The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-01

ing with the spirit of the party that be-
Heves in appointive officers instead or
elective officers, and proposes to raise
the tax of the farmer and home owner
instead of the corporation.
THE law makes a direct attack upon
the merchants in the state, by providing
that he shall pay taxes upon his credits,
whether in the form of notes or ac-
counts, resardless of what he may. owe
to the wholesale dealers or other bust
ness men. This is one of the unjust and
unfair provisions by which the law at
tempts to increase the assessed valua-
tiGn of personal property
1.-The law requires Kansas mortgage
owned by a Kansas man to be listed for
taxation, while Kansas mortgage
owned by a foreign corporation or
taxed It is made the special duty or
assessors to examine the official records
to find whether a Kansas man owns any
mortgage that is there recorded. and II
so to compel him to list it for taxation.
This provision can be explained on no
other theory than that the officers OF the
law had a higher regard for the foreign
corporations that are loan1ng money In
Kansas than they have for the citizens
of our state engaged in like business.
THE commission explains that the bill
will require every man who h0lds the
title to a piece of land to pay taxes on
the full value of it. regardless of whether
there is a mortgage upon it and he
owns but a small equity For example.
if a man should buy a farm worth ST.
900 from his neighbor, and pay $500 down
upon it and give a mortgage for the
balance. he would be compelled to pay
taxes upon the valuation of $1,000, and
irasmuch as the mortgage was to
Kansas man he would have to pay
enough more interest to enab Bile the mort
gage to pay taxes upon the $500 mort
gage, and thus he would pay taxes upon
81 800 when in fact he should be taxed
only upon $500.
7~,I hn
bill is its attempt to tax franchises. but
this is framed in such a way that 1t
would bring hardship to limited
number Of corporations and allow those
who have the large valuable franchises
to go without taxation. No rule is pro-
vided FOR arriving at the value Of the
franchises. Kansas corporations are to
be taxed upon their franchises granted
by the state or any city. Foreign cor
Dorations are to be taxed upon any
franchises that they may have granted
by city. This is a rank discrimination
against Kansas corporations, and would
prevent the application of the law 20
nineteenth of the large corporations
now doing business in Kansas and en-
joying the protection of our laws
THE bill makes practically no change
in the present mode and plan of rail-
way assessment and it can have no
other result than to leave the railway
assessment as 1t now is, while it at
tempts to raise the assessed value OF
real estate TO three times Tue pIcSClt
amount, and to raise the present value
of personal property to twelve times the
present amount.
The same persons who constitute the
board of railway assessors, under the
proposed law. with the exception of the
lieutenant governor, become the state
board of equalization, and are charged
with the duty of equalizing the assess
ment of all kind of property in all parts
Of the state. This means that the hoard
of equalization win have nothing what
ever to &c with rsilro9d property and
will only change the assessment with
regard to other property. If any mis-
Ike should be made in the assessment
of railway property, it is not to be pre-
sumed that the same man who made II
will correct it, but rather that the judg-
ment they exercised when sitting as a
board of railway assessors will remain
their Judgment when they will sit as d
| board of equalization"