The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-09-29
A Ma tsrful and Eloquent Appeal to
the People of Nebraska by
Hon. George w. Berge
BERGE'S KEYNOTE

No one can justify such a law.
Again the law is bad because it makes
the small taxpayer. or the man in debt,
pay taxes on property he does not own.
For instance man owns farm worth
ten thousand dollars. He has mort
gage upon the firm OF five thousand dol
lars. His real equity in that farm is
five thousand dollars, but the law
makes him pay taxes on ten thousand
dollars. Ii resident OF the state mas
loaned him this money, then the owner
OF the farm pays taxes on ten thou
sand dollars and the money loaner on
five thousand dollars, or taxes are PAID
on fifteen thousand dollars on that farm.
It seems to me that a just and equitable,
law would provide that the owner OF
the farm should pay taxes on his real
equity of five thousand dollars, and the
money loaner, whether resident OF
the state or not, should pay taxes on
the other five thousand dollars.
But someone says il you are OPP
posed to this law and il you favor its
repeal, what do you propose to 5ive in
it's stead? Replying, / would say that
on matter so important as the rev.
enues of the state, l would have hesl-
tated a long time before substituting
an entirely new law in the place OF
an old law, that had been tried for
years
| The old law was built up through
years of litigation and adjudicaIions by
the courts. We knew where the law
was good and where it was bad. The
proper way would have been 10 have
famended rife%x5 y inwE and sgtrep thaped
/ 1t where IL waa weak. Isn't IL pos
sible to pass revenue law SO that
every mans property and the property
or every corporation be assessed at It's
actual and full value? That is the
whole. question before us. IN the pas
sage or law must you make discrimi-
nation and exempt certain property
from taxation, and in other instances
make people pay taxes on mole prop
erty than they actually have and at a
value beyond what 1t is actually worth?
In the passage OF revenue law must
you have in it the elements Of politi-
cal machine? Before you can pass a
revenue law must you discriminate
against your own resident taxpayers,
who loan money, and favor those who
! do not live in the state ] would favor
a law, which would make fail upon
Eeyery taxpayer equally and justly the
burdens OF taxation. This law does not
do that.
But let me get little further into
detail, and see the operation OF this
law. Mr.. c. O. Whedon of this city,
one of our most prominent republican
attorneys, under date OF August 6, adj
dressed letter to the State Journal,
in which he says that the assessed val
uation of the property in the city of
Lincoln for 1903 was s22,389 834.55. For
| 1904 it is assessed at $29, 145, $780, or
an increase of $6,764, 860.45. This is an
increase OF about 80 per cent ever last
year. The rate of the city tax levied
last year was 1913 mills. This year it
mas Az mills. With an Increase of 80
per cent in valuation there rs 10 ue-
crease in the rate, but an increase OF a
v Traction OF MILL
Mr.. Whedon says that state county
and city taxes, which one bust
Rlse of this city will pay this
nexceed the amount paid in
se than $780, another
$3.50 more than last
use will pay $4,000
nanother will pay
kinued in
hat next