The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-10-16
Mright Oh raXatiOn.


cratic campaign WIS opened here to-
night with a rousing mass meeting,
which was largely attended by the farm
ers of Westmoreland county. Robert r.
Wright, the party candidate for Auditor
General, made an eloquent speech, in
which he defined the basis upon which
the equalization of taxes can be effected
so as to relieve those interested in agri-
cultural pursuits from the burdens they
are obliged to bear at present. Mr..
Wright said;
There is no branch of legislation in
which the power of an influence other
than the will of the people to shape its
course has been more forcibly illustrated
than in the matter of the tax laws OF
your State. One of the worst results OF
the system of special legislation existing
before the adoption of the present Con-
stitution was the condition of our tax
laws. The whole system was but
patchwork of special acts enacted from
time to time to meet temporary emer-
gencies.
There was an absolute want of uni
formity of objects and rate of taxation
and of machinery for their collection
The system of collecting a State tax on
real estate based on local assessments
had fostered a practice of undervalua-
tions resulting in the grossest injustice,
and sometimes in absolute fraud.
This inequality existed not only as
between counties, but between town.
ships and towns in the same county, and
finally became so general as to create a
public scandal. High nominal rates on
low valuations in some districts created
the impression, by comparison with 9TH
er districts, of overtaxation. This feel
ing was intensified by the paipable and
indisputable fact that the personal prop
erty of the State was escaping taxation
entirely. and that while the burdens of
State government we're borne by the cor
porations, vet the much heavier burdens
of local government were borne entirely
by the owners of real estate.
Naturally the feeling of unrest and
dissatisfaction became strongest among
the farmers of the State. They were
most heavily burdened while they were
least able to bear it. 1t is true that the
nominal rates of taxation on real estate
in cities may have been higher than on
| farms. vet it was undeniable that the
farmers were carrying the heaviest bur
4 y
| tate of farmer YOU taxed him upon all
| he was worth. His farm, as rule,
constituted his entire possessions. When
| you taxed that none OF his means es-
| capped, for he had none other, Aye, the
probability was that the farm was mort
| gagged, but he got no credit on that score.
In cities and towns this WAS not the
| case. When YOU taxed a city merchant,
manufacturer, lawyer or banker on his
real estate, you reached but small pro-
portion of his wealth; the bulk escaped.
| These facts stared the people in the
face when the Constitution of 1873 was
adopted providing that thereafter taxes
| should be uniform and be levied under
general laws.
Ever since then, for fifteen years, the
people have been insisting that the spirit
of this provision of the Constitution
should be enforced, but year after year
| has the legislature refused their petition.
| Stronger and stronger has become the
| demand as year by year the Legislature
refused to heed the farmers demands.
Governor Pattison in the first term of
| his administration pressed the legisla-
| ture to meet this demand, but they re-
fused. Bill after bill was defeated or
buried, until finally bill actually passed
| the legislature, but was lost or miSlaid
in some mysterious way. Finally at the
last session of the legislature, and as a
result of the farmers revolt last year,
a bill was past that may afford some
temporary measures of relief. But il
comes far from meeting the demands of
] the Constitution. 1t fails utterly tC
meet the just position OF the farmers,
that taxation should be equal and upon
all classes of property. Thus for all
this time has the legislature failed &c
respond to and reflect the will of the
masses in government which, theore
tically, is government by the people.
| Last winter | appeared before the
House and Senate committees on behalf
| of a client to present an argument
| against one provision which they deemed
unconstitutional, and which they claim,
ed would result in inequality of taxation
and / there endeavored to impress
upon them the thoughts to which have
| just given expression. / objected to one
provision of the bill as unwise and un-
constitutional; but declare that, in my
| judgment, corporations are not paying
their proportion of taxes and the farm
ers were paying too much. l presented
to the committee the outlines of bill
that would have met all the objections
urged against the Taggart bill by its enc,
mics. / know that the sincere friends
| of that reform on both committees ap-
proved of my suggestions, but were
powerless to adopt them.
If the principles outlined in that argu-
ment had been followed you would have
had true tax equalization, but it was
not. BY almost strict party vote in
| Senate and House the Taggart bill was
thrown out by the Republican bosses,
and yet these men ask that farmers shall
vote for them again. / am before the
people of Pennsylvania to-day tc regret
no single word spoken, and to withdraw
no principle announced in that argu-
ment. / present it to the farmers OF
Pennsylvania as my plea in favor of that
equalization of taxation for which they
have so long fought.
| hA Dnh II