The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-10-15

ond Class Man Mattsr.
Goodrich on Taxation
What can be done to stop the increase OF
taxes?'
That is a question every Indiana business
man is asking today
With tax increase of two hundred per cent
In Indiana during the past twenty years the I'M
portance Of prompt application OF some practical
common sense method Of regulating the states
taxing power cannot be too greatly emphasized
Everyone agrees that the condition is no
longer tolerable," said James P. Goodrich of Win
chester the other day, in clear-sighted lntelll-
gent and comprehensive address dealing entirely
with the menace of continually initiating taxa
ton which confronts the people of Indiana. lis
there remedy for il? The tax doctors do not all
agree, but running through all the discussion one
can detect common ground upon which all
stand, and that is that condition precedent
to any intelligent revision of the tax laws of this
state, there must come an amendment to our con-
stitution that will permit the classification OF
property"
Mr. Goodrich accurately declares that under
the existing system Of taxation one-half of Ind
iana's wealth is taxed today, while the other half
the "intangible' taxables, are free.
Such condition of affairs brings to mind a
sage utterance once made by the late Benjamin
Harrison: 1.-The preservation of the principle of
a proportionate contribution, according to the
true value of what each man has, to the public
expense is essential to the maintenance of our
free institutions and OF peace and good order IN
our land"
hat 49,
to the root of our taxing evils to find remedy
for them. His advice to begin the work of pro-
viding fair and equal taxation system by
amending the state constitution is sound logic.
With that strange, inexplicable lack of COM
prehension of public needs frequently noted
among self governing peoples, the voters of In
diana a year ago. while loudly and insistently
demanding relief from excessive and unfair tax.
alton, rejected the plan of calling constitutional
convention to revise the basic law in accordance
with modern conditions.
1T is apparent, if this condition is to contin-
ue, that the burden of the entire support of the
state will fall upon the owners of lands, improve
ments and other tangible property that can be
readily exposed to the view of the assessor. Sc
alarming has this condition become to all
thoughtful persons that the revision of the tax
system of Indiana has become question of first
importance to every citizen" Mr.. Goodrich said
in his timely discussion of the taxation question
"Our present tax law enacted in 1891. Al
that time it was regarded one of the best tax
laws of the country. It is what is known as the
general property tax and in theory is intended
to place upon the tax duplicate all property, tan.
gible and intangible, at it's true cash value. Prior
to it's enactment the tax laws of Indiana were in
chaotic condition. each county, in fact each
township in the state assessing its property
without regard to the rule custom followed in
other townships and without the supervision OF
either county or state board. The result was
that gross irregularities appeared in the assess.
ment of the property. Real estate was assessed
in one county at ten per cent of it's value, in an.
other twenty-five, perhaps in another fifty
Railroad property and public service corporations
were assessed without rhyme or reason, in some
counties being assessed at from two to five times
as much as property of the same value was
assessed in another county in the state. This
resulted in the owners of property in the differ.
ent counties contributing unequally to the sup
port of the state and led to the enactment of the
law of 1891.
This law placed under the control of the
State Tax Board the assessment of all railroads
nterurbans, telegraph, telephone, express, cal