The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1919-03-14


wide as church door. but us
enough; tA.il serve"
Enough we're adopted TO make
heavy raise OF taxes all along the line,
for It was not only state taxation that
was increased. but also local AVIATION
in dozens Of forms " withstanclng
the burden OF war taxes that still rest
on the public. and must do so Tor
some years. new and special taxes
were imposed. old rates were in
creased. assessment valuation was
put TO 100 per cent. and IL was even
attempted TO legalize the violation OF
the constitutional debt limit And in
all OF this there was no consistency.
AS TO objects. IL may be noted that
while s25.vOO was appropriated for a
monument to Charles ". Fairbanks.
II was proposed to give So. 800 for e
memorial to our fallen soldiers In the
late war. While there was great soil
citude about limiting the taxes on in
tangibles by their reasonable in
comeproducing value lhe tax on
dogs. which produce no income. and
majority OF which have "a market
value OF less than 81. was made s.
10 Sc.
Democratic Minority Only Stop.
What Is more. the chief restraining
influence was the mocratic minor
ity. 1t Is well known that the pro
German sentiment was 50 strong with
the Republican machine that no real
prohibition VI German teaching would
have been made but for the Demo
Gratis standing by their platform
pledge against Il. II is also under
stood that the 'rhrowdown~ Of the
prohbitionists Wn 4 SOP u the Ger
mans for their 'throVdown on the
teaching proposition. relying on the
theory that Shumaker and hanly. the
dry" leaders. are such hidebOuud
| Republicans that they will stand for
anything that Is handed 20 then
/ Moreover. nobody knows what has
got through the MILL. nor will know
for several months. From the first,
the old legislative trick OF holding
I back action on bills 20 force compro-
misses was resorted 10, 10 an extent
never before known. with the result
that the last days OF the session were
reached with practically nothing done
Then bills were rushed through with
out consideration. and that is where
legislative trfcksters G., in their
work. IL will not be cafe for anyone
TO believe IL il not as bad as II might
have been. until the last county IN
heard from. kn the Senate. >Sills were
put on passage. .withouts reading. In
bunches OF dozen at stime. and all
voted on al once In direct violation
Of Sec Is, Art OF the state Consti.
tuition.
Herorr7 az 0tH Jonah.
The Republican <newspapers have
already begun congratulating the pub
lie on the passage Or the reform tax
law" bot IN reality there is no reform
IN n. The general complaint Of the
old law was that irtsnrbles escaped
taxation under II. By being concealed.
After a desperate effort to provide
for their taxation st a merely nomi-
nal rate. the interests that own them
shrewdly made O compromise that
leaves them Just where they were.
The provisions for making them non
collecuble in The courts II not entered
for taxation, and for the employment
OF tax ferets. we're dropped al the
last hour. and the people who have
been seQuestering their money, stocks
and bonds can 20 ahead Just as they
have been doing. The intangibles
that got or to the tax duplicate were
valued higher than any other kind OF
property. but the trouble was that
they belonged 20 widows and orphans.
and to people who were not smooth
enough 20 conceal them.
4 II is easy to see what will be the
result OF this law. The total taIables
OF the state IN 1912 were s2.is9,523.-
sos. Of which si.3se. 1ss.s75 was real
estate. $4,000. 900 Tangible PERSONAL
property. $3.50. 100000 intangibles, and
s2sO,o00. 900 railroad and other cor
poration property. BY the report OF
the tax commission. which agrees
with other authenties. real estate IS
now assessed On the average at less
than 40 per cent OF true value; an
gible personality OF 20 per cent. and
intangibles az ~ per cent. II they are