The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-01-24
How CAPITAL AVOIDS TAXATION.

VIM. H. Vanderbilt, the president of
the New York Central, makes out that
he has no personal property subject to
tax; that his debts equal the entire value
of his property. Does man who owns
a mortgaged farm escape taxes because
the mortgage equals the value of the
farm? No, he pays taxes on the farm
just as if it were not mortgaged. As
the New York Tribune sums it up:
Here is the master and virtual owner
of the Harlem, Hudson River, New York
Central, Lake Shore and Michigan Cen
trail railroads, which connect the. two
great cities of the United States-New
York and Chicago-and run through
the richest and most populous part of
this country; the owner of a controlling
share in the stock of the great telegraph
monopoly-the Western Union; the heir
of $95, 000, 900 from his father; the holder
of a mortgage for $a3 900, 900 on the Cen
trail railroad; the protector and probably
the owner OF fleet of ocean freight steam
ers; the owner of stable of trotting
horses which almost rivals Boomers in
speed and cost; the man who is collect
ing at fabulous prices the choice or al
legged choice productions of foreign art
lists, MISSIONER among them; the house
holder who lives in princely style and
who, because he is crippled for room in
his present quarters, purchased for $780,
600 property on Fifth avenue on which
to erect q residence grander than any
New York now contains-this person de-
clares under oath that after his debts are
all paid he has no personal property, and
cannot pay any taxes. Taxpayers, pom
der on this fact Mr. Vanderbilt has no
personal property. He swears to that.
His railroads earn $12,00O,OO0 per an
mum, but he Is penniless. If MIR. Van
derbilt could be induced to bear his
share of the public burdens and if the of
flcers whose duty it is to see that he
does so would compel him to pay up,
how much lighter would the burdens of
the ordinary taxpayers be! The most
urgent reform is to compel our great mo-
nopolies to pay up. viii the public
awake?
The LeavenwOrth Times adds: Such
is the condition of affairs to-day, not
only in New York but throughout the
whole country. In our own conmuni-
ty it is not different. The poor, who
own nothing but their little homes, have
to bear all the burdens of the govern
ment, while the rich, and the great cor
porations, manage to evade the taxes in
one way or another, and go compare
lively free. That's what makes the burden
of government so enormous in this city
and county. If every man could pay
according to the value of what he owns,
and every corporation could be made to
pay on its property in the same proper
ton that the poor man now pays, our
per cent of taxation could be reduced
fully one half
ALI true-true as holy writ But what
are the people going to do about it?
Suppose member of congress, for in
stance, undertakes to right this great
wrong. Suppose he fights bank, rail
road, and other corporate interests on
behalf of the people, and votes for laws
designed to force capital to bear its share
of taxation. What do the people do
with that kind of member of congress
They turn him out of Office and put some
one in who will talk politics, and 'let
these complicated financial questions
take care of themselves" Politics is
what the tax payers want, and politics,
and all the burden of taxation, is what
they rpf