The Placer herald., 1873-05-31
EQUAL AND UNIFORM TAXATION.

EQUAL AND UNIFORM TAXATION.
Equal taxation is what all men should
strive for, so that the burthens of govern
ment should fall equally upon property. A
good government protects both person and
property, and hence the man with his mil.
lion should pay million times more taxes
than he who owns only dollar. On this
doctrine all honest men must agree. To tbis
pr rnciple of taxation we always have ad-
hered and always shall. We have gone
even so far as to contend that Federal bond
holders should be taxed on the bonds they
hold. We have always coniended that
when house, farm or any other property
was morfgaged that deduction on the val
ue Of the property to the amount Of tie
lien should be made to the party in posses
sion. To be more specific, if A. owns
farm worth $4,000, but has bor-
rowed 81 900 from B. to pay for it, then A.
should be taxed on 81 ,OC0 aid B. on ST.
GOO, because that is just what each Of them
own in the farm. If B. refuses to pay
then let A. pay all, and give him lie ga
credit for the taxes he has paid for B. on
the mortgage or lien B. holds against him,
and hus both pay en- just what they have
invested in the properly. just such bill
was pending in the last Legislature, intro
duced, we believe, by Mr.. Gildea, of Ell Do
RADIO, and we advocated it in the HERALD
until it was finally defeated. The fault Of
the present law is that it makes the party in
possession pay the taxes on the full value ci
the farm OF other property, though he may
owe for it all that it is worth Such a law
as the above would stand the test Of the
courts, Lcause it would not be double taxa
lon, and would reach the real interest that
each party owns in the property. The late
decision Of the Supreme Court is based Oh
his fact. A farmer lo:rows money from
banker and buys farm. The farmer real
ly has nothing, yet the old law taxes him for
the full value of ihe farm lie has given n
mortgage on the land, containing provision
that if the mortgage is taxed, he, the farm
er, shall also pay the taxes on the mortgage,
md this makes him pay double taxation on
the land, and yet he has no properly in the
world that is his own. This is the law that =,
says the Supreme Court, does enforce double
taxation on The poor man. A. torrows 81, >
OOO from B. and gives his note for IT.; the
Assessor finds the 81 900 in a.. possession
and puts it down, but A. says, l owe for
this money; very well, says the Assessor,
YOU pay me the taxes, and charge the
amount to b. ., and the law makes it n legal
payment on B. S note. So, when A. comes
to pay b. and take up the note, he only
pays what the note calls for less the taxes
Here has been no double taxation and B.
has paid the whole taxes in the end and that
is right, because lie was the real owner OF
The money, and ought 10 have paid the
taxes. This is the law we demanded and
worked for, and if it had passed the Su-
preme Court would have held it constitu-
tonal, and all ahis discussion now avoided
This is the kind of law that will compel ev.
cry man to pay taxes on just what he ii
worth and no more. and this is just the knt
of law we have been contendng for and vii
contnue IN contend for IL seens IN n,
that the above is 70 plain that no man OIL
child can misM'derstand us or disagree will
us unless be is opposed to fair and equa
taxation.