The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-03-25
GOV. GARvIN
LIKES NOT
TAXES
He Says the Levylng Of the
Same Is a Mistake Of MOdsrn
Civilization.

Governor Garvin spoke TO crowded
house al the Y NJ. c. A. last evening
his subject being taxes" He said In
part:
"A few days ago a local newspaper
came out with a campaign flag with my
picture on It. and underneath the words
No Taxes II / were 10 be nominated
for the presidency OF the United States
| would take those words for part OF
my platform.
"The levying OF taxes is a mistake OF
modern civilization. Taxation is bur
densome, and the power to tax is the
power TO destroy. There Is never
change I'm the tariff but that 1t destroys
some business.
THE tax In the city of Providence Is
Sls on 5000. and Il cuts into the income
OF the widow and the orphans. The bur
den is unjust. for II falls heaviest on the
poor The rich pay from to 10 per cent.
on the total amount OF property. The
1000 600 rich people I'm th country pay
only one-tenth OF the taxes; the poor pay
the remainder.
These taxes are Unnecessary and TO
prove that they are unnecessary 1 VIII
cite tnt example OF inc Slhle ol llllilois.
That state was settled under the Home
stead Laws. The land was divided in
sections and the SECTIONS were taken
haphazard. AS long as only few fam
lies were there there was no need OF rev.
enue. but as the time went on there arose
a cause for public expenditures.
"If those settlers met together in town
meeting and decided that a certain place
was a proper site for a school or church
A N
sun cient to meet the expense. Now,
they tax people for building OH land,
which is wrong. because they take from
the individual that which he has earned.
This Is egallzed robbery. The commu-
nifty has this fund and II allows IL 10 pass
20 individual sources. In the city OF
Providence only 20 per cent. Of the fam
lies own their homes. Hence the tax
is unjust. unnecessary and wrong.
II might go further and say that the
system OF taxation is idotic. IL any
individual conducted his business as the
state conducts its taxation he might be
sent 10 jail. but think that he would
be sent TO the insane asylum. The city
should do just as house owners do. II
should say You take this piece Of land
or that piece OF land and pay me so much
rent Every tenant pays ground rent;
In fact, everybody pays ground rent. The
proposition Is that that rent should go
TO the state.
III a man wanted a good location he
could pay high rent. and so In pro-
portion 1T Is fair AMI equitable pro-
position. You could levy n tax. You
can't under the present system No
personal tax can be assessed properly.
Land can be taxed more equltably than
buildings, for IL is difficult to estimate
the value or buildings and Il is impossi-
bic TO estimate the value OF the interior
OF the building. IL Is right that the
state should utilize what belongs 10 L.
There are I'm Rhode Island about
s2oo,oo0.c0 worth OF taxable land proper
ties. tax OF 5 per cent would give us
Sl,0oo.ooJ year revenue, and that would
be enough. AS it is, there is more than
half OF this amount going 70 sources
where IL does not belong
The result OF this proposition is the
abolition OF taxes. II you put a SO tax
on SO lot you can sell that lot for 800
but II you put 80 tax on 500 lot you
couldn't sell 1t at auction. What pleas
ure has the family that has 10 move
about from place TO place I'm thinking
OF their early homes? Now II the people
cousi get land for a nominal sum don't
you suppose there would be fewer ten
ants and more people with homes OF their
own? With the abolition Of taxation we
should have all the advantages OF a new
country with none OF It's hardships.
NOW TO return. the proposition Is that
no taxes should be levied for they are
unnecessary and wrong. We are en-
dowed with funds in our land. II is m
defensible."