The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-05-12
TAXATION.
AnsInteresting Discussion of This
Vexed Problem by the Social
Science Club.

The meeting Of the Social Science
Club Tuesday, was the last regular
meeting for this club year. The
meetings will be resumed again in
September next. May 23d, which is
the last date on the program, will be
occupied by DR.. Folwell's lecture.
The meeting last night was well at
tended, and great deal of interest
was exhibited in the question before
it. The paper was presented by w.
D. Willard, who has given the subject
considerable study. and for the linn
tied space to which papers on such
occasions must be confined, he pre-
sented the matter in fine shape, max
ing it very suggestive one for dis
cuSsion.
He gave short sketch of what
taxes are and what they are for, and
a review of the various methods
which several of the leading countries
resort in raising revenues to defray
the expenses of the government. He
did not believe that taxes were pay
ment for protection received, for
those who most needed protection of
the government-the weak and poor
pay the least. Nor are they, he
thought, necessarily returns for bene-
fits received, as many pay taxes on
property, for which they receive no
direct benefit therefrom, as for in
stance, the man who pays school
tax, but has no children to educate.
He explained the terms ''direct" and
indirect" taxation and their bearing
upon the public, and in this respect
referred to some extent, to our ma
tional system of taxation and its va
rious phrases, and reviewed the tariff
system from the beginning of the
Government to the present time.
Also referred to the systems in vogue
in England and Germany
But it was probably our local system
of taXatiOn-tOwn. county and state,
which proved Of the greatest interest,
because it came the nearest home.
Here he commented upon the various
methods reSOrted to, the difficulties
which present themselves, and the
change which is taking place in the
manner in which taxes are being lev
led, by the growing disposition of
making corporations controlling nat
ural mOnopolies, pay their share of
the burdens of government, by a tax
upon their gross earnings. Referring
to the trouble which exists in secur-
ing just valuations of real estate, and
in getting all the personal property
upon the assessment roll, he thought
the state, in view Of the large revenue
it now receives from various other
sources, might abandon that on real
estate altogether, leaving it as a
source of revenue for counties and
towns alone, while the matter of per-
Sonal property should be dropped en-
tirely or handled only by the state.
He thought more just andSimple way
would be the substitution of a gradu-
ated income tax, putting the burden
of proof entirely upon the party as
sessed. He also favored an inheri-
tance tax that should be progressive
in it's rate. Referring to the personal
property question he said:
But it is our assessment of personal
h i,.h Z hn nct t.in
unjust and unequal thing Of our
whole system. l have looked the mat
ter up very carefully and do not hes
itate to say that the oppression OF the
weak, the helpless and the honest,
under the robber barOnS of old Eng
land was nothing compared with this.
The system is vicious because it puts
a premium on false swearing. All
our states have oaths or atfirmationS
that the person making the list has
made full returns. and yet not one in
ten thousand give anything like
true list. The items are very specific
and yet on one plea or another, the
most honorable men excuse them
selves for leaving off things which the
la,o very manifestly calls for. This is
the universal testimony. Conceive if
wealth of this country is but one
fourth of the value of its real estate.
Believe, if you can, that the personal
property wealth of our states and cit
les has been proportionally on the de-
crease for the last fifteen years. Com
mon sense tells us that GhiS is not SO.
Never have new forms OF personal
wealth been increasing so rapidly.
And yet in the state of New York,
enormously as wealth has increased,
the assessed valuation of personal
property WAS S70,000,000 less in 1891
than in 1881. The larger the city the
less proportion of the personality is
reached. There are segregated those
vast holdings of stocks, bonds, certifi-
Gates, mortgages and hidden wealth
of all kinds, which it is absolutely i'm
possible for the assessors to find. But
it is not confined to our large cities.
The auditors report of our own state
and county show that while the as
sessed value of the real estate of Min
nesota has increased 80 per cent. in
the last FIVE years, the personal prop
erty valuation has declined $4,000, 900,