Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1901-09-05
sELF-1MposED taxes.

IL I. 4 81
Hills, Corners, Mud and Fence csse
the Farners Hundreds OF s1il.
lions Every Year.
Among the taxes which the farmers
pay there are some that are unavoid.
able, and these it is useless to talk
about. There are others which farm.
ers impose upon themselves, which
they hesitate to share with others.
which they submit to without a pro-
test, and even cling 20 when they are
being removed. These taxes we cam
not talk about too much. These are
taxes, too, which bring no useful rev.
enue, nor even support a tax gatherer;
they are burdens as needless as tho
traditional stone which balanced the
grist on the way to mill.
Through the failure Of the govern.
ment in the original surveys on the
public lands to lay out scientific sys-
tenn of roads, and divide the lands ac-
cordingly, farmers have been left to
lay out the roads for themselves, and
generally they have put them on farm
lines, going over all the hills that come
in their way. The result of this is the
hill tax in hilly regions and what may
be called the square corner tax on the
prairies.
The amount of hill tax have esti.
mated in one county in New Jersey.
and found that needless hills double
ell the cost of hauling in the county.
making practically a money tax OF
$4,000 annually to the township. Tho
people have paid this tax for 100 years,
and yet they wonder why they are
poor. In the prairie regions, for want
of the diagonal roads which the gov
eminent should have laid out, the
farmer, to reach a point ten miles to
the northwest, for instance, travels
seven miles north and seven miles
west, adding 40 per cent. to his dis
lance, or, for the average of all travel.
20 per cent. This is the square corner
| tax. ~
The mud tax is probably about equal
in total to the hill tax. and this, again.
doubles the cost of all wagon trans
portation; yet many farmers are OPP
posed to stone roads.
However, the farmers themselves
are doing away in many places with
the enormous burden of the fence tax,
and with 1t will go the snowdrift tax
and the waste land on the roadside.
They are slowly abandoning narrow
tires and tracking wheels. Moreover,
many of them begin to realize the
enormity and absurdity of the hill
may yet hope in time to see in this
country, as we do in France, beautiful
hard roads everywhere, winding
through farms, with crops growing
close to the wagon tracks and the
roads serving perfectly every purpose
Of public use and private convenience
You ask how all this can be accom-.
plished without burden Of taxation
which will neutralize it's benefits.
answer that it is all being done to-day
in hundred places in the United
States, and there are farmers who ac-
knowledge that they are getting rich
in these hard times solely by reason
of the improved roads which have
been forced upon them. and are pay
| ing with perfect ease any additional
tax they impose. These improved
roads are being built in many ways
and in various forms of construction,
and every years experience reduces
the cost and brings about an easier
providing of the necessary means.
It would be a very long story to ga
into the details in this direction, and
I would not be prepared to say which
is the best of the many methods OF
construction and Of payment. Both
need to be greatly varied to meet the
conditions in the various states, and
a careful study of local legislatio is
necessary; but the vital question ID
for the farmers themselves to settle
generally whether they want good
roads. and whether they will accept
the help of those who are willing and
anxious to join in paying the cost OF
road improvement. If they will take
up the subject in all their organiza.
tions and appoint active working com.
mittees to visit the nearest accessible
localities where good roads prevail
and to urge such legislation as will
make them attainable everywhere
the work will soon reach point where
its own momentum will carry it for.
ward.
The estimate of your able secretary
that $6O0,0O0,0O0 is wasted annually
in this country through bad roads is
supported by that of other statistic
clans, and from this it appears that the
tax they impose takes one-quarter OF
the whole value of all farm products
in the United States. To abolish thi.
tax is a reform great enough to en-
gage the best attention of this con.
gress. It is a practical and practic'