Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-08-15
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JOnn DE witt warner In favOr OF AbOI-
ishing Personal Property Taxes.
Last Thursday evening John De Witt
Warner delivered an interesting address
to the Manhattan single tax club on
''The liberation of personal property
from taxation" He promised his re-
marks by asserting that every commun-
ity should have the right to say how it
should raise the money to support itself
and pay its dues to the State and gener-
al governments. In his opinion direct
taxation was the fairest ethod, though
there were many people who did not
think so.
Money must be raised to support gov
eminent, said Mr.. Warner, and the
question for us to consider is how it can
best be raised so as to fall equally on all
citizens in proportion to the advantages
they receive from the community. Is
our present method good enough? l
think not. The system of taxing per-
sonal property is universally conceded
to be failure, opening the door to
fraud, robbery and blackmail. Honest
men pay it; but men who are willing to
lie always escape. We can not reach
personal property to tax it. Read the
daily report of bank deposits; you will
see that they amount to more than the
entire sum on which personal property
taxes are paid. A fire in one of our
large down town stores shows, in the
estimate of loss incurred, how immense
must be the amount of personal
property in goods in .his city
subject to tax. but on which no tax
is collected. A fire in Fifth or Madi-
son avenue mansion shows how great is
the amount in furniture and articles of
house adornment which also failed to be
taxed. And even when assessors do try
to reach pcrsonsal property-when they
go behind the oath of the person liable
to taxation-and find property not in
cluded in the saskatchewan then it is
almost impossible to collect the tax.
Some years ago, despite his oath that
the value of his personal property
amounted to only some nominal sum,
the assessors, on facts in their possess
sion, assessed the late William ii. Van
derbilt on IS, 600, ZOO. He was cornered,
it is true; but he said he wouldn't pay
it, because there were other people, to
his positive knowledge, who were rich
but who did not pay cent personal
taxes. And in the end the matter was
compromised on a basis of 81, 000 000
which all will agree was not ten per
cent. of the value of the taxable person.
al property held by him. lie wasn't al
together wrong in refusing to pay the
tax-nobody pays it If they can help it
The truth about this thing is, every
body knows that the personal property
tax is humbug. The bureau for the
collection of personal taxes is nothing
more nor less than bureau authorized
by law to levy blacllmail on our citizens.
1t rarely makes return to the city; and
half dozen times within comparatively
a few years it has been robbed by the
officials conducting it.
New York City is the great CONNER
cial center of this country. To it all the
capital of the United States would drift
if there were no bars in the way. But
what is the fact? The personal proper
ty tax on banks and corporations drives
them to other States and countries to
organize-in other words, capital is
driven away.
The proper thing to tax is real estate
It is here and must stay here. All the
progress of civilization, ali the increase
of population, benefits real estate and
increases its value, so that it should be
taxed for government support If we
would remove all personal taxes there
would be wonderful increase in the
volume of business, and an increased
demand for workers. While ! am in
favor, said Mr.. Warner. of putting all
taxes on land values, | recognize that
the public mind is not yet prepared to
accept that idea; so it is wisdom to GO
only as far as the public will go with
us. Having lifted that tax,w will have
made the lifting of other taxes that
much easier.
At the close of his address Mr.. Warner
invited questions.
A Brother Farmer, Des Moines How
is this for ground value? | wonder if
the farmers can see the difference?
This clipping is from the Chicago Times
of May Is. / would like to hear from
some one-farmer preferred where
the single tax on land values would
fall:
Tho lease of the property bounded bv
Dearborn, jackson and Quincy streets,
where the new Northern hotel is to be
erected, has finally been effected and
was filed for record yesterday afternoon.
Eugene S. Pike, the owner. leases tn
block to the Northern Hotel Compan
for ninety-nine years at an annual
rental of S25, 600 for the first two years
and $50, 900 per annum for the remainder
of tho term. The company is composed
of Messrs. Eden. llurlburt. Chassaing,
Burnham and others. At least S1,0O0,.
600 will be spent on the structure. and
it is intended to make it the finest hotel
in the country. Work in clearing of
the ground was begun last week.