The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1895-02-21

Sam JoneJ Discusses This Por-
picking al. / Durdensone Topic.
Tariff the Government sIeans OF Tax
alton - Unjust Features OF Our Sys-
tem-Aii the Parties Tried and
Found Wanting.

the basis and makes the differentiated
difference between the two great par
ties. the democrats and the rcpub-
licans,
] suppose the question of tariff will
continue to aGitatc the minds of our
politicians for years to come, but the
question now not only agitating the
minds but emptying the pockets of the
great masses of our people is taxes.
suppose about the only difference
between tariff and tax is that the ma
tional government obtains money with
which to run its affairs by levying
tax called the tariff, and the states,
cities, counties and municipalities of
the states levy taxes in order to raise
money for their current expenses.
With tariff and taxes both levied
upon our people and the products they
use, no wonder we find ourselves I'M
able to meet the burdcnsomc load
placed on us by nation, state, county
and municipality.
1t is true that the tariff levied In the
last two years lacks many millions of
producing enough money to defray the
current expenses of the government.
Our states, counties and municipalities
are nearly all in the same ilx-the out
go greater than the income.
The articles upon which the national
government leves the internal revenue
don't affect us all in heap. Each
drink of whisky the old topper takes,
each cigar and quid Of tobacco of the
tobacco worm, each yard of wooden
goods, silks, etc. That comes upon us
SO gradually we don't feel it, but our
city, county and municipal taxes all
come in heap, they all come at the
same season of the year. The man who
has not felt the drain and hardship
upon him as he paid his taxes this year
must surely be one Of the favored sons
of earth.
Now some things must be done, two
we mcntion. First, retrenchment and
economy on the part of nation, state,
county and city.
Ninety-nine households out of one
hundred over our country have re-
trenchcd in expenses, some twenty-five
per cent, some fifty per cent. and some
as much as sevcnty-iive per cent. Ne
cessity forced them, 1t was either re-
trenchment or bankruptcy. Now if
families, business houses, railroads
and everything else must retrench from
twenty-five to scvcnty-five per cent,
why and where Is the common sense in
the condition of things which multiplies
the nations indebtedness the cities
extravaganza and the towns outgo?.
Take my own county in the state of
Georgia The county demands of each
citizen about sixtytive cents on the
one hundred dollars, the state about
forty-fivc, making about one dollar and
ten cents on each hundred dollars for
state and county. Our municipal tax is
about ninety cents on n fair valuation.
Together they IRE two dollars ON the
hundred and growing every year.
| saw our tax collectors book Of re-
ceipts some ten days ago in the mid
die of December, and it seemed to me
that not one tax receipt in twenty had
been torn from it's place and only fiji
teen days more for the payment there
of.
| suppose this is fair representa-
ton of all the tax collectors books of
receipts in all our southern land.
Taxes, like death, must he met, but
most of our people are as totally I'M
prepared for the one as they are for
other We must have rctrenchment
Our taxes, both state, county and mu-
nicipal, altogether ought not to be over
one per cent.
Again, we must have equalization Of
this burden. | understand that our
merchants all told give in ffty-six
thousand dollars of merchandise on
which they are taxed and yet we have
scores Of merchants who carry from ten
to thirty thousand dollars of stock, and
one merchant, | understand, the actual
invoice of whose stock showed eight
thousand dollars, appears on the
tax list at about fifteen hundred dol
lars. There alone is u discrepancy of
sixty-five hundred dollars. The per-
sonalty Of our town appears on the tax
digest valued at one hundred and thir-
ty-four thousand dollars. This in
cludes a national bank with capital
of fifty thousand dollars and private
bank with capital of forty thousand
dollars. And the household and l1itch-
Cl iui uluuiS, iiOlS NCHlClco. JcWtlTY
and all combined are eighty-four thou
sand dollars, including three first-class
livery stables, These things must be
looked into. Personally have no OBJ
lection to any man making false state
ments and false returns if he sees prop
err to do so, until those false statements
and returns shall put additional bur-
den upon others who would be honest
and deal fair with the government,
state, county and municipality.
If we must have SO much money then
let every man pay his part on real es-
tate and on personal property
Upon real estate we are assessed in
many places more than the market
value of the property. doubt if more
than ten per cent. of the personal prop
erty is really taxed.
What is everybody's business is no
body's business" is an adage very old
and very true, and year after year
taxes are levied, false returns are
made. the burden unqualified, until
now we are devising new means by
which to reach the end of obtaining all