The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-10
THE DRIFT OF POLITICS.

Democratic newspapers In several coun-
ties in Indiana are endeavoring to make
political capital out of the establishments
of assessments made by the State Tax
Board at its recent session." said George
B. Lockwood, secretary to the Governor,
yesterday. I'm pursuance Of its sworn
duty to equalize taxation the board raised
the assessments in some counties, lowered
them in others. and in a number left them
unchanged. The board has merely en-
deavored to place all the assessments on
consistent basis but the Democratic
papers are trying to show that the board
has changed the amount of taxes to be
collected in many counties. thereby work.
ing injustice to the taxpayers Of some
communities. There is not the slightest
foundation for such suggestion.
''The State Tax Board has not the power
to decrease or increase the amount col
lected for taxes from any given piece Of
property except in so far as the compare
lively insignificant levy for State purposes
Is concerned. In taxation for local pur-
poses two elements are taken into con-
sideration; first. the size of the levy; sec
ond. the amount of the assessment. If $780,
600 is to be raised il is of no moment to
the taxpayer whether it means a levy of
l per cent. on $5,0O0O00, or per cent. on
$500, 600. The amount which the taxpayer
must hand over to the county treasurer on
given piece of property is the same in
either case. Local authorities must and
do regulate the levy by the apprasement.
The State is interested to the extent that
State taxation, being uniform in all coun-
ties. the basis of appraisement should be
uniform And ii is in the effort to bring
about such uniformity that the State Tax
Board has acted.
The man who would object to such
equalization Is much like the boy who in
helping 10 carry bucket of water hooked
over a pole, would catch hold of the bar
three feet from the handle of the bucket
and let his brother walk along two feet
nearer the load. Making one boy come a
foot nearer the burden and letting the
other one go a foot further away puts no
more water in the bucket-it simply equal
ICES the load. This is exactly the function
the State Tax Board has performed. The
relation between the amount paid by one
taxpayer and the amount paid by every
other taxpayer in a county has not been
disturbed, except in a few cases where
the board has felt called upon to equalize
assessments as between city and country
property.
Some mistakes must necessarily be incl
dental to so great task involving such a
multiplicity of local conditions but these
changes bear no relation to the sum total
of amount of taxes collected from given
piece OF property for other than State pur-
poses. If there is an increase of appraise-
meet the estimate of the county or city ex-
penses. So far as the amount derived for
State purposes is concerned the aggregate
increase on an entire farm where a raise in
the level of appraisements has been made
would amount to no more than the cost of a
paper OF pins.
Senator Fairbanks spent yesterday ir
Connersville. where he attended the dedi,
cation of park presented to the city by
James E. Roberts and delivered an address
Tomorrow the senator will be guest al
the annual basket picnic of the Indiana Re.
publican Editorial Association at Broad
Ripple. and next week he has several en-.
gagements, the first of which is for Mon.
day, at Toledo, o., where he will deliver ar
address at the unwilling of a statue of the
late President Mckinley. On Tuesday the
ing at Terre Haute of business men and citi
zens of the cities and towns of the Wabash
valley to discuss plans for the improvement
of navigation in the Wabash river In lin,
with this affair Senator Fairbanks has beer
asked to attend the ninth annual conven
ton of the Ohio Valley Improvement Asso
citation. at Evansville Oct IA and Is.
George p. Haywood, of Lafayette, one o.
the leading Republicans of Tippecanoe coun
ty, was in the city yesterday and called OF
a number of friends at the Statehouse
The report has been circulated recent,
that Edwin d. Logsdon. chairman of tn,
Republican city committee of Indianapolis
would be brought out as the Beveridge can
didate for member of the State committe,
from the Seventh district in opposition I,
Floyd Woods, who is a candidate for re
election. The report was exploded yesterda,
by Mr. Logsdon.
81 am not a candidate and will not b,
candidate. for the district chairman
Ship. he said. II am trying to elect {
mayor or to assist i'm the election, ant
haven't time or inclination to think Of be
coming a candidate for anything
'I see the Journal says that Indiana will
send at least five representatives into Obi,
to assist In the Republican campaign thi,
| fall said Harry s. New. OF this city. las
evening on his return from Michigan
Now l have received two sep;e-ate ant
distinct invitations to make speeches I,