The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-03-15
PROGRESSIVE TAXATION.

The Labor Reformers If Parke County,
Indiana, have presented the following bill
to the Indiana Legislature
TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY o. THE STATE oF
INDIANA:
Your memorialists-La Labor Reform Union
Of Parke County. Indiana, herewith submit
a bin for your careful and earnest considera-
ton, providing for Progressive Tax.
We submit with it. also, some Of our rea-
sons for believing it constitutional, equitable,
and expedient We ask and belive that you
will receive and consider it IN the same can
did, respectful but earnest spirit in winch
We offer 1t
A BILL
To t,rori,le for q Progressic, Tar on The
taraJles of Indiaaa. and for sgJmittiny hs
same 10 ths Leg1i rOters for ratification Or re-
jection, and repeating an acts and parts 81
acts, ~ CONFLICT ,rah the provisions Of this act.
SECTION 1 Be it enacted Nv the General
Assembly of the State Of Indiana, That al
their June Term, the Board Of commissioners
shall levy the several taxes required for
legitimate purposes, on the one hundred dol
lars valuation
SEC 2 Tie County Auditor, in making
up the Tax Duplicate shall, IN extending the
tax against each taxpayer proceed by the
following rule The rate per hundred dol
lars levied by the Commissioners shall con
stitute the first term each one hundred dol
lars valuation, and fractional part thereof Of
fifty dollars or over, assessed against one tax
payer, shall constitute the number of terms ,
and one cent shall constitute the common
difference 81 an arithmetical progression and
the sum Of all the terms shall constitute Pro
gTessive Rates. And to the land holding tax
payer there shall be added to the foregoing
rates ratio obtained as follows The first
term shall be zero each acre Of land and
fractional part thereof ot tifty-hundredths amt
over. assessed against one owner, shall constI-
tute the number OF terms one mill shall
constitute the common difference, 81 an
Arithmetical Progression. and the sum Of all
the terms shall constitute the Progressive
ratio aforesaid In extending the Prugressiy X
Tax, such per cent. Of the sum 81 the ratio
to each tax payer shall be taken for such tax
as the total tax required on the total tax
abes Of the county, is Of the grand sum Of
all the ratios on the duplicate.
SIC 3 Where any tax payer shall own
land in two or more townships III the county.
the number of acres shall all he counted In
one sum when determining the number Of
terms Of his Arithmetical Prog essiOn on land.
SIC l. Each tax payer shall lie assessed
in his own name with all tho taxables owned
by him ia the county, and the value thereof
aggreg tted into one sum, including his inter
est in any partnership company OF corpora
ton Heirs to estate shall be assessed
each with his Or her share when the same IS
definitely knswn, but no taxpayer shall Os-
~. n. T..
children or others, for the purpose of evading
the provisions Of tins act and. upon convic-
ton Of such evasion, before any court Of cum
petent jurisdiction he shall forfeit to the sew
sral purposes Of taxation, double the amount
II the tax - evaded. Ia case " correction Of
enormous assessments the same per cent. of
the corrected ratio shall De taken for
the tax, as was taken in making up the duph-
Gates
SEC. 5 The taz shall be distributed to the
several purposes Of taxation on the basis Of
the value OF the county. townships, o. cor
pOratluus.
SEC g. In distrainlng property for taxes,
no greater amount Of partnership, company
or corporation property shall be taken than Is
owned BY the delinquent tax payer thus dis
trained
Sc. 7. All acts, and parts Of acts, in con
hict with the provisioneof this act, are hereby
repealed such repeal 10 take effect at the
time this act goes into effect.
SEC g. This act shall be submitted to the
legal voters OF this State at the October cleo
ton ia 1874. for their ratification or rejection
Those voting ON the proposition shall have
on their ballots " For the Progressive Tax.
or q Against the Progressive Tax. II ma
jorty Of the votes thus cast shall be for the
" Progressive Tax, tins act shall take effect
on the lst day Of January, 1875.
Your memOrialsts have observed that the
United States Government and some Of the
State Governments have been At great pains
and expense to gather and publish statistics Of
population. going into the minutest details Of
the constituent elements thereof and have
gwen the most elaborate exhibit Of the pro
ducts Of agriculture and manufactures Bat to
the unequal and what is worse. the meguitaLle,
distribution of these products among the PEG
pie, there has been little no attention qy-
en-. The inquiries into this feature of-the sub
ject have been made almost, If not entirely.
by individuals
The great inequality in the possession o.
the fruits Of industry that now exists, is not
due to the difference in the power and viii
hngness to produce, but to the ability to dc-
guire, or the fortune to inherit
We believe it is quite as much matter Of
interest to the producing classes, to inquire
into the grossly inequitable distribution, the
causes thereof and the remedy therefor, as to
inquire into the great rdrietisS and amounts
produced
We do not ask for nor desire an aggrarian
law or condition. But we desire, ask and
work for a check against the opposite, more
unjust, undemocratic and unrepublican ex-
treme, aggregated wealth.
We observe that men generally do not grow
benevolent, charitable and public spirited m
proportion to their acquired means TO be so,
but great possessions seems to foster the OPP
posite tendency in an inverse ratio to the
means, when we consider their giriags as
per cent Of their possessions Aggregated
wealth is not held, in any sense, by its pos
SCISSORS in trust for the non possessed, mot to
say in great degree the dispossessed.)
The lives Of most Of us from the beginning
to the end, is . struggle for existence. We
struggle hard with nature for the means