The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-10-02


sentation In the governors cabinet. a
privilege tha: is not accorded to any
other class or industry in the common
wealth.
when the farmers and the Grange
demanded legislation creating this de-
partment the Republican party prompt
ly took the matter up, and in less than
six weeks enacted it into law.
THE organization of any new de-
partment OF government is always at
tended with more or less difficulty.
Until some settled policy is reached,
methods which may not always prove
the best must be tried, and oIt-times
the best friends of a measure may for
a while suffer disappointment.
IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE.
There is no interest of greater i'm
portance to our country tnan that of
agriculture. 1t is the fundamental
business of our country; the leading
commercial interest and the most i'm
portant home industry. And not only
are the people of the United States in
terested in American agriculture, but
the whole world. because America is
the granary Of the world. Three
fourth of our entire exports are agri-
cultural products. Thirty seven mil
lions of people of our country are en-
gagged in agriculture. Yet notwith-
standing all the Importance of agri-
culture to the prosperity of our insti-
tutions and our government, little pro-
lection is afforded to the farmer as
compared with other classes. This is
not so much owing to disposition on
the part of other classes or our legis-
lative councils to discriminate against
the farmer as ii is the result of the
growth and development of the re-
sources of our country in Iransporta-
ton and transmission companies, min
ing, manufacturing, banking and
merchandising.
THE farmers have been the pioneers
of every country in the world. Before
governments, cities and towns could
exist the lands had to be denuded of
their forests and brought under cult
vation to make the deveiopment of
rapid growth Of our country, naturally
many inequalities have arisen, which
for time have placed greater hard
ships upon one class than upon an
No hainC tho ,Ntn
of civilization, have naturally been the
first to suffer from discriminating con-
ditions. AS, for instance, originally
when the colony of Pennsylvania was
founded which later, under the devel-
opment of civilization, grew into a state
with an organized government requir-
ing revenues for the administration
of public affairs, the tax burdens nee
homes, as there was nothing else to
tax. But in course of time manufac-
tories, commerce and transportation
became necessary and banking insti-
dividuality and enterprise no longer
had the capacity to manage them it
became necessary to create great cor
porations and financial institutions
with centralized ability to control
them.
TAX REVISION is NECESSARY.
"Under these conditions it also be-
came necessary to tax these new enter
prises for the privilege and protection
accorded them by the state. But so
rapid has been their growth and so
powerful their influence that the state
has scarcely kept pace with them in
adjusting its new revenue policy to
meet these new requirements, and as
result the real estate, farmers and
home owners, have been and are now
paying a disproportionate share Of the
public burdens.
"In meeting these new conditions
and in correcting these growing in
equalties, the Republican party has
been foremost. In 1866 it amended the
tax laws so as to relieve real estate OF
taxation for the state government
proper; and on tie other hand imposed
on personal and corporate property
md licenses for business privileges the
entire expenses OF the state govern
ment.
"But it soon became apparent that
imposing the entire expense of the
state government upon these subjects
of taxation would not correct these
great Inequalities.
ut was in 1891 when the Grange
took up this subject before the public
and SO forcibly pressed it before the
legislature, under what was known as
the Taggart or Grange Tax bill, that
the Republican party came to the res
cue and passed a compromise bill,
known as the Boyer act, whereby taxes
on corporate property were sufficiently
increased to enable the state to appro-
pirate S5,000,000 to our public schools
annually and to return TO the counties
three-fourth Of the personal property
tax, amounting to two millions three
hundred thousand dollars, also to Sc