Oil city Afro-American., 1900-01-27

Cudt 10 W say ny
Insurance companies .S1OO.613 81
Telephone companies .... 2,4S5 75
Palace car companies .. 1852 q
Express companies .... 1888 q
Railroad passenger tax (aver-
age per mile S5.1S). .. 470O4 ~
Telegraph companies . 1895 81
Commercial agencies ..... $50 Ol
Stage coaches ........... SO 81
One hundred and eleven thousand
three hundred and two dollars and six
ty-six cents was paid for a similar pur-
pose through the state department as
follows:
Franchise taxes .$S1 1876 Is
Fees for filing charters ...... 21.542 SO
Court reports and books 80. 6,864 81
Certified copies of records -. S44 20
Commissions to officers, less
postage .............. 3I4 10
From the occupation tax upon liquor
and beer dealers the revenue derived
was s646,150 from that on merchants,
$152, ,083.25, and from that on all 9th
ers, $143, ,467.83. From the railways was
procured the sum total of 1915, 6,92684, or
$3497 for every mile Of main track. 1t
cannot but be observed that of the rev.
enue accruing to the treasury through
the sources named and aggregating $4,-
059 ,346.S0. that paid by real estate alone
amounted to S2,20S, ,060.61, or to more
than one-half, and that paid by real
estate and dealers in liquors and beer
combined to $2.S54 4,210.61, or to nearly
of the entire amount The
gravity of the question becomes the
more serious when it is considered that
for the support of the county and muni-
cipal governments the burden on land
is made much weightoer than for state
average tax rate thereon,
state and county, being ninety-seven
cents on the one hundred dollars. IN
cities and towns the average rate for
purposes is eighty-fve cents, |
making the total average on city and |
town lots $1s2 on the hundred dollars. |
1r nearly two per cent. of their value. |
Let him who can successfully defend |
he present system of taxation.
Prior to the late civil war, the public
'evenue was principally derived frcn
general property of ad valorem tax,
by very moderate tax
m occupations. The system was there
ore simple. Corporations were then
'ut few in number, and were almost ex-
lusively of semi-public character. Our
'eople were generally employed in agri-
ulture, and the administration of gov
rnment was inexpensive.
Our present Constitution prepared the
way for the easy charter of corpora
ions. and the legislature has respond
d by allowing them for almost every
onceivable purpose. There were on
g. 1900, doing business in this .
tate, not including railway companies, {
anks and associations of purely edu- +;
ational. religious and benevolent char
cter, 2,O95 organizations chartered un- '
er our own laws, and with an author {
ied capital stock amounting to $151,-
i0, ,340-being 507 more than were OH !
anuary ], 1898. Their number is con-
.antly increasing. l
In addition, there were also then 3S7
'reign corporations, of similar charac- |
IF, permitted to do and now doing !
lsiness in this state, with an author
ed capital stock of $62S, ,523, ,O27. 80.
The advalorem tax rate for state pur- .
1ses in 1S60-the year next before !.
lie commencement of the civil war :
as twelve and one-half cents on the :,
le hundred dollars upon an assess
ent of s294,315.659 The present a =
Ilorem rate is thirty-eight cents on
e one hundred dollars, on an assess >,
ent in 1898, of $S54,619, ,365. The !,
mount of revenue from occupation Il
xes, in 1860, is not sscertainable. n
The population In 1860, excluding
aves, was 420.S91. 1t is estimated 70
at present more than three millions.
le of the accepted naxims in poIiticalIs;
onomics is that as the wealth ana ler
pulation of state increases the rate I'll
taxation and public expenditure per es
pita should corresponding decrease. T
us rule, however. cannot and will not al
tain where every character of prof< 70
" is not required to bear its. iusfIsu
are Of the public burdens, and where
careful economy Is not pfacticed inl
"