Omaha daily bee., 1885-01-08
THE TAN sHURKERS,
Some Reflections on the Unjust Node
OF Taxation in this state.
To the Editor of The BEE.

time tor the citizens OF Nebraska to begin
to think of what they would wish it to do
this session. | would suggest one very
important matter, the %remodcling of our
present system of taxation and get it in
such n shape as to cause every man to be
taxed and every II topay his own taxes.
This would reduce the taxes of the farmers
about one-half. The farmers property is
all exposed to the view of the assessor and
all his property is assessed. Not only
that, but if he only owns one-fouith of
the farm it is all assessed to him, and he
pays the taxes out of his 10 cent corn and
SO. 80 pork, which is not much above the
cost of raising it, while the party who
owns the other portion of the farm or
property is drawing his ten per cent in
terest and pays no taxes. Should some
honest man loan n little money in the
county in which he lives and holds notes
for the same he is assessed ON the money
that purchased property for which another
has been assessed and pays taxes for,
giving q good excuse to those who are
|loaning out their thousands annually but
never think of paying taxes on their notes
to say we are taxed on our notes and you
cannot expect us to pay on the property.
In reality there is scarcely any taxes paid
that is not paid on the property by the
borrower, and what little is paid is double
paid and consequently unjust. Our wise
pocketheaded men will say this taxation
question is n very ditficul5 thing to handle
and we cannot better it because most of
the notes that represent property in Ne
bfaska are in Boston, New York or some
o11o, G., ~ o,,,r+,, o,,l ,rn ~,,n xnonl,
the notes, to which l would say, then
take the notes to hades if they want to.
The note only shows that he has trans
fered some property into the state of Ne
braska. 1t matters not whether 1t IS
money, q mule, a patent churn or n jack
ass-that properly belongs to the state of
Nebraska and their every dollar should be
taxed for the purpose of keeping up the
state government for 1.-THE protection of
said property, And who should pay the
taxes on the jackass? the man who
owns him or theman who
drives him. But shylock or his tool
| will say if we make the capitalist pay taxes
on their own money, they will get mad
and will not loan any mo!e money and
will foreclose the mortgages and ruiA the
country. This could be answered by the
farmers with just as much reason. We
will not sell you another bushel of corn,
wheat, oats, potatoes, hogs, beef, or any
farm product unless the money %loaning
class will pay our taxes. Which is the
most absurdl Money locked up in a vault
is of no more use than a farm would be il
it was fenced all round and no person al.
lowed to put a foot upon it. Interest OF
money is the capitalists living, and with
out the interest he would starve, as the
farmer would s arve if his fam was no
cultivated, and the p ice of his product i
re gulated by what laboring or any bust
ness men of the country can afford to pa,
out of their earnings. Should farmea
combine to make them pay more thai
their income would afford, they would b
tyrants, and as tyrants should be treated
And so I say if the money lenders continu
to combine as a body to compel the Dor
rowing class to pay such a rate of interes
that Id going to take all they can max
and have already reduced them to pov
,, erty, l say they would be tyrants anc
should be treated as such. Every owne
of property should have the privilege Q
giving into the assessor the amount O
borrowed money on his property, an
that money should be assessed in pro
j ton as the land whether it was one third
two thirds, or one half, and the borrowe
should charge the same to the loaner a
the time of settlement on interest
Every man should be sworn to what h.
owned on the first Of April, 80 as not t.
give a chance of changing property, 81
that the assessor will find untaxabl,
lands instead CT money or notes, and the
same lands at several places.
1t will take just as much care to maxi
!, laws to catch the tax shirker getting ava,
!, with what he owes the state as 1t Is t.
prevent the burglar to get away will
+ what you owe should you have it LOCKED
up. Some men think others sharp 1
they can beat the assessor, and shirk
their taxes, not thinking that with other
they have to make 1t up, like the negr'
, who saw a pick-pocket take hi
wife's money and kept still abou
it thinking it WAS a good joke or his wife
, Of course the money-loaning class vii
/ say these thoughts originated in the brazil
. of some crank and are not practicable
as they said of slavery that it was a bio
on the nations honor, but 1t could not b
gotten rid of. At last a few boys in blu
8 showed them all about it. The farmer
Q and business men of, the state shoul
meet once a week for the the next fveo
J, six weeks to diacuss all measures brough
before the legislature, and to original
o whatever they considered best and in
g struct their representatives how to vot
on bills introduced. Corporations are a.
. ways en- the watch with Hobbies an
money, and if the farmers do not loo
out for their interest they may expect t
get left. Every precinct should send
least one representative to the stat
: farmers alliance, to he held at Llncol
d on January 9th. Fares on the b. an
and U. p. are only one aud one.fourt
fare for the round trip to members emit
tied to seats in the state fsrmers' all
a ance. NEBRASKA FARMER.
ell The Hedemptorists.
Ie ST, JOHN, N. f., January THE REDEEM
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