Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-06-26
IBy Ora wlliams.l

| Icy ora Wulams.J
Des Moines, June 26.-When the leg.
islature Of Iowa adjourned a rough es.
| innate was made to the effect that the
tax levies for strictly state purposes
| would be reduced the next two years
| 1t is not yet possible to make any fair
estimate of the size of the tax levy
| 1t depends upon the work of the as
SCISSORS, the boards of review, and the
| state assessing board. the work Of all
| these determining the net taxable val
ue of property in the state. The ag-
gregate OF taxes levied for all state
! purposes Tor 1911 was s..6Sii,;;..ss. This
includes not only the $2.700.000 for
general state revenue but all the mill
age taxes for the use Of the state such
as for the colleges and extension work
The total to be raised this year and
next is trifle over 100000 each
year. 1t Is certain the valuation on
which the levy Is made will be raised.
Hence ii is certain there will be very
material reduction.
The levieS for state purposes
amounted to 40 mills this year; on the
same valuation, AZ would be enough
for next year. As the valuation is
raised the rate will decrease and this
decrease may put it below / mills.
The state tax levies will appear as
three levies next year instead of half
dozen or more as in the past. There
remains of the capitol extension a re-
qulrement for levy, but to raise the
amount needed will take less than l y
tenths of mill levy each year. Then
the legislature directed that for the
state educational institutions there
shall be levied tax that Will raise ST.
96s.600 q year; also another for the
general revenues OF the state to raise
So 100. a0a a year The order for these
latter two levies went into one bill. but
is in separate sections. SO that it would
seen to ethe intent that the two be
kept separate on the tax receipts
There can be no possible excuse for
this, however. since the college ap-
preparations are made without refer
ence to any levy and of what is levied
for them proves insufficient they will
get the remainder out of the general
funds OF the state. So the council may
decide upon just making one general
tax levy for the state to cover the
three items, or at least two of the
items.
But the fact remains there will be an
actual reduction of 10 per cent in the
aggregate of money collected by state
taxation for legitimate state expenses
in 1915 and 1916 as compared with ca oh
of the previous years. This does not
mean, however. there will be an actual
reduction in the state expenditures for
the biennial period. AS has been so
often pointed out, there is great dan
ger of confusion as between state taxes
and state expenditures. The two are
not AT all synonymous
II is reported there have been two
rather interesting matters developed in
regard TO the Rainsbargers in recent
months, bearing on their application
for clemency, One or the other may be
the determining factor IN this famous
case II will be recalled that within
recent months. Mrs. Johnson. widow of
the man for whose murder these men
are serving life sentence. died Any
dying statement from her about the
case would at least be illumining. An
effort was made TO secure from her a
statement But 1t transpires not only
that 10 such statement was made but
that persons very much interested in
keeping the Rainsbargers in prison
made 1t an impossiblity for Mrs. John
son to make any statement or for any
one to see her at a time when a state
ment from her would have value Es-
pecial pains were taken to see to 1t
there was no opportunity for those in
terested in the case to get TO the
widow. It is assumed there must have
been some motive In this The other
point is in relation to the alibi which
i, was sought to be established for the
Rainsbaryers al the time Of the hoUli-
eide. Ii will be recalled that when
Governor Carroll passed on the case he
made It OF record that there was
serious discrepancy between the claims
made by the defendants at the time of
the trial and the official records in re-
gard TO a certain mortgage. The claim
was made that the Rainsbargers made
certain journey to look after a debt;
then 1t was shown that, according to
the records. the debt and mortgage
were paid prior to that time. The in
ference was that the story told by the
defendants was false, or at least in one
important particular was wrong, hence
the whole story was discredited 1t
has always been a good deaf OF mys-
terry as 10 why. If the records existed
at the time of the trial with which to
disprove the story told. the records