The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-10-28
ouR TAX BURDENS.
some Object Lessons for Voters
to Think About.

TO THINK ABOUT.
Following are extracts from II u. |
Hagan's address, ansnt county affairs
My friends, we may hones Iy differ
on the subject OF tariff and finance,
but come now to a question where
we can all meet on common ground
and on which every fair minded, hon
est citizen will agree.
/ mean the question Of honest, capa
bic conduct of our municipa affairs.
Under an honest and economical con
duct Of the public business, taxes are
a burden to the individual For the
general welfare he must make certain
sacrifices of his persona privileges and
of his property rights.
Justice demands that this burden
sin all be evenly and fairly distribute
and that each member OF society shall
nav his proper share.
Shall he be called a good citizen or
an honest man who stealthily conceals
his wealth from the eye Of the assessor
or commits wilful perjury in his prop
erty statement under the sacredness OF
an oath?
shame on the man or class Of men
who are guilty of this crime.
Out upon the public officers who con
/ nlVe OF Wluk AZ LntHt CoITupb hhu o'o-
honorable practices.
There are thusands of dollars OF
money owned by men in this city upon
which no tax is paid Money, too,
which is made TO draw 3, 6, =, and
even 10 per cent month from the
pockets OF the poor OF this county.
For example, One man who loans
small sums Of money in amounts rang
ing from So TO $500, much OF II at 10
per cent month, aud most Of 1T at Z
and s per cent, makes for 1890, Of
property outside Of household goods,
horse, watch etc return under oath
of $3.50 while the records of the
county show $500 in mortgages on real
estate and 81 coo of chattel mortgages.
Another gentleman modestly (?) con
fesses under oath To Sl,ls0 of money
and securities, taxable on Feb. !, 1895,
while the records disclose him, as the
party of the second part, in unre-
leased chattel mortgages aggregating
81, 200 and real estate mortgages for
5000.
Still another sound money man, by
some process of reasoning, has con-
vinced himself that perjury is not a
crime, in his particular case, and the
assessor has sworn him to 50, 200 IN
notes and accounts and all other prop
ertv. while over a hundred people in
Logan county were paying him i've
per cent. a month on over Sl5, 900, be
sides mortgages on real estate IN
amount SO 600
! Another money changer swears TO
81. 200 with the records against him to
the tune Of "a, 700.
Another, perhaps brother, has over
81. 600 to his credit in -. onty sep
arate securities, but his name does not
grace the books of the assessor.
One small fish. land there are hun
dreds in this class) has thirty Eve dol
lars In household goods, but he over
looked more that 5000 in chattel mort
cages.
One poor old man, under the solemn
ity of the oath, no watch, no horse, nc
money, no notes and mort cages, but
81, 400 of his money in the shape OF
chattel mortgages is earning him an
honest livelihood.
A frugal young man has a fine home
elegantly furnished, at an outlay OF
only $40. in the baying OF which ht
has blown in all his wealth, for he Las
under cath, no watch, no horse, NJ
carnage, no money, and things would
20 hard indeed with this poor young
man, were it not for S22, 600 in real es
tate mortgages and S0o5 in ehatte
mortgages, which he forgot TO men
tion to the assessor
Oae man refused to burden his sou
with the crime of perjury and was
listed by the inefficient assessor a.
81. 500, when an examination of the
records of the county would have dis
closed the fact that in chattel mort
| l. - gur co nm anf
in real estate mortgages nearly $40, 600
I Anv of Won can examine the record,
{ for the verifcation of these state
: ments, and you will find hundreds o
q similar cases. | will close my list o
Iimpecunious gentlemen who Advertise
money TO loan by mention of one, who
while he is inexorable in his eXactioI
of his pound of flesh and is quick Il
invoke the strong arm OF the law Il
enforce his unconscionable contracts
is still content to sneak out from un
der his share of the burden imposel
pom his fellows in support OF the ma
chinery Of that law whose protection
he seeks, This human leach upon tn
body polite is represented upon Tn
assessors return by PERFECT BLAME
What kind of an understanding d
you suppose he had with the assesso
that he escaped taxationP What e1
cuse have you to offer for your officer
Forty-six Of this mans customers ar
paying him cut.throat usury OF TO
per cent. per month on about 81 500
anu reminded of the borer, a littl
: short worm, nearly all head, Not
: drop Of blood is in this worm. 1t
! merely an organized appetite. 1t ca
silently, stealthily and underneath II
surface, but the traces of its destru
tive work cannot be hidden, Neith'
can this human borer conceal his wor
and the officer who fails 20 take noti'
=. and do his duty is unworthy and IL
:, competent, or WORSE
:. / venture the assertion that qua
. ter of a million dollars Of cash escap
- taxation in this county which may
=. reached and uncovered by prop
"A official vigilance.
~ You property holders of this city a.
county complain OF the high rate
{. taxation, and you let the rate lncrea
= by the escape Of personal proper
"a from the assessors list
D. You may ask; Are these men real
es guilty Of perjury? Hear what Z
~. statute says; If any person sh'
=. wilfully make or give under oath
affirmation false list OF his, her
their taxable property, or false i
Of the taxable property in the use
possession or under the control Of hi
- her or them, and required by law TO
~ listed by him, her or them, or place