Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1898-10-15

tention to the fact that it would De
the farm land owner who would be
most beautifully and completely
sailed by the carrying out OF the
single land tax plan. In the state
Of Washington there are some great
count es, all on the east side of the
state, whose almost entire source of
wealth is agriculture. These are
the counties of Columbia, Douglas,
Lincoln, Walla Walla, Whitman
and Yakima. Their earning capac-
ity is great, but through smallness
of population their combined polit-
ical strength is small. Take the
report of the state board of equal
ization upon all classes of property,
and see what a showing it will
make; Columbia county, lands,
81, $3.50; improvements, $539.575
personal property, $768,48O; rail
roads, 1890, $50; total valuation, So
37S.425. Douglas county, lands,
81, 10000; improvements, 1885,
$50; personal property, 500, 1888;
railroads, $470,86l; total, $2,474,-
248. Garfield, lands, 1897 ,423; i'm
provements, $214,115; personal
property, $453.694; railroads, ST.
595; total, $f,632,827. Lincoln,
lands, $3,O23,813; improvements,
$617,8 1886; personal property, ST.
247, 1913; railroads, $777,305; total,
$5,666,932. Walla Walla, land,
50, $40; improvements, 1885,
1874; personal property, 1880, 247;
railroads, $910,051; total $8,022,392
Whitman, lands, $6,O56, SOB; i'm
provements, $1,573,037; personal
property, $2,604, 685; railroads, ST.
532,525; total, $11,766,750. Yak
ina, lands, $3,547,761; improve
ments, $646, 092; personal property,
81 ,2O5, 428; railroads, $1,051 ,258;
total, $6,45O, $40. Totals, lands,
500, 129, 459; Improvements, 50, 1882
66S; personal property, $8,969,9O0
railroads, $5,110,206; total, $780,
1921
This table shows the total value
of all the taxable property within
these seven great agricultural coun
ties to be $39, 392,l14. Of all this
property, the farmer owns the farm
lands valued at 1888, 22o, i'm
provements on these lands, $685.
923, and at the most, % per cent
of the personal property assessed,
-, 242, 475-a total of $22, 10S, 626.
The property assessed in these
seven counties, and owned by 9th
ers than farmers, is valued at ST.
283,488. That is, under the pres
ent system the farmers pay .66 per
cent of all tho taxes levied in these
counties, and all other property
owners pay "A per cent. Put it in
another form: the farmer whose
land is valued at $4,000 in Whit.
man county this year viii pay up
on our levy of IA mills for all state
and county purposes taxes to the
amount of SAP. Taxpayers other
than farmers upon a like assessed
valuation will pay a like tax.
There is certainly no valid objec-
ton to this state of affairs.
But how would it be if the single
land tax proposition was crystal
lied into law? Of the $39,392, ia
of assessable property in these
counties, 500, 1919, 259 is the taxable
value of all lands, both farm prop
erty valued at 1888, 228) and
town lots valued at 1886, 03D.
Lands alone would bear the burden
Of taxation. The farmer of these
taxes would be called on to pay
87.6 per cent IN place of Sc per cent
under the present system, while all
tax payers, other than farmers,
would pay but 1874 per cent of the
taxes, in place of the A per cent
he now pays. The farmer in Whit
man county who will this year be
called on to pay $42 taxes on land
valued at $4,000, under the single
tax would pay $500, while the
taxpayer other than farmer who
will pay $42 upon an assessed val
uation of $4,000, under the single
tax would pay only $12.
This is the pernicious doctrine
that our fusion brothers are so
heartily advocating in the press
and on the forum, and it is this
system of legalized robbery that
the republican party are go strongly