The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-08
GOVERNOR DURBIN AGAIN.
An Interesting Address Before Tax
Board and the Assessors.

IS AK a OaA anu 1OhAAAS .
as follows:
Il have not only had pleasure, but nave
derived much profit from participating in
the business Of this meeting, and l trust
that that which l have taken TO myself
Will apply to each and every one of you.
/ can but repeat that which L said in my
opening remarks, that this is a great ques-
tion-one for daily study. You have 1t an
nually. When your mind is not occupied
in other things let your mind be upon tax
ableS and taxation.
Going. back once more. TO Holy Writ,
with which you are familiar-I know you
are because L have been quizzed as TO
what denomination 1 am most familiar
with-you read that way back in the time
of Annanias that he tried TO cover up the
value of his property and was not disposed
to make a proper accounting. So we have
1t recorded way back before our days
that people were not disposed to give an
honest accounting of their holdings. 1t
was then, is now and probably always will
be so. We must make the best of things
attracted your attention that L had been
calling this meeting a conference. That
is all 1t is. This is not a legislative body.
We are not making laws, we are here to
construe them. exchange ideas as to the
best way to enforce them TO produce that
which is equitable and fair and just to all.
Say little or say much on the question,
you get back to the law, the true cash
value, that you cannot get away from.
You may devise all the ways and means
possible. but you must get back to that
one feature of the law, the true cash value.
I'm the discharge of your duties, as in
every other line, that which is the most
essential is intelligence. You may work
hard all day and accomplish very little
unless you shall have gone at 1t in an
intelligent way. 1 recall an assessor in
my county that looked after what l had
on my farm, and when the lister came to
take my city property he already had my
farm holdings taken by some one else. and
he knew more about the way to my cattle
than did, and he did not miss it very far,
either. and he knew just the number L
had. and he knew the grade of them, he
knew the color of them, he knew my farm
ing implements, he knew my horses, and
l could not find fault with him for the
knowing, but 1 commended him for it.
THE LAW DEFENDED.
our good friend from Wayne county
yesterday, if / could hear him distinctly,
was disposed to ~criticise the last Legisla-
ture a little bit on what 1 remember as
Senate bill No. 23-that which provides an
orderly manner by which you shall open
the lids of a bankers ledger, and 1 do not
think. gentlemen, any fault can be justly
found with it.. You have a right by a pro-
cess-a lawful prOcess-tO say to the bank
er. open your ledger to John Jones's ac-
count and he must open it. / have ha6
something TO do with banking for the last
twenty years. L have been on both sides
of the counter, and L believe L may safely
say that the people will derive more bene-
fit by the provisions enacted by the last
Legislature that you shall proceed in a
lawful and orderly way than they would by
you going in there and making search
through the ledger to see what is to the
credit OF the depositOrs.
1.-The relation between the banker and his
client is a confidential one. and l take it if
you go to any banker and ask If MIR. Jones
has any money they viii not tell you.
Why? Because probably Mr.. Jones don't
want you to know that he is doing business
with that bank, or how much money he
has there. for good and sufficient reasons
10 himself. The relation between the fam
lily physician is confidential, and you have
no right TO go to that physician and ask
what is the matter with that family. The
relation between the client and the lawyer
is such that you do not go to the lawyer
to ask him about his client. He would not
tell you If you did, and / am here to say,
and / believe II TO be true. that whenever
the banker would lay his ledger wide open
to you as an assessor he would so disturb
business that II would produce such an Ill
effect upon the community that 1t would
way outbalance that which would be de-
rived from the amount you would place
on the tax duplicate.
"Only a few days since. within a week,
in conversation with a banker in regard to
depositing of funds or loaning Of funds. he
replied to me, We can't do it yet Why?
Our deposits are already running down.
and will until after the 1st day of April.
Whenever it could be understood that he
was to open that ledger / dare say he
would not have very many deposits on the
LIST day of April. | remember the days of
the g~reenbacks. when they were not tax
able. and it got TO he pretty generally I'M
derstood that a banker had to assert his
bills. II was unjustly understood. too, in a
great many instances, that the banker was
deriving the benefit thereof. whereas the
truth of the matter was that II was the de-
positors drawing their deposits out in
greenbacks. And so the depOsitor, when
ever he understands that the bank ledger
is to be open to the assessor. will withdraw
his deposits from the bank and conceal
them from you if he is so disposed. And
that is why 1 say that the interruption to
business. in my opinion. would outweigh
the benefit derived from placing that addi-
tional amount-if IL should be an additional
amount-upOn the assessors returns.
I'VE are not going to be able to get all Of
the taxable property on the duplicates.
We never have been and we cannot now.
The suggestion made by our friend Mr..
Wingate yesterday as 10 how 10 reach the
man that was supposed to be loaning
money TO his brother. who lived in Chi
cagO-wcll, how are you going to reach
him? How do you know he is doing IL?
You may know. but can you prove it? If
YOU cannot. we must put up with 1t. There
are a good many things we must endure.
We may be satisfied Of a thing. but you
cannot 60 into court and prove ii. Where
you can you are all right.
EQUITABLE ADJUSTMENT.
'T further believe that when we can get
this properly. equitably adjusted. getting
everybody to pay at least that which is
reasonable, that we will have less Sc
uuestered property. We are getting IL in
the State of Indiana-Our system of taxa
tion-in such an intelligent way that l agree
with the attorney general that very little
is escaping. There is more or less con-
cealment. The matter of government bonds
enters into ii largely. II a man is a holder
of government bonds the law says they
cannot be taxed. just as ii used to on green
backs. You may blame the law and not
the individual. If l am n holder of $40, 600
in government bonds you cannot touch
them. That is the law. Now by and by
we are coming to a time when there will
be a reduction. at least upon the States
part. We are INDUCING in the hope that
II is not very many years until the state
debt will be virtually e8tinguished. / had
occasion in addressing the township trus-
tees the other day TO say partially as fol-
lows: The present is a favorable oppor-
tunity for the reduction of public as well
as private Indebtedness. Conceding that II
is more or less a hardship as IL is we can
not escape the fact that our honest oblI-
CATION must be met, and IL logically follows
that IL is easier TO pay during an era OF
prosperity than TO delay until we may posi-
bly, be overtaken by adversely
f"The conditions as they exist in this coun-
try to-day. and in our State. never were so
inviting 20 a man 10 be honest with his as
SCISSOR. TO turn i'm his property and pay 10
his state and his county and township that
which he Justly owes. 1t is no time to re-
duce the rate. Now is the time to eXtin-
elfish the debts and make the improve
ments. This is a clipping from a paper in
! torially why taxes are higher, and they 20
on TO say: TIE tax levy for State on the
500 is - 2-3 cents. but when reduced down
TO State purposes, as was toni you this