The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1904-02-24
SHORT CHAPTER
ON TAXATION
Matter in Which All Towns
Are interested.
MANY COMPLICATIONS.
Inequalities Are Frequent
Question of Taxing Lots
Under Present COndi
tiOns a Decidedly
Mixed One.
MANY COMPLICATIONS.

The national banks of Tulsa de-
cline to permit, without protest, their
capital stock and surplus to be as
sessed at par. They are willing to pay
on basis Of 65 per cent. and insist
that even this rate is higher than the
lots are assessed, and produce figures
to bear out the statement.
Seldom, If ever, is personal property
assessed at what it would bring on the
market at public auction if sold for
taxes. which should be the rule. This
tax assessment business has always
been a source Of discord, and will he
as long as human kind prefer making
false returns Of their possessions 10
paying taxes on them.
While there may be no good reason
for assessing bank capital at less than
par, it is frequently done IN many Of
the states and is simply an offset to
assessing the farmers 800 horse at so
and a merchants bran new stock OF
goods at go per cent
In this connection might be we'll
TO look into Ninita's assessment. Here
tofore, only personal property has been
subject To taxation and, following the
old Cherokee law, houses and other
improvements went in as personal
property But This year the blanks
show no space for listing houses-it is
the lot, and the Improvements are in-
cluded.
Part Of the lots in this city have
been paid for ia fun and the deeds
issued. In some cases the payments
have an been made but the deed not
issued, while in many cases only first
payments have been made. Under
these varied circumstances and condi-
tions it appears inexpedient 70 tax the
lots. for many reasons II would be
unfair to tax the man who had paid
in fun and got his deed and not tax
the man who had not perfected his
title. n lot not fully paid out was
taxed, it may readily be seen that we
might be taxing the Cherokee Nation,
which was never contemplated. This
for tile reason that II the person to
whom the lot vas appraised and sold
failed 10 make final payment and per-
feet title the Tot would become the
property OF the nation. No one else
would have any equity in it, unfair as
This may seem.
THAT there viii be some lapses hard
Iy admits Of a doubt, as few lots
sold at the goyeu,-,snt auction last
fan passed at fgus which viii not
warrant making additional payments
prevailing prices considered.
Then. too. and connected with this,
comes the problem Of collecting The
tax on vacant lot from non-resi-
dent. If he declined to pay, the city
would have nothing TO sell, and if ii
did sell it could not give a title that
the Indian agent would recognize in
future settlements
An these conditions and a number
OF others which the lawyers suggest
tend to complicate the situation, with
the result that several property OWN
ers have already declined to list their
lots
Whatever rule is adopted must be
uniform, and should mete out equal
justice to all, and the sooner the ques-
tion is settled the better.
A Thousand Dollars Thrown Away
Mr.. w. w. Baker, Of Plainview,
Neb., writes: "My wife had lung
trouble for over fifteen years. We
tried a number of doctors and spent
over thousand dollars without any
relief. She was very low and lost
all hope, when a friend suggested try
ing Foley's Honey and Tar, which 1
did: and thanks be to this great rem
edy, it saved her life. She is stronger
and enjoys better health than she has
ever known i'm ten years. We shall
never be without Foley's Honey and
Tar and would ask those afflicted to
Try it. For sale at Peoples drug store.