The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-04-05
tCommunioated.l
UNEQUAL Taxation.

Nearly all the farmers and n great
many newspapers are harping about
the unjustneSs of the tax law passed by
the last Legislature. Why do the
farmers complaint 1t is the first tax
law that has ever been enacted in the
State that came near what it ought to
be. When the assessor comes around
and begins to question a good farmer
about the quantity and value of his
corn and bacon, he holds up his hands
in holy horror and says: what you
are not gong to assess the labor of
farmers-their corn and hogs-are
youf" 'Of course / am; that's the
tdtc,n says the assessor. Then the
farmer chimes in again: "Well, it is
an outrageous law that would tax the
corn of a farmer after me has paid taxes
on the ground itself. and there is no
business IN any such way OF DOING
Exactly so. He thinks that farmers
should make all the corn and cotton
and bacon they possibly can, and
have 1t exempt from taxation. Now,
| will submit the reasoning upon the
subject to any fair minded man who
can see beyond his own smoke house
door, and l think convince him that
the law upon the subject is just what
1t should be. Suppose farmer puts
$1,000 upon his farm in the way of
stock, implements, seeds, ETC., and
realizes from that amount of money
and his labor $4,000 worth of produce,
should he not pay taxes upon IT'D Why
should his labor he exempted from
taxation any more than that of any
other MANI Now, to extend the illus
tration a little farther, suppose, at the
same time the farmer invest his $1,000
on his farm, a lawyer or doctor in
vests $1,000 in a library of books nee
essary to his profession, and hangs
out his shingle, and adYertises to
"bleed" or "kilr people, as the
case may be, and by some
fortuitous streak he should happen to
make $500 over and above his $40 oc-
cupation tax (Which the farmer don't
have to pay and his vIctuals and
clothes, does the farmer think it right
to tax that five hundred OF course
he does; but he don't want his $4,000
worth of produce taxed. Whyl Be-
cause he worked for it. Now, to
come right down to "brass tacks," it
looks like the hollow reasoning and
seltishness of the farmers on this sub
ject amounts almost to obstinacy and
meanness. All professional men have
to pay an occupation tax, and If
they are fortunate enough to make
that much, their friends are not
called upon to shell out for them.
The lawyer, the doctor, the mer-
chant, all pay taxes upon their real cs
tate as well as the farmers do, besides
an occupation tax, which the farmer is
perfect stranger to. Then, why
should there be any distinction il favor
of the labor of one man over that of
another9 The first thing the assessor
says when he happens in on you is,
"how much money have you on handp
And if he has but twenty-five dollars
he carefully puts that Gown TO him;
Wien, if the man accosted be lawyer
or doctor, and one of his farmer clients
or patients happens to be present he
will say to himself, GO for his TWEEN
ty-ffve dollars, but don't you tax my
b"O bilOdS1uu vi DSCduSC
| made that by hard ticks, and farmers
should not be treated in any such way"
Taxes are not equal, as they should be.
The occupation tax should be abro-
gated, and then all kinds of property
should be taxed, exempting nothing.
Then it will be equal on all.
The farmer will say, "Why, the law
taxes my hog one year and the bacon
made of the same hog the next year"
That is right. The sooner he eats his
hogs the sooner he gets rid of the tax
es on them, and the same rule will APP
ply equally to his horses and cows.
The bacon had just as well be taxed as
the $50 lawyer, doctor or merchant
happened to have on the first day of
January, which was afterwards invest
ed In that amount of bacon, less the
amount of tax on it.
$40. A FARMER.