The Opelousas courier., 1895-03-30
An Immoral Proposition.

Probably the most curious
ever advanced in support ct the taxa
tlon OF personal property. is that of tho
Massachusetts, State Grange.
Inc Anti-Double Taxation league of
~'nTt state had argued hat the sto.ks
aga bonds of a railroad, not in the
state, should not be taxed because The
property upon which those bonds and
socks was based, the road bed. cars,
depots, etc. were taxed in another
-5tate In which the road wa situated.
Our farmer friends replied thai it.
was double taxation not to tax them,
as the failure to do so compela tho
farmer to pay just so much more tax.
In other words they contend that it
IS the duty of the assessor to file the
on the ''other fellow totally
regardless of whether he is thus made
to pay on the same property two, three
or tour times over. Because, forsooth,
their taxes will thus be reduced.
Why not make the other fellow pav
all the taxes? Then our farmer
friends would be relieved of the I'm
pleasant duty of contributing anything
In payment for the services govern
ment renders them.
We were about to say that this is
rank socialism, but that is unjust to
the socialists; so far as we know thew
have never contended that other peo-
pie should pay all the expenses
of government. In fact none of the
various schools of thought, socialists,
nationalist, single takers, ETC., advo-
cate any such scheme Of spoliatiou as
this. Let us see where this principle
Tor rather lack of principle) would lead
to.
Government is Continued for tho
same reason that labor-saving device.
are invented, because experience has
demonstrated that the various services
the community needs can be performed
cheaper and better when done col
lectively than when done by each Indi.
vidual for himself. The grading, paw
ing, draining and lighting of streets or
highways; fire protection, schools, po-
lice, courts Of justice, etc. IA be dnne
with less expenditure of labor when
certain members of the community tie
vote their entire time to them, than
were every individual to do these
things for self.
In order that the community shall
be assured of the proper performance
of these services, experience has also
that public servants
must be paid by the remaining mem
bers of the community who devote
themselves to their own private affairs,
This necessitates what has come to be
as taxation" which in theory
is a pro rata contribution towards the
expenses of government by each and
every member of the community, in
proportion to the benefits that govern
ment conferred upon them.
Now, we can readily see that if taxes
are to be excessively levied on some
members of the community in order
that others may escape, there will be
nothing to prevent the entire confisca-
ton of the property of those who are
Of government.
For being thus relieved of contribute
towards the expenses of govern
ment, there will be no limit to what
they will demand the government shall
DO. Not having to contribute them
it would not be long before the
expenses of government would be in
to such a point, that the sum
required in taxation would amount to
confiscation of the property Of
those who bore its entire cost. Thus
presenting the spectacle of the ''other
being ruined through taxa
lion, while our farmer friends were
enjoying. the benefits of government,
10 part of which they we're compelled
10 contribute in taxation.