The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1902-03-06
Taxation Question
Is the All Absorbing Measure that Con-
Germs the People of Ohio Now.
Delegations from Every Part of the State Talk to the
Taxation Committee Of the Legislature About
These Important Bills Before Them

e
| the most outrageous proposition as tax
| proposition that have ever known.
"You would tax your own people higher
than the people OF foreign corporations do
Ing business In ohio. Your own people
who are unwise enough to organize under
| the laws of their own state must bear
| burden which they can only escape by GO
| ing across the line into some other state.
| You ought not TO propose a plan that will
hurt your own people; you ought not to
| deal SO unfairly by them. This Is the most
indefenslble assault on the people OF Its
| own state that amy legislature ever at
| tempted. Gentlemen, II you enact these
| bills into laws, how will you 60 back TO
| your homes and face the people whose trust
| you have betrayed
These insurance men have told you to-
| night. that II you Increase the tux on the
| gross premlrsn receipts Of Insurance com.
panes that you will be placing a great
| hardship the 100000 policy holders in
Ohio, the widows and orphans, the weak,
| the oppresse, and the helpless That Is
true. The policy holders viii bear the bur-
| den They are your own people. This Is
another case where you propose to tax
| your own people don't forget thaO not
the wealthy corporations from other states
owning great tracts Of land and possessing
vast public privileges In Ohio. Why Is
| thisf think the answer can be found
1t Is because the steam railway corpora
tions owning and operating $534, ,000. 900
| worth OF property IN this state are paying
S4.00O,ODn less every year than their share
| OF taxes In ohio. measured by the same
rule that Is applied to the farmer and the
| small home owner OF this 1854, 900 900
worth OF property. you will not End that
| $1,000, coo Is owned by citizens of Ohio. 1t
Is owned BY the money bags OF Wall-street,
by the New York Central. the Pennsyl-
vanla and Other immense Eastern corpora
tions. Tue stockholders live outside Of
| Ohio.
"Ipstead OF going after these people who
are taking great wealth out OF your state
without paying their just share Of the eX-
pense OF the government that protects
them here, you are going TO place q fur
ther burden on your own people, who, IN
comparison with the foreign owners of
property located end operated In Ohio, are
already paying a great deal more than their
share; they are already bearing a burden
almost too great to bear. You told the
people Of Ohio last fall that II you were
elected you would SO amend the tax laws
as to reduce the taxes paid by tho farmer
and the small home owner. How are yon
keeping your promise No party Is strong
enough gentlemen. to commit so nagrant
violation Of It's promise, and survive No
party ia strong enough to make such IN
outrageous discrimination between Its own
people and those from other states doing
business in Ohio. for however partisan the
people OF Ohio may be. they still love hon
esty and justice as they love liberty, and
the ties that would hold them to a party
that did what you are now proposing to
do have never been woven.
This unfair division of the tax burden
between your own people and the people
from other states doing business In Ohio
exists now. and you propose to make II
even worse. Tf that In good politics,
don't see 1t. If that is good morals, can't
understand It, scratch OF the pen and
you can correct 1t, and no argument can
ever Justify your action II you fail to cor.
rect 1t. The state board of steam railway
equalization, composed exclusively Of Re-
publcans. said IL did not have the power;
the supreme court Of the state said that
the board was not clothed with power to
compel these great public service corpora
tions to pay their Just share Of the taxes.
When we appeared before the state board
and the supreme court demanding that the
steam railroads be made to pay the "a, o00,-
900 they had been robblny the Ohio people
of each year, we were told to 20 to the leg
islature; that II was the body which could
and should remedy the evil. New we are
before you, gentlemen Of the legislature.
asking that you do your simple and plain
duty by your own people; we demand that
you shall not devise q scheme whereby
these great foreign corporations shall es.
cape and further oppression be indicted on
the people of Ohio Many Of you come
from the rural counties Do you realize
that the farmers will be among the great.
est sufferers and that they will not fall to
understand that you and you alone, are re
sponslble? Every member of this legisa
ture regardless of his politics, should raise
his voice against these measures and cast
his vote for some sort of bill, such as
that introduced by Senator Decker OF
Fauldng, that will carry out the promises
which you all made to the people Of Ohio
last fall, viz, to reduce their taxes. Ever
II you passed these most iniquitous meas
ures, you would never get the revenue that
you are seeking. II they were not declared
unconstitutional they would drive your OWE
people from your own state. DO you want
to drive the manufacturing and other pri
vate corporations from Ohio1
"Quasi-public corporations in Ohio, such
as street railways, gas and electric light
companies, the stock In which Is largely
owned by people living In other states, are
paying $4,000, 900 less than their share oi
taxes every year on the property owned
and operated by them In Ohio. This item
and the "a, 100000 which the steam rail
ways are permitted to escape the payment
OF would be more than enough to pay al
the expenses OF the state. Why then, de
you allow these corporations to escape,
Can 1t be that you are here to protect these
great corporations because they furnish tn,
funds with which the Republican cam
paigns are conducted1 Can II be that you
|
party In Ohio. are willing to assume thai
position before the people Of ohloi
II am a citizen Of Ohio before 7 am {
partisan and want to see this wrong right
ed: don't care which party rights Il. II
you gentlemen fall TO right It you cannot
escape the consequences OF your act. Th,
people will know where to place the blame
The Republicans are In the majority II
both branches of this legislature. Nc
Democrat here would be q party 10 thu
commission OF such q crime as you propos,
In these bills
Separate state from county taxes; tina,
is all right--it is q wise thing to do. bu
, don't try to separate them by picking eui
the small property owners. the weak anC
helpless among your own peopre and let on
! ths big nSh, the foreign owners OF these biz
public service corporations. No one Ii fool
ish enough 10 believe that the railroads vii
refuse TO pay this ons-half per cent In
crease In the excise tax. OF course they
7 will pay II. 1t Will only require them Z,
give up to the state about $780, 900 NOR,
than they are now paying. wheLeas. ai
everyone knows. they ought TO be required
10 pay as,o00.0o0 more than they are nov
J paying. Gentlemen. n the Republicans oi
this general assembly carry out the iniqui
tOus scheme proposed In these bills theJ
will hnd. when the next election rolf
, around. that the people OF Ohio hold fall
dealing and ordinary Justice far abov'
party Affiliations No leaders are stronI
enough TO line up . party In Ohio In IHp
! port Of such an outrage,
what will you say. Mr. Wills" turning
, to the Republican representative from Har
din county who Is fatherinT the bill to tai
, the capital stock OF private Ohio incorpor
! atlonI when come down into your dis
triet and repeat these charges Oh thu