The Colfax chronicle., 1890-05-17

very cicdTly anu uisCuSsAnS eno PAO
bility that they will be adopted in New
South Wales. Australia. This is help
full, as the News has much influence II
the northern part of the State.
->>S-
The Farmer and the Single Tax
In considering. therefore. the interest
of any class. such as farmers. the real
question to be answered is not whether
they, in fact own more or less personal
property than merchants. bankers and
money-lenders. It is. first, whether
they own more personal property in
proportion TO tho value of their land
than do those other classes; and. Sec
ond. whether the particular kinds OF
personal property which they own are
more easily reached by the tax-gatherer
than are the kinds of property owned
by the other classes. The State must |
raise certain fixed amount for public
purposes This amount it will assess |
upon all taxpayers. in proportion 70
their value as reported by the assessors;
not in proportion to its real value.
which the assessors. of course. are
never able exactly to ascertain. II,
therefore, experience proves that as
SCISSORS are able to lind twenty times as
much land-value in the possession OF
merchants as they can among farmers.
but only ten times as much personal
property among merchants as they ind
among farmers, It is plain result, as
simple as the rule of three. that the
taxation Of personal property will end
in making farmers pay larger pro-
| portion of the taxes than they would
pay if all taxes were concentrated on
Hand.
Now, the average farmer no doubt
says at once that this is impossible.
He owns. we will say. 100 acres Of
land; and he knows of no merchant in
any Of the great cities who owns as much
| as one acre. He owns neither stock nor
bonds, and has only $500 in the bank.
He knows of 1000 merchants o. money
lenders who each own $780, 900 or
| 81. QUO. 600 in stocks and bonds, aud
keep balances Of $50. COO in bank He
/ asserts, therefore, that il is matter Of
plain common sense that the exemption
/ of personal property from taxation
: must increase his burden. so as te
: make him pay 100 times as much a
0 the merchant and banker.
nur uANRRR
I. But the farmer. in reasoning thus
: entirely overlooks the most importan
q facts Of the problem. and abandons tn
a common sense of which he SO mucl
+ boats. That common sense would tel
him that, just as his 100 acres ar
worth to him far more than 100. 90
acres in the midst of Africa would bs
I 40 one-tenth of an acre in the heart Q
Cincinnati is worth more than all hi
~ farm. 1t would also tell him that th
rs assessor can easily count his cattle
4. horses, sheep and hogs. and estima'
70 pretty correctly the value OF his hou'
in and barns; whereas the most expe
,e assessor can never find out how r1an
ID bonds the banker owns, unless he ca
X persuade that banker to tell him; whi
y in estimating the bankers house al
a. furniture he might guess at $1,000
i s25, 900 or $50. 900. with perfect
d equal chance Of being right or wrol
AZ in either case. The banker has chair
& standing side BY side. apparently
%. exactly equal value. but one Of whi'
Of cost Sc5 and the other $3.50. He b
70. two paintings. one Of which = d
itp times as large as the other. and whi
N. the honest farmer would. therefo'
In think to be five !times a. valuab
ty whereas, in fact the large picture
,0o barely worth $500. while the small o
he would sell as quick as lightning
ilv $40, 600 There are many houses
ed | large cities upon the interior decorate
ed Of which the owners have each sps
elv more than 500. 900. The most exa
Al rienced assessors would fail to disco'
,ur that these decorations were really mi
~ costly than those in adjoining hous
which, in fact. did not sost ope-senth
that amount.
la The operation .. ...s Australian 9
en- tenn viii also have = del ressing en-
OK. on the business of Blocks Of fi'
,or, Dudley. 6apannaA Jesrsal