Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-02-07
Copyright, 1920. I. r. B.

The republican state committee says:
mo one will attempt to deny that the
present tax law was enacted to carry out
in letter and spirit a solemn covenant
made with the people of Indiana by the
republican party in the campaign of
1915"
If the republican committee was as
candid today as some of the present
candidates for nomination on the party's
own ticket it might well add:
"No one may attempt to deny that the
present tax law has failed to carry out
either in letter or spirit the solemn
covenant made with the people Of Indiana
by the republican party in the cam
paign of 1916"
The republican state committee defines
that covenant as follows:
I'm the first place, the party asserted
its belief in q constitutional limitation
on the tax rate. In the second place, IL
pledged itself to give to the legislature
the power to provide effective tax re-
form. In the third place, 1t pledged
itself upon the adoption of an amend
ment limiting the tax rate and giving
the legislature power to provide effective
tax reform, the enactment Of legislation
that would bring an equality in assess
ments"
Now let us see what parts of this
covenant have been carried out in the
enactment of the greatest achievement
since the Civil war"
It must be conceded that the party
retained its belief in a constitutional
limitation on the tax rate. In Indiana
the constitution has grown to be so
little respected that it is common to
other
whats the constitution among friends"
Any measure that can be safely tucked
away in the constitution meets with in
slant approval for the very reason that
the republicans realize the futility of
seeking to amend the constitution sand
know that any expression of approval of
constitutional amendment will never
come back home to roost.
at pledged itself to give to the leg
isIature the power to provide effective
tax reform" Has the republican
party added one iota of power to the
legislature since ii has been in Office
Has it given the legislature the power TO
provide effective tax reform?
II such power has been given to the
legislature. where isGthe effective tax re-
form =? Certainly It is not in the greatest
achievement since the Civil war" for
both the governor and the committee
admit that the plain and single pur-
pose" Of that law has not been &C
complished and assessments are not now
based on the true cash value of property
Last. but by no means least, the re-
publican committee says the party
pIedg ed itself to the enactment Of leg
islation that would bring about an
equality in assessments"
But as q preamble to that pledge II
inserted a time clause which makes the
pledge contingent on "the adoption Of
an amendment limiting the tax rate and
giving the legislature power to provide
effective tax reform"
Did the republican party keep this
pledge to bring about can equality in
assessments?" You know It did not You
know the constitution was not amended
and you see here very plainly that the
republican party had no intention Of
bringing about "equalIties in assess
ments without a constitutional amend
ment.
The unvarnished facts are that the re-
publican party pledged itself in 1915 to
bring about a constitutional amendment,
failed to do so in 1917 and 1919 enacted
law which the republican committee
now says Is:
"The best tax law that could be de
yised under the constitution as It now
stands"
This is the last word OF the republican
party on tax legislation
In the year 1920, with the school sys-
tenn Of the state crippled through the