Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1902-02-26
ISACCUMULATED WEALTH
BENEFICIAL TO PUBLIC INTERESTS
A Discussion Of Above Subject and
the Tax Ferret Law By
Hon. Abe Jones.


calibre are fearfully exercised for feal
the law authorizing tax ferrets will be
repealed and announce in bold letters,
dare they do it?" A pathetic appeal
is made to the honest tax payers, but
who is to be the judge of who is honest
and who is not? 1t is a matter of fact
that not single mortgage tax has
been collected but what part of the tax
has been paid not only yearly for five
years but for many more. 1t is well
known that one who holds the deed of
farm is taxed for it and if the taxes
are not paid in certain time enough
of it is sold to pay the taxes. This has
no regard for the amount of mortgage
upon it whether more or less. Then
the present law omes in and compells
the mortgage pay taxes on a por-
ton of the property upon which taxes
have already been paid. If double
taxation is hoi esty and fair dealing,
Webster should rive new definition
of honesty and it is difficult TO see
without a spy glass wherein tax
payer is not as honest as one who
don't pay taxes. But why this great
howl just at this time? If those who
we such tender and loving feeling
h { the people, such high and lofty
lueas Of honesty and justice would ad-
vocate the simple principle of right,
which is that every man who owns q
farm that is mortgaged for half it's
value should pay the tax on one-half
and the mortgage on the other half; or
as Is done in some states let them agree
when the deal is made who is to pay
the taxes. 1t has been generally sup
posed that paying taxes on the same
property once was sufficient and no
doubt it would be so decided if carried
to the higher courts. Some are so bit
ter and vehement, so alarmed about
the people that their actions smack
of populism, socialism or some
other ism" and remind one of the old
threadbare story that no one has a
right to be wealthy, which we have
heard time and again in every cam
paign. Let us consider for moment
this terrible monster" wealth that
troubles 80 many on account Of the
evil it does, but mostly because they
haven't got it. What would this or
any other country be without wealth?
Fifty years ago the best land in Iowa
could be bought for ST .25 an acre; now
it is worth from $50 to 500 an acre.
Then products had to be hauled to the
river; then such thing as wealth was
unknown, If a man had log shanty
and rifle he was happy; then lum-
Der wagon would cost $l20, now 1t
could be bought for $45, and all other
farm implements in proportion; then
it would cost to travel by stage about
10 cents mile. Now you can travel
in palace car for less than 3 cents
mile and make so miles an hour, when
by stage if the roads were not too
muddy you could make miles an
hour. Then to go to California around
Cape Horn would take six months,
which was the only way to go except
by OK teams or hand carts. Now you
can go TO California by half a dozen
different routes in four days Then
the state OF Iowa was almost an un-
broken plain in its virgin state; now il
is the best farming and one of the
richest and most prosperous states in
union. What has caused all this
change? Who can dispute that it Is
wealth and combined wealth at that.
How many hunters, trappers, farmers
and broken-hearted sympathizers with
the poor distressed people would it
take to build 100 miles of railroad?
There are the trusts which have
ruined this country for several years
about election time, but she still seems
to ''iive, move and have her being"
l am not an advocate of trusts but
believe stair play is jewel" and will
give just one illustrations: The king
bee of trusts is John -. Rockefeller who
has committed the objectionable sin
of being worth half a billion of dollars,
and vet 30 years ago he was worth
only 1000. The way he has distress
ed the poor and everybody else Is like
this, before he became the oil king we
paid 40 cents gallon for oil, now we
buy IL for l2t cents gallon, or less by
the quantity. All the men of great
wealth in this country have started
from the lowest round In the ladder or
their fathers before them have. Not
one railroad president in hundred
but what can do any thing about a
train from turning a switch to run
ming an engine. These men have
reached the top by theirability, energy
and honesty and there is always an
opening for any young man with the
same characteristics to do the same
thing. That vast fortunes have been
accumulated is true, but with an eye
to business and believing In the
nimble nickle the owners do not hoard
Ii but keep it moving. They give en-
ployment to millions of laborers, the
value Of which to merchants and
others can only be estimated; and how
could they live without combined
wealth to furnish them work. In fact
IL we want to go back to the days of
hunting, fishing and pounding corn
for n living we must dispense with
wealth, but II we want this country to
continue to be the most progressive,
prosperous, wealthy and powerful of
any In the world we must submit to
the great disadvantage of accumulated
wealth. ABE JONES.