Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-10-06
TALK or An EXTRA SESSION

est people Of this State, being una.
BILE to pay their taxes, will lose thei,
homes if the law is carried out to the
letter, and their property sold within
the time specified by law snd with
the time for redemption not extended
A great portion Of the wealth Of the
State is legally, hut wrongfully, OK.
empt-the particular kind that, above
all others, ought to he made to psy
its portion; the mortgage holder is
free from demands of the tax collect.
or, but those who have created the
wealth the mortgage holder repre-.
sents has to bear his portion of the
burden and that of the exempted in.
terest gatherer besides, or if he refcs.
es to do that, or cannot, he will be
turned out Of house and home. Many
OF families will suffer,
What is going to he done? There is
talk OF an extra session OF the Legis
lature, not to tighten the burden, hut
to give the oppressed tax PAYERS
more time in which to raise the money
to pay taxes. If that longed for ar
'Icle continues as scarce as it is now
among the masses, the time when
they can pay will never come. The
very class that is exempt from taxa
ton controls money and the interest,
and the scarcer II is the better il
suits them. 1t is this same class that
is opposing free coinage of silver
for that very reason. If an ex-
ira session of the Legislature were
called to shoulder the burdens on
that class there would be some rea-
son in calling it. A great deal of the
wealth that is not exempted by law
escapes taxation by the aid Of its
chief ally Perjury. Under present
financial laws conditions will continue
TO grow worse for the masses. ANY
man with the smallest grain of intel
lect can see that. The bondholders
mortgage holders and big banking
institutions have the people by the
throat, and continue to tighten the
grip. That same class makes mill
ions upon millions out OF panics.
They rob and plunder, and to avoid
the payment of taxes on their ill-got-
ten gains is business principle >
that is not overlooked. These con-
ditions will result in evictions bv the
side of which those in Ireland will
pale into insigniiicance. BY patient
these wrongs will increase.
Americans gained their liberties once
by the persuasive power of bullets.
They are now more oppressed and
come nearer to a condition of slavery
than when the keen crack of the
musket proclaimed that they would
be no longer surfs. The people then
won their liberties. Appeals to JUS
tice have no effect. Their representa-
tives are bought with gold, and there
seems to be hope of a peaceful solu-
ton of the question confronting the
people, which is =" How are we to
live" With the country never SO
productive as now, with improved
machinery for producing at minimum
cost every necessity and luxury-ma-
chinery such as the widest dream OF
the most imaginative mind fifty years
ago could not have pictured-millions
of the producers of this land-the
bone and s:new and patriotism, hon.
esty and sterling worth of our coun-
try-are threatened with eviction t,
crafty the Unsuitable greed of those
who have brought these conditions
about by Legislation by them pur-
chased. If not evicted for the failure
to pay taxes they will be evic,ed by
the leeches who are responsible foI
the great distress prevailing every.
where. Of what avail would it be in
Idaho to call an extra session of the
Legislature to give the po"r strug.
glers a little more time in which tc
pay their taxes, besides the taxes oil
the shylocks? AS long as present
conditions exist they can never pay
The only remedy is to remove the
cause-not to try to doctor the effect
Again-what can be expected from d
body of men who, in legislative ca.
pacity last winter, enacted law to
exempt the mortgage holder from
taxation? With that same bod,
called together again would they not
make matters worse? Isn't it more
than probable that they would enact
law exempfing banks, railroads, and
telegraph and telephone companies