The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-12-21
STATE GRANGE
Report OF the Legislative Committee

The sessions Of the State Grange
at Sunbury closed last Friday.
The following report of the COM
mittee on legislation sets forth the
position of the. organization on
many matters of public Importance:
Worthy Master and Members of
the Pennsylvania State Grange:
Your Legislative Committee beg
leave to report that we have given
during the past year careful consid-
Grafton to legislation affecting the
agricultural interests Of our State
and made every effort to carry out
the instructions of this body given
to us one year ago at the Erie meet
sng.
Under these instructions we pre-
pared aud presented to the last
Legislature bills on those subjects,
with the following results. A bill
to allow trolley roads to carry
freight. Killed by the Committee
on City Passenger Railways. Bills
favoring the return of all license
money and personal property taxes.
Pigeonholed in the Ways and
Means Committee. Bills regulat-
ing railroads and passenger rates.
Pigeonholed in the Railroad Com.
mittee. Bills favoriug legislation
for the initiative and referendum.
Pigeonholed in the committee.
Bill for ballot reform. Pigeon
holed III committee. Bill for a gen
eral primary election law met the
same fate.
Nothing further was said about
the treatment that the farmers re-
ceived at the last session of that
subservient Legislature until one
day in November last, we think it
was the seventh, when it was dis
covered that the people registered
a mighty protest against this kind
of treatment. And should this
plan Of defeating ali reform move.
ments continue there will be
mightier protest next time. The
people are beginning to learn that
political parties are supposed to
carry out the wishes of the people,
and when they fail to do this it is
our duty to apply the remedy.
In the matter of taxation we can
only repeat what has been said by
this committee for more than Is
years that the grossest inequali-
hes exist in our present tax laws.
Dur present method of State tax
,tion is not based on acts Of Legis-
ature, but ca decisions Of the
ourts, so that we find that compet-
ng corporations i'll the same town
n city are taxed differently. One
,ays State taxes on its capital stock,
>onded Indebtedness and gross
earnings, while the other pays no
State taxes al all. We refer to
electric light and gas companies.
And it is common knowl edge that
he latter is not taxed because the
Standard Oil Company owns many
rtihcial gas plants either by pur-
:hase or lease. In short our tax laws
ire made to favor trusts and mono
oolies and cannot be changed on
'ccount of their campaign contri
buttons.
The old chestnut that the farmer
md other real estate owners
'ay no State tax is very
'elusive. Real estate is paying
bout IS mills tax en- the dollar,
'hile corporate and personal prop
:rty is paying an average Of three
81 mills. The fact that one pays
IS takes to the State and the other
o the local authorities can not
iake up for this injustice. Be-
:ause of this inequality the great
orporate interests and their agents
re opposed to any change in our
'ungling tax laws.
The Grange plan ofretaining ir
he counties the license and part of
;ae personal property taxes is meet
,ig With more favor and is the cor