The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1893-01-14
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John De Witt Warner IN Favor Of Abol-
ishi,g Personal Property Taxes.
John De Witt Warner delivered an in
teresting address on 1.-THE Liberation OF
Personal Property From Taxation" He
promised his remarks by asserting that
every community should have the right
to say how it should raise the money to
support itself and pay its dues to the
state and general governments. In his
opinion direct taxation was the fairest
method, though there were many peo-
pie who did not think so.
Money must be raised to support gov
eminent, said Mr.. Warner, and the
question for us to consider is how it can
best be raised SO as to fall equally on
all citizens in proportion to the advan-
tages they receive from the community.
Is our present method good enough? /
think not. The system of taxing per-
sonal property is universally conceded
to be o failure, opening the door to
fraud. robbery and blackmail. Honest
men pay it: but men who are willing to
always escape. We can not reach per-
sonal property to tax it. Read the daily
report of bank deposits; you will see
that they amount to more than the
entire sum on which personal property
taxes are paid. A fire in one of our
large down town stores shows, in the
estimate of loss incurred, how immense
must be the amount of personal prop
erty in goods in this city subject to tax,
but on which no tax is collected. A fire
in a Fifth or Madison avenue mansion
shows how great is the amount in fur
niture and articles of house adornment
which also failed to be taxed. And
even when assessors do try to reach
personal property--when they go be-
hind the oath of the person liable to
taxation, and find property not included
in the saskatchewan then it is almost
impossible to collect the tax.
Some years ago, despite his oath that
the value of his personal property
amounted to only some nominal sum,
the assessors, on facts in their possession,
assessed the late William II. Wander
bilt on So. ,000 He was cornered. it
is true. but he said he wouldn't pay it,
because there were other people, to his
positive knowledge, who were rich but
who did not pay cent personal taxes.
And in the end the matter was compro-
missed on basis of 81, 900, 900, which all
will agree was not ten per cent of the
value of the taxable personal property
held by him. He wasn't altogether
wrong in refusing to pay the tax-no-
body pays it if they can help it. The
truth about this thing is, everybody
knows that the personal property tax
is a humbug. The bureau for the col
lection of personal taxes is nothing
more nor less than bureau authorized
by law to levy blackmail on our citizens.
1t rarely makes return to the city; and
half n dozen times within comparative
ly a few years it has been robbed by the
officials conducting it.
New York city is the great CONNER
cial city of this country. To it all the
capital of the United States would drift
if there were no bars in the way. But
what is the fact? The personal prop
erty tax on banks and corporations
drives them to the other states and
countries to organize; in other words,
capital is driven away.
The proper thing to tax is real estate.
1t is here and must stay here. All the
progress of civilization, all the increase
of population, benefits real estate and
increases its value, SO that it should be
taxed for government support. If we
would remove personal taxes there
would be wonderful increase in the
volume of business, and an increased
demand for workers. While / am in
favor, said Mr.. Warner, of putting
all taxes on land values, recognize
that the public mind is not yet prepar-
ed to accept that idea; so it is wisdom
to go only as far as the public will GO
with us.
At the close of his address Mr.. Warner
invited questions.