The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-08-02
Valuation Placed on Mr..
UIiett's Land
THAN THE LAND COST
An Exa mpIe Of the Injustice Of
Taxation as Set Forth by =
Prom inent Farmer of
Stark County.

The farmers of Stark county are
taking great interest in the taxation
question, and are bringing it home to
themselves.
References that have been made in
the News-Democrat to conditions as
they now exist where the small prop.
erty owner pays on tax rate repre-.
senting from so to 80 per cent of the
value of his property in the cities. have
led him to make comparisons with ref.
erence to the tax rate OF farm land
II has been contended by farmers
that they pay, proportionately to their
holdings, the greater amount of the
tax that is paid into the county treas.
ury. each year.
Mr.. j. w. Ullett. of Pike township,
makes it plain that the farmer is bear.
ing great share Of the burden Of tax
alton. Mr.. Ullett, eight years ago,
paid $4,000 for a farm. There was an
old barn on the place and he tore that
down and replaced it with barn worth
about $500. The old barn he figured
was worth about 800, thus making the
new barn stand him 5000, and making
it improve the farm to that extent. The
farm is now taxed on basis of SO 800
valuation. Mr.. Ullett paid S9,500 for
his farm and had ten years in which to
pay it. He could have bought the farm
for less money had he paid cash. Tax
es are collected on cash basis. and
therefore farms should be figured on
a cash basis.
Mr.. Ullett in conversation with
News.Democrat man, said that his
farm. today,
ON A CASH BASIS,
with all the improvements he had put
| on IL in the last ten years, would not
bring more than $500. yet it Is on the
tax duplicate for $3,600. Thus Mr.. III.
lett is paying more than 100 per cent
of the real valuation of his property
A short time ago, farm adjoining
Mr.. Ullett's was sold--not as a forced
sale, but at private sale-for $l.9lO
Today this farm is appraised for FAX
purposes at 81 200. So it is with many
farmers in that section of the county
and in other sections of the county.
They are paying more than 100 per cent
of the valuation of their farms.
Mr.. Ullett says he has been reading
with great interest the discussions Of
this question in the News-Democrat,
and was particularly interested in the
statements that, in this county, great
corporations, with large earning capac,
tiles. have paid taxes only on an assess
ment which is not much more than five
per cent of their real value. For in.
stance, a street railway worth $1,000
900 in the market. pays taxes on only
$4,000, and lighting plant, which is
said to have been sold recently on a
basis of half million dollars, is taxed
for $25,640.
The difference in taxation paid by
the farmer and that paid by the large
corporations, such as railroad concerns,
is such as to be ridiculous.
BRINGING 1T HOME.
The farmers In Pike township who
have studied this question. and have
figured on what the amount of the taxes
of these corporations would be IL paid
on a reasonable, say so per cent. ba-
sis, have come to the conclusion, and
have figures to show that IL the rail-
roads would pay thein just share. the
additional amount that they would pay
into the treasury would equal. il not ex-
ceed, the amount of the taxes paid by
the farmers i'm Pike township. The in
ference they draw is that IL these cor
porations paid their just share of the
taxes. there would be just so much less
for the farmer to pay, and instead Of his
being compelled to pay 100 per cent
on his farm valuation in order to keep
the county running, he could pay on a
very much smaller basis, thus reliev-
ing him of some of the onerous burdens
which he must now carry.
WOOL AND PROMISES.
Mr.. Ullett said that it had come to O
point now where farmers can make
very little money. He said that he had
two clippings of wool which he would
like to sell at the price that the cam.
paign stumpers promised he would gel
in the event of the election of certain
very distinguished Cantonian.
In order to meet the pulce promised
he thinks he ought to be able to sell
his wool for from 80 to SO cents Q
pound. 1t was % cents at the time this
promise was made during the campaign
of 1900. The best he has been offered
this season for his clippings is 1S cents
Mr.. Ullett is much pleased with the
progress of the News-Democrat and the
Stark County Democrat, and said that
in his township the Stark County
Democrat was gaining rapidly in circu,
lation and influence. and that the stand
taken by the paper on taxation, ano
other questions of interest to the peo
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