Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-09-14
HON. GEO. G. cRockER
Before Massachusetts Committee ON Tar.
alton.

Before Massachusetts Committee ON Tar
alton.
With reference to the taxation of
personal property, there are two meth
DDS, either of which might be followed.
One is to tax the owner of personal
property in the state in which he re-
sides, no matter whether the personal
property is within that state or not;
and the other is to tax such personal
property in the state in which it actu-
ally exists Neither of these methods
would by itself result in double taxa
ton. The latter is the preferable
method, first, because by that method
the property is taxed in the state in
which it is under the protection of law,
if taxed in the state in which it actu-
ally is. is much less likely to escape
taxation than if the attempt is made to
tax it to its owner in the state in which
he resides. 1t is said that large
amount of personal property escapes
taxation. The fact is that little or no
property, except that specially exempt
ed, escapes being taxed once. 1t is the
effort to tax some real and personal
property twice which fails. The
amount of property on which a double
tax is actually collected is undoubtedly
much greater than the amount of I'M
exempted property which entirely
evades taxation. The wealth of the
country is less rather than greater than
the footings of the assessors books.
The value of real estate depends up
on the amount of personal property
placed upon it or located in its vicinity.
The value of this hill on which the
State House stands depends upon the
amount of personal property which is
collected here and in this vicinity. If
the peninsula of Boston were inhabited
by tribe of Indians having little or
no money, they would not make the
land here or in this vicinity valuabl
although they might be as numerous
way several millionaires should be at
would immediately be better demand
for real estate and greater activity in
business. If they did not spend their
money, they would at least try to keep
it profitably employed
We want rich men to settle in this
state, and the richer they are the bet
ter, because in order to make their
property productive, they have got to
put it into active work of some sort or
other, and they are more likely to in
vest it, to put it to use in the state in
which they live than in any other state.
Meth IT the laboring man nor the poor
farmer is as much benefited by the adj
vent into town of another laborer or
another farmer as poor or poorer than
as he is benefited by the advent
of a richer man, who gives him work
and who can afford to buy his product,
or who may even be a customer for his
farm. Farmers in our hill towns can
not compete with the great farms now
developed in the West. They can only
find a market for those things which it
is necessary to raise in the vicinity of
the consumer. What they want is an
increase in the number and the wealth
of the consumers.
Instead of saying to the rich men of
our country, you can not settle in
unless you pay US SO
many thousand dollars a year more
than you would have to pay if you set
tied in New York or Pennsylvania"
these farming towns, where there are
deserted farms, and where there is no
one with any money to buy farm
which may be for sale, should be ad-
vertising their natural attractions;
their pure water; their beautiful drives;
their fine scenery; their healthy ci-
mate; their accessibility, and all the
advantages which would go towards |
making wealthy nam desire to buy |
some land and take up his permanent |
residence therein. |