent of the Chicago Rec
ord had been DESTROYS to deal fairly by Ind-
ana he would have said that the per capita
cost of the maintenance of the inmates Of
its charitable and correctional institutions
is less than most of the States in the Union;
that its state salary list is the smallest, on
| the basis of population. of any of its neigh
| bors. He could have said that it's common
school system. all things considered, is the
| best in the United States. He might have
said that the last Legislature passed two
| laws designed to check county and township
| expenditure. Instead he was pleased to de-
| clare that taxes are so high in Indiana that
| they hamper business and drive money
| lenders to Chicago or elsewhere out of the
State.