New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1906-09-19
.ECkSTEIN TALKS ON TAXES
County Commissioners Gives Elk.
cellent Advice.
Paper Read Before State AssOcia
ton is Good One.
Suggests That the Prevalent Elk.
emption Law Should Go.

Suggests That the Prevalent Ex-
emption Law Should Go.
The proceedings of the last session
of the Board of Correction and Chart
ties, recently published in pamphlet
form contains an excellent article from
the pen of Andrew j. Eckstein, which
excited considerable comment from the
members of the county commissioners
then in session and a part of the con-
vention, part of which is as follows:
First, we have the exemption law.
It places upon men no obligation up
to 500. Few unmarried men, who are
boarding, have property worth that
much. The percentage is so small,
there is lack of incentive to look them
up. Therefore, to save time, the as
SCISSOR gives up all hope of finding as
sessable property on a class of indi-
viduals who comprise perhaps a fifth
of the total population. I am not Civ
ing exact figures. I cannot. But
whether it is a fifth or a tenth, am
sure that it makes the burden of others
uneqal. In some counties, we find
that there are two or three times the
number of electors that there are of
taxpayers. That is inequality injus-
tice. The question seems to be, elias
he property" and not, "Has he the
privileges of citizenship?' Itappears
to be the rule to place a premium on
an unsettled state. The wayfarer who
knows no home, who has no ties, is no
freer from the cares of society than the
man who owns too little to become a
taxpayer under our present system.
| Minnesota is no worse in this respect
than the entire country, but I contend
that practice does not make right.
Highway robbery is not excusable be-
cause of it's prevalence in some local..
| ties. Nor is the utter escape of taxes
any more honorable than the freedom
from serving prison sentence for graft.
ing. Society should exact something
from all persons enjoying its priv.
leges. There should be no exemption
law. Permit men to pay for what
they get.
Mr.. Eckstein then illustrates his
meaning by well-drawn word picture
of the conditions as they might exis,
between neighbors where one is mar.
ried and the other not, and then says
Passing from the per capita idea,
wish to take up the subject upon which
already touched, taxation by actual
value and not by classification. If
do not too far transgress the subject
[ wish to ask if this problem of taxa
ton is a grammatical subject or g
serious problem? That is, are we tc
classify common nouns or are we tc
tax articles? 'Horse" is in the alb
stract. It means anything from a s1(
nag to the finest harness horse in ex
istence. The difference in their gram
NAUTICAL status is wiped out. But il
real money, the one is worth $40 anc
the other S2,000-or more. Is it rea
sonable to tax SIS, 900 racing horse
on $50 basis because he is a horse
Would it not be better to call hin
property? Or, again, let us 60 to the
subject of financial holdings. If WE
are to tax man on his securities, we
want to know their value.
| [ believe that certain taxes are ex
cessive. I think that watches anc
clocks should be assessed atS2insteac
of at 81. I believe that sewing ma
chimes should be assessed at SIS instead
Of at ST. think bicycles might beal
an assessment better at SIS than at S15
There must be some cause for this
inadequate system. We cannot dis
miss it with the old slogan, "Graft. ,
1t is due to the weak points of the sys
tenn itself. In the first place, we have
the element of personal acquaintance
the fear or favor element that is al
ways disastrous. Too many men are
honest only when their honesty will be
rewarded. When voters put a mar
into Office, they eternally exercise tina
fact as leverage over him. IF Jim
the assessor, goes to assess friene
Charles, there is bond of friendship
that keeps Justice blind and Hampers
with her scales. The plan of electins
assessors by popular vote, entails OBJ
4 legations. Votes often come through
personal solicitation. When men give
something, they want something in re.
turn. The way of injustice is easy
Schedules, classifcations, and com.
mon honesty fall.
| We could Ohviatn this condition l1