Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-04-09


or lying down, on his eating, drinking
and warming, are greater than on the
necessities of other men; he is taxed
most heavily for the right to live and
the opportunity to work. The present
system of taxation being hard on the
poor who must pay more than their
equitable share, easy on the rich when
they pay what the laws demand, and
easier still for them when they evade
payment of tax, righteousness demands
that the system be amended into
just one if it be possible; or, if that
be impossible, that it be swept away
and we begin anew. The right OF the
state to tax any thing, any business,
any privilege, being conceded does not
mean that the state has the right to be
unjust in doing this We are studying
ethics-what is right and what is wrong
and those who raise moral objection
to the single tax are surely unwilling
that the state shall do wrong.
Single tax men propose that the state
shall exercise its right of taxation on
value which no one man can make or
give, but which men together give. a
value which the state or society gives
this society, and that every one shall be
taxed on this value according to his use
or possession of it. AS soon as any one
sees what this means, what it is, he
perceives in it a self-acting law which
would bear righteously, with equal and
exact justice on every one, coming as
near to absolute justice as we can IN
this world.
Personal Property Tax in Ca'ifornis.
The state of California has almost a
perfect system for collecting taxes on
personal property. Every property
owner is called upon to make state
ment in full and swear to long lists,
containing more than fifty questions
| looked over the report of the board OF
equalization lately, and l found most
remarkable and amusing examples of
the wonderful working way of nature
in that state. There are some 235, 900
bee hives in California. Every county
in the state has thousands of bee hives;
but, strangely enough, there are only
four counties ia all California where
bees produce ale honey. There are
millions of cows in California; cows can
be seen and coun.sd by the assessor.
and there are thousands in every coun-
ty; but in less than one-sixth of the
counties of California; there any butter.
The new constitution of California was
adopted in 1879 for the express purpose
of securing the taxation of money. The
first year they got hold of $2S,000,00O
and made it pay taxes. The second
year it dropped to $14,000,O 600, the third
year it dropped to $9,000,0 900 and the
fourth year it dropped to prac tically
nothing, except in one particu.ar, to
which l will call your attention bye
and bye. Now a very mysterious cir.
cumstance was that the banks which
are supposed to be the proper deposit
tory of money, turned out to have less
money than any other part of the COM
munity. The board of equalization, with
view of discovering how this happen
ed, called cashier, and he was COM
PEELED to testify. His story was very
edifying. The assessment is taken on
the first Monday in March. On the Fri.
day previous the bank wired its New
York correspondents: ''Do you
want gold? We are badly in
want of government bonds" Gov.
eminent bonds are not tax.
able; but it was mere co
incidence. The New York bank tele.
graphed back. Eyes; there is nothing
we want SO much as gold. We have
plethora of government bonds" The
California bank telegraphed, eve want
81, 900, 900 of government bonds" New
York bank telegraphed back, Done"
The California bank telegraphed, ''Tie
up those bonds, keep them for us, and
we will tie up the gold and keep it for
YOU ''All right" Great laughter
and applause). l am not joking am
telling solemn facts. (Renewed laugh
teri Thereupon the New York bank
took out 81 900, 900 worth, par value, of
government bonds, carefully put them
in its vault, labelling them the property
of such and such a California bank.
The California bank carefully counted
out 81, 10000 in gold coin, put it in a
tin box, Endorsed Property of New
York bank" and put it i'll its own vault.
Then came the first Monday in March;
the bank cashier m41e out writ
ten statement that his bank
owned no money at all, had moth
ing but government bonds, which are
not taxable, signed that statement, and
went home and slept the sleep of the
Just. The next Wednt sday he tele-
graphed to New York: Great pressure
for gold in California; lave you any to
spare?" "Oh, yes, " telearaphs the New
York bank, there is n sudden demand
here for government bonds; have you
any bonds you can SELF" Eyes, GER
tainly, got Sl,0o9,OOo of them to sell.
saline price as Friday" AL right, we
will make the trade, and The trade W rs
made: the California E@tk took the
gold out of its box and poured it into its
ow2 general fund; the New York bank
released the bonds: ali was serene, and
there was no tax. ! related this in San
Francisco, and friend Of mine who
was in the audience aitnr wards said to
me: "You have been exposing my bus
mess: that is exactly WAT have been
doing every year."-Thos. G. Shear
man.
For Once the Prt.s is Right.
The New York Press re fers to the in
cident recently commented upon in the