The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-08-26
now tar law, ana Increased the TsvS

L" ILL., lnOSL oAJTdtdSdHI |
been made. 1t has been said that II
put all the added burdens Of taxation
upon the great corporations. partlco-
larly the railroads. The figures do not
corroborate this theory Under tha'
law the total appraisement Of railroad
property was raised $S4 .S32.S56; OF
express and sleeping car property, 81
172.340. The total appraisement OF
lands and improvements was increased
$152,261 .225; the valuation of lots ana
improvements was increased s92,iol'-
304. and of personal property $o6,9l4.-
458. The railroads, express companies
etc., bore less than one-fourth OF the
total increase in app-aisement, anu
as before stated, there was substan-
tial increase in the levy all round. IL
may be noted in this connection that
under the old law Democratic tax
boards had appraised the value of rail-
road property during the years 1883 |
to 1886 inclusive, at from fifty-three TO
f1fty-five million dollars; in 1887 Re
publican tax board promptly Increased
the appraisement to sixty-two million
and by 1890 had raised it to nearly
seventy millions; in other words
Republican tax board had increased
the valuation of railroad property four
teen millions, or nearly % per cent
over the Democratic figure, within the
short space of four years. Under tho
present era of Republican control the
appraisement of the property of rail-
roads, express companies, etc.. has
been increased over thirty million dol
erty of express and sleeping car COM
soon after the new law was passed
was greatly below the present ngure.
Corporations Were Favored.
An interesting confession has been
made by the few persons with assur-
| ance enough to defend the record OF
Democratic leadership on the state
| debt, namely, that up to the time OF
the enactment of the new tax law, the
| large corporations were paying much
less than their fair share of the taxes.
| For nearly twenty years prior to the
| enactment of the law, Democratic lead
ership was in almost uninterrupted
| control of the legislative branch of the
state government. 1t was during this
period that corporate holdir s increas-
ed most rapidly in this state; yet, In
| preference to shifting a greater por-
ton of the burden upon them, Demo
| cratic leadership permitted, year after
year, deficits in the state revenue
which resulted in an increase of nearly
s5,OOO,OOO in the state debt before the
abuse was corrected. Since that time
101 tn no
the price Of this immunity by scaling
down a state debt representing not
only extravagant administration and
unbusinesslike management, but cor
porate immunity from reasonable taxa
ton.
More Recent History.
The new tax law added to the reve
nues of the state nearly $1,50O,0OO an
nually; for the two years Immediately
succeeding it's enactment the total in
crease in revenue, to be exact, wa:
S2.S3O,975, and yet during these two
, years the $8,O0O00O state debt wal
decreased not single cent During
the third year of the operations of thu
new tax law, Democratic fiscal officers
, paid one-fourth Of the increase in reve
nue., or $4,000, on the state debt
The next year they paid $4,000. AM
, in January of the following yea
$40O, 900. Of this total payment o
81. 800, 900 on the state debt, 1920
, 900 came from the general govern
ment, a repayment Of the direct ia
paid by the state during the wal
With five million dollars in increase
i, revenues in four years, they actual
paid only $580,000 on the state deb
;. therefrom. In nine years of Repu
: lican fiscal control nearly five millio
> dollars has been paid on the stat
debt, and if we subtract from tn
amount the 800 900 secured from tt
\ general government as a refund
;, account of interest on bonds issue
= by Indiana during the war, there sti
:. remains to the credit of Repubhca
II management reduction OF the sta
= debt aggregating much in excess
;. four million collars, with the certain
q that every dollar of the state de-
=, will be paid early in the Administrative
=. Of Governor Hanly. All this despi
20 reduction in the tax levy from
r. to IA cents, and the expenditure
two million dollars in the enlargeme
n and improvement of the states ms
"a buttons. All this as the result
"A business management of the state
a. business affairs.
90 A vote for Republican state and 'e
r. IsIative candidates is vote again
"a the state debt.
=, A Strenuous Campaign.
=, Mr.. Hanly is being called up