Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-05-03

scrip In payment by the county. Th,
sack would be placed where another
member OF the party could conven'
iently steal II, who would in turn pre-
sent II again TO the commissioners,
In this way the sack was presented
over and over again until the bounty
had been paid on quarter Of a mil
lion scalps.
FARMERS ALLIANCES AND TAXES
"A correspondent of the Girard
Press writes as follows:
Yonr correspondent has read nearly
everything promulgated by the Farm.
crs' Alliance, and believes some things
and dissenls from others that they have
discussed and resoluted about. Ono
thing, il seems to the writer, they have
entirely overlooked, and for what rea'
SON is q question. That is, the equali-
z ,iiOn OF taxes.
lam aware that the question has puz-
zled the brains of Legislators for years,
but the Alliance has developed theo'
rists or every other question why not
on this, a vital one to every farmer !
Taxation is becoming burdensome
in this country, and the farmers be-
lieve, and others believe, they are
bearing more than their proportion
ate share.
Henry George has philosophical up
on the subject and there are many the
orists falling in with his views and
the question, Why city lot 5Oxl4O
feet, costing one or two thousand dol
lars, with building worth five or ten
thousand dollars should pay no more
than farm worth $4,000 needs explain
alton. County taxes If equalized
would not be burdensome, and while
the Farmers Alliances have said much
in this county about banks they nave
entirely overlooked another class OF
bankers, or curbstone money loaners,
to whom it is feared some of them be-
long, for some Of the loudest takers
against banks and bankers are money
lOaners themselves.
There are some men in all oul
towns and in the country, too, who are
regular money loaners, but when YOU
come to look up the amount of tax they
paw upon their personal property II
will be found that they pay little Of
nothing.
Men sell out their farms, move to
town, buy one or two acres and raist
their living largely in this way, and
loan out their money. business ant
professional men having an income
from their business enter into thu
loaning business and compete will
men whose business is banking and
who must rely on that for a living
Legitimate enough, you say, and it il
granted; but having living from
other sources they can afford 10 com
pete with bankers. But this is not thu
question. How about the returns
made to the county for taxation? Tit
county treasurer's books are county
property and every man, in the proper
way, has the right of inquiry to learn
why taxes are 50 high on our farms.
AS said before, if this matter could
he cuualized and men in business, pro
fessiOnal men, and farmers, would
make honest AMI just returns the rate
would be decreased upon our farms
There is scarcely town IN the county
that does not have its curbsiOne none!
loaners, and the writer has in mind
men who have loaned out TO citizens
of this county $4,000 and others $4,000
TO $4,000, but when you come to ash
the county treasurer how much these
men pay in personal taxes You viii
find they make 10 returns for taxation.
You say there ia no way TO get at it.
Then let the law he so changed that il
can be. But under present laws, Il
our assessors were more pointed IN
their questions and would have men
swear 10 their statements II could bC
got at. The board of commissioners
OF Cherokee county, so the writer has
been informed, put all expert to exam
inc the county records and draw of a
list OF the chattel ami real estate
mortgages and 10 whom they belonged
and then confronted bankers, brokers,
money lOaHers aud others with che
facts as compared with their state
ments made to the assessors, and there
was quaking among the dry bones
These commissioners should have
gone further aud examined the rec
ords of adjoining counties and they
would have found mortgages on rec
ord Of money loaned and belonging t.
citizens of Cherokee county. SO l
the records of this county and adiOin'
ing counties were examined the writer
believes there would be many thou
sands of dollars that must pay taxes
and part of the burden ON our farms
would be shared by the money loanerI
to a greater extent than it is at present
! believe this question OF an equal
izatfon of taxes vital one and worthy
thu tho,,ohf of the EaFmera' Alliance