Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-29
THE TAX QUESTION

Presumably because OK the aHefeHee
OF opinion that exists among demo-
erats themselves as to what ought 10 be
said by their speakers regarding the
tariff. campaigners like Mr.. Sullivan,
sre trying to divert attention To an
Imaginary issue as to railway assess
ments. In his Marshaltown speech
Yesterday Mr. Sullivan grew most
dramatically indignant that repuhii-
can executive council should raise farm
land assessments and lower railway
assessments in the same year,
Now what the present council actual
liz did in the two years of its tneumben-
cv was to boost the valuation of rail-
WAYS by sixteen millions and then give
IL another boost OF over twenty mill
ions this year This amounts to 20
per cent Increase in the two years.
Real estate assessments are made by
local assessors and returned to the ex-
ecutive council for review and equal
ization as between the counties. II Is
the councils duty TO see that one local
assessor does not oyerestimate or UNI
derestimate the value of real estate in
his county as compa 4 TO real estate
in an adjoining eounsy estimated by
another man. In order to get AT this
equalization accurately the council Sc
cured a record OF land sales in every
county and then. for fear these pros
nervous times might make prices abb
normally high, they took so per cent of
the sales figures as a base line, and
made every county's valuation corr
respond practically TO so per cent of the
average sales price. The total result
was to raise some counties and lower
others but did not increase the aggre-
gate valuation as reported by the ass
essars at all. Having thus decided
upon the valuation the assess
ment for taxation will be made by law
rnon one fourth the valuation, or about
$1,000 per acre. for Iowa farms. Mr..
sullivan complains that the council
took the sales prices of boom year
but the man who bought farm land two
years ago and knows what he can
sell IL for today has no serious com
plaint to make on a charge in tax, ass
essment from 50 per acre to $1,000. He
don't blame the assessor or the council
one bit
The trick that the democrats resort
10 In irving TO befuddle the farmer is
in their insistency upon a comparison
of one years increase on railroads with
a two wears increase on lands. Rail-
roads have been increased by the pre-
sent executive council in two jumps
The last jump was not quite as large as
;ha rise in farm land valuations be-
cause the latter covered Two year
period. If both jumps Will be considered
| for railway assessments and two years
work be compared for both railways
| and farms the result will show 20 per
/ cent increase for railways and 10 pei
cent for real estate with town lots IN
Guided or II per cent for farms alone
No matter whether the levy has been
reduced or increased the comparative
result will remain the same, viz, as 20
per cent Increase Is to 10 per cent in
crease. Business men generally know
that railroads have not increased very
materially in their value in the past
two years outside of the Improvements
that have been built. but any man who
has owned farm bands IN Iowa knows
what has happened TO them. However
the assessment is still in their favor.