The Opelousas courier., 1895-10-19

The Tax Gatherer.

W. SN<N~ W."
The Tax Gatherer.
AID pray, who are you?
S8fd the violet blue
To the bee, with surprise
At his wonderful size,
To her eye-glass Of dew.
II. madam. quoth he,
Am a publican bee,
Collecting the tax
On honey and wax.
Have you nothing for me"
N. Y. Advertiser.
FOR Tax Reform Studies.
A New York Legislators Views.
The following speech on taxation
was delivered at a barn-raising at Bed
ford Depot, Westchester county, re-
Gently, by ex-Assemblyman Edgar L.
Ryder, of Sing Sing:
/ suppose You think Mr.. Lyon, our
host to-day, is doing a gtod thing in
building this barn. This magnificent
building is certainly going to improve
the property in the entire neighbor-
hood. for handsome barns and beauti-
full dwellings make any locality a bet
ter place to live in. If it were lot so we
might as we'll live in caves and dugouts
except for the personal inconvenience
that might follow. Good buildings are
evidence of our rise above the savage,
and it seems to me that the more we
have of them the better.
But how does the law look at it?
Mr.. Lyon thinks, and we all think
he is doing a good thing, that he is an
enterprising man. But will the law
deal gently with him? it say we'll
done to the enterprising man who
makes two blades of grass grow where
one grew before? Will it encourage
him to make further improvements; to
circulate his money, to employ labor,
and thus give opportunity to give
work to the needy? Alas!opo. In due
course of time the assessor will come
around and he will see this four thou
sand dollar barn. He is never near
sighted when it comes to artificial
scenery. He will not put our friend
Lyon in jail for six months for build
ing barns, but he will fine him like a
police court judge. He will say, Ha!
Ha! You have dared to build a barn
have yon? Alright, up go your taxes.
Why, my friends, under our present
system of taxation it pays better to be
a chicken thief than an enterprising
man. If I steal a chicken and get
caught at it, and am taken before a
justice of the peace, he will fine me
ten dollars or ten days. But that will
end il, l will pay n penalty, but if I
hy,itI a ohip1-on ooor 7 will hn fro1 for
doing SO every year. and SO if our
friend has stolen chickens he would
get off with one penalty, but for COM
uniting the heinous crime Of building
barns he will have to pay a fine every
year and his successors after him.
See Whit he has done. He has set to
work the men who went into the woods
and cut down the trees; the men who
carted the logs to the mill; the men
who sawed it into lumber; the carpen-
tiers who put it in shape; the brick
masons and stone masons who pre-
pared the foundations; the men who
make nails and tools and all the men
that these men employ by being set to
work, and so it extends all through So
ciety, SO great are its ~ramifications,
until it makes many happy by aiding
the wheels of industry. 1t also gives
these laborers a chance to bdy the
farmers produce. Such men are like
the dew from heaven falling onto the
parched earth. Would that there were
more such men. and hard times would
be but a hazy dream. And so there
would be more men of his stamp if
the farmers improvements were ex-
empt from taxation, and he wasn't
fined for improving his property.
Ihave made an estimate that the aver
age farm in Westchester county, if it
had no fences on it, and II a fire should
sweep over it and burn off the trees
and buildings, the bare land which
was left would not be worth more
than $40 an acre.. I am speaking of
farms that are not influenced by being
near towns and cities. Let any farmer
here take his own farm and figure up
whatit would be worth with nothing on
it, and $1,000 you will find, will be
a big price for 100 acres. Why a lot in
Sing Sing, or any town of 1000 inhab-
itants, nea the business part, 40 feet
by 100 feet, is worth more than that
A little speck of earth worth more
than the farmers 100 acres! An acre
of land in Wall street, New York city,
with nothing on it will sell for $14,-
600, 900 an acre. If land values were
taxed and improvements exempt this
acre would pay as much taxes as all
the real farms in Westchester county
do now. The farmers have land, but they
haven't the valuable land. Such land
is located in towns and cities. The
farmers have been butting their heads
against the stone wall SO long that
] should think they would learn by
time that there is another way
around. Put on your thinking caps,
farmers, and tax that which can not
be concealed or driven away. Not per-
sonal property, but the value of land,
and then you will make the cities and
pay their proper share OF taxa
ton. You can't do it in any other
way. This kind Of taxation would en-
the farmers who farm farms,
but discourage the farmers who farm
farmers.
How Personal Property IL Assessed.
The following interesting story
showing the method adopted in assess
Ing personal property in this city
make instructive reading for
those of our rural friends who are con-
demanding more stringent
laws for the taxation Of this form of
property.
The assessment levied against the
a..a,,.l r,.ora,.tv Of q client being ex-