The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-08-30
TOTAL TAXES
LOWERED
Just a Little but Not to
Hurt Only Seven Million
Dollars-Needs a Little
More lacking up of
Appraisements.


mission show that that body is inn
ing all property to be assessed at its |
true value in money.
During Republican administrations
the size of tax payments by corpor-
ations was regulated largely by the
size of contributions to G.. o. p.
campaigns.
But that Is no longer true. The
work of the tax commission demon
strates 1t is not.
An announcement some time ago
showed that railroad property vail
uatlons had been enormously increas-
ed. Recently the valuation OF wat
er works plants, heating and cooling
| companies, artificial gas. union de-
pot and messenger service corpora
lions were announced.
There was au increase of $6,391, ,037
to the grard duplicate of the state.
Here they are: Waterworks COM
panles, 1910. $1,376,029, 1911, $4,-
9S6,s21 increase s3.6070O2; Union
depot companies 1910, $964.36O, 1911
81, ,350. increase $1.63S.990 Arti-
fetal gas companies, 1910, $1S3.270,
1911, $762, ,065, increase $5S7,795;
messenger companies. 1911 s3f7,1S0;
heating and cooling companies, 1910,
$31,7S0, 1911, $2S0,000, increase $24S,
220.
These figures indicate that in 1910
and in previous years the properties
named. as class, were on the tax
duplicate for triHe more than their
actual value. f.aN
Messenger and signal service COM
panies which operate In the larger
cities are a notable exception TO this,
because they have never In the past
been on the duplicate at all. Conse-
quently the total valuation of $317,-
1870 placed upon the IL companies
operating In the state is clear gain,
as the companies, never paid a prop
erty tax heretofore.
As the work of the tax commits
sion progresses, many iniquities of
the old system of taxing properties
are disclosed. 1t was not fair to farm
ers and some home owners who paid
more than their just share, nor was
1t fair to the corporations, which were
the favored class ,itaaa yi .f-..
There were formally many systems
Of appraising corporate property. In
some counties 1t was appraised at 80
per cent of true value; In some so
per cent. and In other 40 per cent
and 25 per cent. Under the new APP
prasements, all are being placed on
the duplicate at true values
This not only gives the farmer and
home owner fair treatment. but also
equalizes the taxes OF corporations.
Some under the. new and legal system
will pay 5 to 10 times as much tax
os as they did under the old. while
others will pay but little more.
But all will pay on the same bases
aud the ratio OF. taxes 10 property
valuation wilt ineahy cases be the same
Cor years ohioans had been strlv-
ing to attain such a condition ins tax
alton affairs hut nothing was accom-
plished until Judson Harmon became
governore.- His revision. of the tax
laws so as to equltably distribute the
tax burden is the wlsest specimen of
statesmanshlp Ohioans have witness
sed for many, many years. Many OHIO
governors have to their credit acts
that wrought much good, but few
brought about reforms that were as
far-reaching and helped so. many peo'l
pie as did Governor Harmon's reyis-
Ion OF the tax laws
Harmon and the Tide.
The latest poll of congress which
was taken by the Chicago Tribune, !
shows that Governor Harmon, of Ohio
Is the first choice of the Democratic
members for president; Speaker
Champ Clark Is second, and Cover
nor Woodrow Wilson third. This
poll was taken since that of the New
York World. which gave different
result. There was much larger
vote In the Tribune poll, many who
were non-nommittal when the World
poll was taken going over 10 Har-
mongD
The Democrats of the senate and
hqlyse Noted as follows: For Harmon
81, for Clark 81. for Wilson 81, for
Folk 13, for Marshall IA, for I'm
derwood 8, for Carter Harrison 2,
for Gov. Foss /, for Dix 1, non-com-
initial S2.
The president vetoes the wool bill
enacted by the peoples representa-
tlves because he says 1t Is. "unscien-
tihc," 1t sounds very much like ar
chitects of the scientific" Aldrich bill
are also the architects of their own
fortunes They are the men who
inspire the White House with ''scien-
tihc" ideas to tariff law construction.
Mr., Taft ought to blush to offer SUCH
a silly pretext for defeating the de-
mand OF the people
Writing about the resignation of
Dr. c. A. Probst former secretary of |
the state board OF health. Col James
w. Faulkner. Cincinnati Enquirer
correspondent said:
"The stern necessities of the dog |
days in politics have required the Re-
publican Press Bureau chap to dis !
cover that John w. Hill, of Cincin- !
natl, member of the state board |
OF health, is both. a doctor and a
philadelphia contractor, and that he |
tortured DR.. Charlie Probst, lated
secretary of that body, until he re-
signed Inspection OF the dope book |
shows that Hill is a hydraulic en-
glneer, and that he votes and raises
cain in Cincinnati when political
hghts are on. Perhaps the opposi