Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-08-03
Abusing the "Hayseed."

Taxation to the hayseed constituent
of interior senators and representatives
is scheme for filming the successful
business man Of the metropolis just as
much as his accumulations will stand,
SO as to relieve the poor hayseed from
a few pennies of the exactions levied
upon his land. Inquiry into the tax
methods has to him and his representa-
tives only this and nothing more.
You can reach the bucolic ear with
the cry of home rule on any matter of
public polity, excepting taxation. On
that he is an obstinate and obdurate
conservative. 1t is ingrained in his
mental constitution that any change in
the vexatious- and expensive system
now existing will increase his burdens
and he can hardly ever be got to listen.
1t ws certainly most simple and COM
prehensible proposition to let each
county determine how it would raise
its money for public purposes. State
authority would still have the full
power to fix how much each county
would be required to pay for state pur-
poses. County authorities would lose
no part of their power to designate how
much. and how, money must be raised
for county expenses. If a rural county
still desired to make its rich men per-
jurers by insisting upon personal prop
erty tax they could go to sheol in their
own way. The only sufferers would be
banks, widows and orphans and the
few rich men who are cursed with ten
der consciences. The great raft of
owners of personally would go un-
scathed, save for fresh scar on their
already tattooed hearts.
1t is almost too late to pray for any
change of the bucolic mind in this par
ticular. Still, we will once again point
out that it does not matter one iota to
the people of any rural county how the
taxes of New York city are raised. If
they see fit to raise them wholly from
land values, the farmer can have no
possible reason to object. 1t will not
make the difference of a single penny
either in their land or taxes. The
county option tax bill will enable every
community to put its own ideas into
operation, without the interference of
its neighbors or any prejudice to their
property, or free regulation of their
own affairs.
If anything has been demonstrated,
it is that no equitable way of collect
ing personal taxes has ever been de-
vised. 1t has not and can not be made
20 bear equally and uniformly upon all
such property. That is the experience
of the world. civilized. semi-ciyilized
and barbarous ever since man under
took to raise the money to support the
government. 1t has never accomplished
anything but gross injustice, the de-
velopment of fraud and perjury, the re-
lief of liars and bribers and the in
crease of the burdens of those who are
too honorable to lie and too poor to
bride. The Turkish governors of the
Danubian principalities had the effect
i've method of tying up the suspected
possessor of hidden wealth, hands and
feet together, and fogging him with
the barbarous double-edged sword.
This method occasionally wrung a few
piasters from the stores of sorrowing
relatives or soft-hearted spectators,
and SO was regarded with favor by tax
farmers Even a hayseed, however,
would hardly approve of the regular
employment of this method of saving
him from the few pennies of tax on
farm land which he unwillingly pays.
He prefers some good ingenious scheme
of soul torture as the Georgia tax list
ing law, and puts premium on per-
Jury, Individual and official. The Of
fetal tax gatherer must perjure him
self when he swears that his assessment
roll is equal, just and fair, while each
individual tax payer either honestly
endures unjust and unfair exactions or
perjures himself to swear them off.
VIM G. MCLAUGHLIN.