Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-03-22
TAXES EVADED.
NINETY FIVE PER CENT ERASED
OR SWORN OFF.
Why Immense Fortunes Increase So Rapid.
ly-An Income Tax Absolutely
Necessary.

ly-An Income Tax Absolutely
Necessary.
The extent to which taxes are evaded
by possessors of large fortunes is alar m.
ing. Owing largely to legislators par
tiality to the wealthy classes the con-
dition and the inefficient execution of
our laws are such that those who are
able to pay many times more than
their equal portion of government ex-
penses are required to pay only the
smallest per cent of that portion.
A valuable lesson may be drawn
from the condition in New York re
vealed in a recent issue of the New
York World, the leading daily of that
metropolis. The facts should be care
fully read and preserved. This is seed
from which the red harvest of anarchy
grows and should grow. How long
must the people patiently feed selfish
ness and narrow greed? How long
submit to be torn by the rabid, dragon
teeth of fragrant misrule! Read the
facts:
"Of S5,s62, 6S4 ,673 in personal prop
eriy assessed in 1897, IS ,563, III ,95S
was erased" or "sworn off" leaving
less than $500 100000 on the rolls. In
other words, 95 per cent of the original
assessment escaped taxation. In 1874
the percentage of personal property as
sessed that remained for taxation was
40 per cent, against 5 per cent in 1897.
The personal property taxed in 1897
was only 100000 COO greater than it
was twenty-threey years before, and the
persoDal-tax payers only 1000 more,
an absurdly inadequate showing in
view of the enormous growth of the
city in wealth and population during
this time. The corporations in this
city evade or escape taxation upon
some S., 500 600, 600 assessed against
them. The individual assessments
upon which taxes are paid amount to
only 100000. though there are a
dozen or more individual fortunes,
mainly in personal property, equal to
or exceeding that sum. There is near.
ly 500, 10000 worth of real estate
aside from national, State and city
property, which is exempt from tax.
alton. False swearing as to personal
property is perjury under the law, and
yet not one of the nearly 10000 persons
wEo annually swear off their assess.
ments has been prosecuted"
Upon the above the Verdict com.
ments:
what do you think of the tax stu
alton as above displayed, o, Excellent
American? There's enough frewood
TO keep the pot of Anarchy boiling for
years. Perjury in New York is COM
mitted By companies, regiments, bri-
gade7, Lay by corps. There is an army
of willing perjurers in our midst. If
a man were to make false oath to save
brothers. life or a woman's fame one
might still take him by the hand. But
these are vernal perjurers, liars cdusd
lAcrde. They belong to the family of
malefactors which includes the sneak
thief and the embezzler. The tax
evader lied. And when he thus swore
falsely and cut down the assessment
over five and one half billions he cheat
ed the public of an aggregate of taxes
hard by an annual 140 millions Of dol
lars. Quite enough to run the city
year without any more! The situa-
tion is rotten and reels with perjury.
If some mob were to run mad, and
loot and burn aud pillage to the hum
ming tune of 140 millions, what would
one say? There would be vast ruffi4
of drums; the armories would swarm
with militia; there would not be a riff =,
left in the rack; there would be powder
burning and bayonet-thrust. And
there should be. Blood would ruD,
and it ought to. But, o fellow philos-
opher of conditions as they are! what
makes the grand difference between a
mob that destroys 140 millions of pub
lie property with the hands, and mob
which wrecks the same amount with
false oaths? Wherein is an incendiary
worse-when measured by a money
loss-than perjurer?
Tax-Iying is on the increase. in
1874 only 60 per cent. of the personal
assessment was destroyed by lies; in
1897 the rising tide of local mendacity
drowned full 95 per cent. BY the same
rate of increase. in q handful of years
the public will-so far from collecting
taxes-owe these criminals money
1t would seem, from tie record above,
that the corporations are the heavy
Williams in this tragedy of the taxes.
1t is low estimate that puts the value
! of all the street railway franchises of