The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-01-20
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY.
What an Old Farmer Says About
Taxes.

We commend careful consideration of
it to every farmer. The principle acts
the same everywhere and under all
considerations. The farmer pays more
tax than any other in proportion to his
possessions and vastly more in proper
ton to his income, but still continues
to firmly believe that his farm would
be confscated if all of his personal
property and Improvements were ex-
empt from tax. A funny" notion :
isn't it? But he likes to feel the
weight of the yoke capital has placed
upon his neck, and stubbornly refuses to
have it removed.
In 1857 1 left Vermont and moved
to Iowa. Twoyears before, l had gone
out there and bought raw prairie land.
Nv taxes on 100 acres were So per
year.
In the spring of '57 the land was
fenced, 80 acres broken, good frame
house built. and barn. In the fall
the assessor came around and made the
following inquiries: How many acres
fenced? How many acres plowed !!
How many bushels of wheat raised !
How many of corn Potatoes Tons
of hay, cut and IN stack? How many
COWS, horses and hogs? Value of reap,
er, mower, plows, harrows, corn shelter,
winnowing machine, etc.? Value of
house, barn and furniture of house?
l did not like to have him ask these
questions, because 1 did not like to
answer them.
But must tell the truth. Telling
the truth cost me $50. My taxes next
year were $50, and increased every
year for five years, by which time |
had been taxed to death !" Yes,
taxed out of my occupation, by the
addition of these taxes to tariff taxes !!
So / quit.
l had been punished by the State of
Iowa for doing good thing for the
community.
Instead of being lazy and living off
the labor of others, I bad every kind OF
farm work, and SO had my sons, Ed
and Charley, and no one worked harder
than "wife Sallie" She made the
butter from eight cows, and the State
punished her for it; for the assessor
wanted to know how many pounds she
had made and taxed it.
On the east, west, north, south lay
uncultiyated, unimproved quarter sec
tions, of just such land as my Own.
The improvements of my farm had
raised the value of all those vacant
lands, and the Spectators held them
for sale, at higher price than before |
settled there. "Oh yes, PA Chase,
from Vermont, has settled there. and
has nice family, and the locality is
becoming more desirable; for severa.
families of his relatives will move out
next fall, and then there will be a
school house built just over the creek"
That's what the spectators told "tarm
seekers
Were the assessments raised on these
vacant lands?
o no! The State encourages the
non cultivation of land; the State en-
courages laziness the State encourages
spectators to hold their lands, by low
taxation.
That causes spectators to rob the
industrious, by demanding higher prices
for their lands.
Tax nothing but land values.
Surprising that the State of Iowa had
done that. Then every one of the
spectators would have either sold his
land cheap to some one who wished to
use it, or he would have employed
labor on it himself.
Then could have had nearer neigh.
bors, and society.
II that had been the case, my taxes
need not have been more than $50 per
year; and the Spectators the same ;
and the State and county would have
had plenty OF money to spend for roads
and public buildings; paid for, instead
of selling bonds at less than par, and
then paying 7 per cent interest on the
face value.
What a lot of drones lived at the
county seat, doing nothing but shaving
notes at 30 per cent, and buying and
selling quarter sections )" Gods loan
to the generation of men to submit from,
and not to gamble with
When all taxation is abolished, and a
single tax ON land values substituted,
the farmer in every one Of the United
States will pay less than he would