Thomas County cat., 1890-08-14

It's assessed valuation upon . mort |
gage, and listed in stock reports at
ten to fifteen times It's assessed value
the answer is given, that such assess
able value Is for taxable purposes
only. Can any one explain upon
what rational theory this system of
assessable valuations was ever started,
whereby a premium was placed upon
deception, and a people otherwise
fairly honest turned into set of con-
sumate liars? and if man revolted
at the idea of returning bogus, un-
derestimated deceptive value, even
for taxable purposes only, his honesty
was rewarded by allowing him pay
three or four times his proportion of
taxes?
Why cannot we come back to the
principle that honesty is the best
policy, even for taxable purposes :
and instead of holding out the in
ducement to assessors to favor their
own districts by low valuation, and
thereby lessening the amount of taxes
paid by such district, and ultimately
by the individuals of that district,
make 1t for the interests of assessors
to secure perfectly fair and honest
valuation. There are few self evi-
dent truths in this subject of taxation
that it is we'll to bear in mind.
First. The public business re-
quires certain amount of means to
conduct it economically and efficiently.
Secondly. These necessary means
must be raised by a tax upon the
property protected, either directly or
indirectly.
Thirdly. This tax should be dis
tributed proportionately to the
amount of property protected. The
greater the amount of property, the
greater the amount of taxes.
Fourthly. As each Individual re-
quires some protection by the public
so each individual should pay some
tax.
| Now, applying these self evident
truths, and we reach the conclusion
that all property should be taxed at
its full and real value, for manifestly
it can make no difference in the
amount of tax I pay whether one-half
of one per cent upon real valuation
or four per cent upon a one-eighth
valuation, and with the great gain
that my taxable valuation Is my real
valuation, and I am not called upon
to explain that the taxable valuation
Is for taxable purposes only, but that
the real worth is five to ten times
greater, and when it is thrown up
into the face of our people that the
Indebtedness of Kansas is greater
than her entire taxable property,
not to have to explain that these tax
figures represent only about fifth
to a tenth of the truth, that is we
have lied just that much about our
property, and managed to get out
about tenth of the truth.
Fortunately those cloaks for the
concealment of taxable property. the
government banks, are rapidly paying
off, and will soon be gone, when
nothing should be issued to take their
place, as a convenience to conceal
taxable property. Everything, and
everybody should bear its and his
just proportion, with no chance for
evasion or concealment, or cloak of
the law, except as old age should be
liberated from the burdens of strong
| manhood The present exemption of
two hundred dollars should be done
away with entirely. Under a full
valuation the taxation upon such an
amount would amount to but little,
no more than any householder should
be willing to contribute toward the
public business, and enough to re-
mind him that he is interested in the
public welfare, and that it does cost
something to protect him and his
family and property. In the place
of such householders exemption I
would place one that would be far
reaching in its results. which will
suggest themselves to the reader, and
which the limits of this article forbid
enlarging upon, viz, an exemption of
an amount of cash on hand that
should be such householder and his
family's pro rata of circulating me-