Show What Is Next for Chic Chicago g 4 Unjust Taxes to Blame BlaIne for Dilemma Fifteen Billions Untaxed Editors Editor's Note Chicago Is not alone alonen I in n its us financial muddle A score of major American cities arc arc drifting towards towards to to- wards the same bog The Chicago crisis may be duplicated over all the thc country This concluding instalment of ot a series of stories about Chicago's Chicago s plight tells how and why taxpayers went on strike precipitating the city eity into its struggle against bankrupt bank bank- rupt y By RAY BLACK United Press Staff Correspondent Co Copyright jOY 1932 by br United Iresa CHICAGO Jan 15 UP UP-A UP A taxpayers taxpayers' tax tax- payers payers' revolt brought Chicago to the brink arink of bankruptcy Taxes are too high assessments are arc unfair home owners shopkeepers ers and business men protested Vie V wont won't pa pay They did not pay More than in taxes for the last four years remains unpaid While 83 88 per percent percent cent of the 1928 1926 taxes was sent in only 65 per cent of ot the 1929 assessments assessments assess assess- ments was met and the 1930 and 1931 tax ax statements lie on the city treasurers treasurer's treasurers treasurer's treas treas- users user's desks unsent The muddle dates from a reassessment reassessment reassess reassess- ment a few years ago Middle class folk complained that in personal property trust estates bank deposits and other holdings of the rich had been left off oft the tax rolls Irate rate home owners organized retained re rc- re- re tamed attorneys A test case was brought in behalf behal of ot Mrs 1 Lillian CIsar an Oak Park widow Sh She refused to pay taxes on her home because the assessment was unfair I COURT SAYS UNFAIR County Judge Edmund K Jarecki heard the case Scandalous and a crying shame he hc said of ot the tax apportionment What can be fair about an assessment assess assess- ment that deliberately omits of taxable wealth Judge Jarecki declared the 1928 and 1929 tax rolls void Since the I 1930 roll was based on that of 1923 1928 It also presumably is illegal The decision was appealed to the Illinois supreme court this week Unless the high court reverses Judge Jarecki the whole taxing scheme of the city and county will have to be revamped before taxpayers can be compelled to pay Last Tuesday Superior Judge Charles A A. Williams issued a writ of mandamus compelling the board of review to place the ol or personal property in the thc tax lists If the supreme court upholds that order order or or- der enough valuation would be added added added add add- ed to cut the tax rate in half halt But how soon the complicated d tangle tangle tangle tan tan- gle of ot suits appeals and writs can be cleared up so money will actually start pouring into municipal coffers again is problematical The state legislature meeting in special session session ses sos sion Lion to pass laws to remake the tax machinery is at logger heads One relief bill was killed in a test vote It will vill be reconsidered next week REVOLT LEGALLY SANCTIONED As the matter stands citizens howled about their taxes refused to pay them and a court upheld them They are in revolt with legal sanc sane tion Appeals of officials and civic lead lead- ers that homeowners pay now j trust to later court rUlings for tor 2 r apportionment have gone cone unheeded Not a 1 cent in taxes has been I rii Md aId M since Judge JareckI's ruling The Chicago o Tribune in an ant j. j tonal headed A Stout Thief Thiel St Starved o on Jackass placed the In these words The voters elected ejected official steal the public funds The officials stole stoic the funds To replenish them they raised taxation and d st stole Ic mo funds Theft Thelt and taxation climbed to to- gether Corruption and colla collate were twins from one cradle cradIc This impossible structure of era graft was about to fall of ot Its own weight when bad times came to take thi the taxpayer on the tho other flank That settled it In Chicago the very n ma for levying taxes had to break down under Its us sins sine Other Oiher cities went to ruin without that add add- ed cd cause American democracy has given its demagogic and dishonest political system enough rope but the sy system has hung not itself but the democracy Charlatans of ot reform brainless wind bags greedy almoners sour bigots bigo and fat scoundrels have crossed the country as a plague of ot locusts and the thc fields are arc bare Whatever the cause the crisis grows hourly more acute There Therea isa fc is a tenseness even where want coi cold and hunger have not yet laid clutch Knowing that hundreds of thousands are from meal to meal by charity the millions who iho have not yet Jet suffered have be begun un to wonder r. r Will we be bo next if the city goes under is a question none can answer an now |