The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1907-01-17
TEXAS AND TAXATION
A. S. Johnson, Of The Moline Pillow Co.
Sends Sensible Communication 10
State Trade Journal.
'CFrom Wednesdays Daily.y

Dallas)
During the last political campalgr
tho Retail Hardware and Implemen
Dealers association asked all III,
candidates m governor their view
on tho occupation tax law and on
OF tho candidates who favored Tn.
unconditional repeal Of this law wa
elected and as 1t will DO the dut,
OF the committee on legislation /,
look after the repeal of this law,
suggest that they DO instructed I,
Investigate the manner in which
SaXes are rendered and ask for 70
lief from the system which now al
lows property owners to render
property for taxation at Is per CEN
of its real value.
Texas is being prayed unon b,
nonresident as we'll as resident
land holders who are doing nothing
towards its development and pre-.
venting thousands Of homeseekers
from buying homes.
In the Panhandle of Texas and
other portions OF. the state, find
that a farmer buys a piece Of land,
builds a cottage and barn, puts Il
in cultivation ana is taxed four
times as much as tho Spectator
who buys large tracts Of land with
no intention OF moving to the state
or improving this land, goes home
and has his agent reder 1t for tax
alton at not over 30 per cent Of its
value. cheating the state out Of so
per cent Of its taxes and the poor
homeseekers a sme
This land shark" will hold this
land because It's taxes are small and
he profits by advancing values
created by the fellow who plows
and yet the poor plowman is fined
because he improves his land.
| believe that If a farm In cul-
tivation is worth $40 per acre and
the raw land" adjoining 1t is just
as good land then II is worth SEQ
per acres less the buildings on the
improved land and see no reason
why the tax assessor Of each coun-
ty should not be compelled to as
soss this raw land at its value.
There are several large tracts of
land in the Panhandle for which
the owners would not take SO perl
acre which is rendered at 81. More
Of It for which they would not take
$40 rendered at 81. Still more for
which they would not take SIS to
$40 rendered at So.
The taxable values of the Pan
handle alone would increase more
han ono hundred millions dollars
( property was assessed at fair
and If all the property in
Texas was assessed at fair valua-
ion, our rates of taxation would
lave to be decreased to % cents per
100 or less, and tax rate like
his would advertise us to the world
is the largest, richest and most
state in the union and
INVESTORS would take the place of
peculators and tax dodgers. One
permanent investor is worth twen-
y-five nonresident speculators and
ne farmer who farms, a COW pen
I'LL Of both, If the retail hardware
nd implement dealers of Texas
rant to attract real and actual
armers to Texas and increase the
opulation, tax lodging must be
topped. The attorney general,
tax assessors and
Dunty commissioners must be
lade TO understand that they must
0 their duty which, when done will
to the world that we want
lrmers who farm, investors who
west In farms, because both pay
nd not the speculator who buys ,
rye tracts Of land and refuses to
II or improve until the man with d,
10 pillow has created him a value
Mess they are willing to help
Ipport the government who pro-
cts his speculation. know set
ements of farmers in the Panhan-
. who have to go from forty to
10 hundred miles to the railroad S
no we're driven this distance to I
title by syndicates and individuals Il
no own this land between them q
id the railroad and they are even 4
MED a public road arb must haul \
cir products TO markets through a
rye pastures over such roads as
ture provides and such bridges 4
they can construct. \
This Is a problem in which all Y
0 commercial bodies in the stated 4