Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-02-06

81 .
Here is another firm in this city.
couldn't find any assessment whatever
on the place for 1911. I spoke OF this
before. The assessor took 1t up ana
found that 1t had been assessed but for
some reason or other it never got on
the tax books And understand from
friend that called me UP yesterday aft
ernoon that the proprietor of this house
went up to the court house Saturday
afternoon and had the assessment en-
tered by paying s91.Ss taxes. There is
lady here in the city that is paying
$39950 in taxes. We had better let the
women run the city. want to call your
attention to corporation here. Now
the real estate assessment is sl6,2ho
and the personal property assessment
is 1925. This firm is Incorporated fort
$250,0O0. Yet they pay taxes on Sl6,2oo:
Why don't you people make them pay
on the full value of their property. And
another thing ! noticed in going over
the books. This corporation has so
worded its charter that the stockhold-
ers can meet in Chicago in another
state. Now telr me why they have ar
ranged to go to Chicago for meetings?
am not saying why. You look 1T up
and see for yourselves. I
you people subscribed $4,000 to run
the city. We didn't do that in Rockford.
We investigated and found that we
didn't need to raise money by dona-
ton. We raised it by taxes. have been
hunting for another wholesale liquor
house on the tax books ever since
have been here. I~can't find 1t and Il
wish that if you can find where they
were ever assessed in Ottumwa, II
want you to let me know.
$50 on Twelve Saloons.
Il also found this: Twelve saloons
here in Ottumwa were assessed 50, l92
on personal property. Just think OF 1T.
as A S,l sc 11SH f1V-
lures for saloon that will look any
ways decent for less than $1,000. That
would be $4,000 and that does not in
clude any liquor. Get 1t down to what
tax was paid on these saloons. Figure it
out and you will find that twelve
saloons paid $50 in taxes when they
were running. My, what big sum.
II want to take up State. Examiner
CoX's report on the city affairs from
February l., 1910 to February l, 1911. tt
shows cash on hand, $116,000. The sum
of $4,000 of this is in the water fund.
That leaves $4,000. From this report
I can see nothing more than this $685.
900 was in the general fund when the
city started out April 1, 1911 with the
new administration. Yet you had to
subscribe $4,000 to tide over. If you
are hard pressed and you have this
$4,000 where you can't touch it for
general expense, why don't you loan 1t
at interest. This will bring you $1,000 OF !
your needed $4,000.
"On April /, 1911, the city received !
total of $266,00O and according to the
report of Examiner Cox, had $4,000 on |
hand. That gave you s304,000 to run
your city. Now can't you run OttumWa
on that. 1t costs you at your present |
figures, $1,000 per day to run this city,
including Sunday. Why we run Rock
ford on $305,000 and the city is almost
twice as large as Ottumwa.
Tax Rate Illegal.
do you know what tax rate you peO-
pie are paying here. 1t is 1O5 mills. The
state law provides for 100 mills. There
fore you people are paying five mills
more than you are required. If you want
to. just tell the assessor or the tax col
lector the next time to just strike off
that extra five mills because you won't
paw 1t. He will do 1t and not say
word. You don't have to pay it. The
rate is Illegal. Listen to me men, the
assessor has told me that if every per-
son in this town would pay his full
share of the taxes, that the tax rate
would be reduced to 81 mills. Now just |
think Of that. Your city gets, or did get,
I believe, about $4,000 from the sa-
looms. Now the saloon men take in
100000. These men who are advocat-
ing saloons for city revenue say that
there is no other way to gain that $685.
900 than by robbing the people Of this
100000. Make these men who are not
paying their taxes, their full share,
come across and you will not have any
need of saloons and you will find your
taxes reduced"