The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-08-29
FARMERS OPINIONS
Leading AgricuIturlsts Tell the State
Tax Commission How to
Reform Laws.

made to the Tax Commission of OHIO
a. its meeting on June 3:
o. E. Brandfute, of Xenia, member
of the Board of Trustees of Ohio State
university:
The more thoroughly | look into the
tax question the more am | convinced
that | was pretty close to one side OF
it. | can see how easy it Is for me 10
figure how the other fellow should pay
the tax. and think that Is one OF the
troubles through the state. Ii is easier
to figure how the other can pay taxes
without finding out how you Will pay
your share and escape if you can. we
are all a little sighted. There
are many inequalities in the present
system. If a man has $4,000 In cash
and is honest. he will return 1t at ac-
tual value. $4,000. If he invests 1t IN
real estate it will be taxed, IN my
county (Green) for about $3,OOO or
$4,000. If in horses they would be
appraised at about $50 in Green coun-
ty, $27 in Cuyahoga and $4O IN Han-
ilton counties. Some one Is mistaken
in the value Of horses. The very best
horses we grow 90 to the city. II your
$40 900 is in cash 1t is on the duplicate
at full value, in horses nearly up TO
full value, If in real estate, less than
half the value The assessor gets
everything the farmer has close up 10
the actual value. In merchandise the
storekeeper places value on his own
stock and he is usually pretty liberal
on the small side.
Let a dollar be a dollar no matter
in what invested, whether In Dank'
telephone, or railway stock, IN land,
cash, mules. horses or COWS. Inc
trouble has been that the tax has not
been justly proportioned. Preble couh-
ty. which is purely agricultural, re-
turns more credits, with debts deduct
ed, than Hamilton or Cuyahoga:
The decennial appraisement Is un'
wise and unjust. l favor more ire
quent appraisements.
c. P. Dyar, Marietta:
| have no plan to propose Wherepy
money stocks, bonds or creaits can
be put upon the duplicate. We have
tried long enough along that line TO
show it can not be done. favor such
an amendment to the constitution as
will change the old and 1net1clent
method. | do not know the details,
but would like to see the whole mat
ter placed in the hands Of perma-
nent tax commission. Let US do away
with the attempt to tax what can not
be put on the duplicate. The young
men buying homes who have Deeh
mentioned here today will get the ben
eft in reduced interest rates. Put ac'
tual, tangible property on the dupll-
cate. Tax the public service corpora
tions much as we are doing, either
upon the gross returns or on the value
of their stock. Go after the property
itself not the representatives OF that
property
C. M. Freeman, Tippecanoe City,
Secretary National Grange:
We find nothing particularly, wrong
in the taxation matter if the other fel-
low would only pay his taxes.
We come into the world without our
own Volition, and We are protected by
society. There is a moral obligation
resting on each individual to that so
ciety. In the matter of taxation 1T is
a financial duty to society.
The assessor asks more questions
of the farmer than of the merchant or
manufacturer; true inventory Is
taken of agriculture. but not of the
other industries. There are $11,000,-
600 less manufactured goods in 1906
than 1875 You ask the merchant one
question; he may have 81 100000
worth on his shelves; you ask the
manufacturer two questions; you ask
the farmer Is or 20. 1t seems to me
this solves the fOrgetfulnesS of the
merchant and manufacturer.
In regard to classification in the
meager time | have had to spare to
it | have not been able to find one
word that has been said to show 1t
was just and right.
So, have been convinced that there
is no justice or equity in classification.
The man who pays One-tenth of l per
cent enjoys and will enjoy all the ben.
efits that the man who pays the full
tax enjoys. He will have the benefit
of the roads, schools insane asylums
and parks. In other words, he is to be
a citizen of this country on a basis OF
one-tenth per cent and enjoy every
privilege Oh the man who pays his full
share.
We believe in the taxation Of fran
chises, public service corporations and
an inheritance tax. This might be dou-
Bile taxation | would relieve double
taxation wherever possible; 1 do not
see how you will get all intangible
property. The inheritance tax will
catch the property somewhere along
the line. Men Of great fortunes have
been enjoying privileges that they
should not be slow to pay for.
AS to the equity of taxing farm
property, paying on mortgages and on
lands. Here is double taxation that
ought to be relieved | encourage the
building of homes. | like the Indiana
law. which eXempts to the amount of
every $7O0 on every mortgage for each
individual, when the mortgage does
not exceed half the property. The
man who loans the money Is more
able to pay tax than the borrower. |
would make the mortgage pay his
tax on the mortgage, exempt the real
estate to the amount of the mortgage,
and make the tax lien on the prop
erty, and Offset the note by the re-
Ceipts paid on the tax.
If the constitution is to he changed,
| wish you would be kind enough and
good enough to the people to let them
have a chance in changing 1t. We
realize the magnitude of this question
and our inability to solve it, but We
believe 1t Is worth while to retain a
moral law. You can't afford to de-
stroy moral law to establish legal
one.
T. C. Laylin, of Norwalk, member
of the Board of Control of the Woos.
ter Experiment Station, said:
| favor inheritance and income
taxes and would extend the Nichols
law to all public service corporations,
but not to industrial and commercial
corporations.
would abolish the present levy on
real and personal property for state
revenue and leave the power to tax
these solely to the counties. This
would abolish the State Board of
Equalization and leave each county
free to control It's own levy.
do not favor classification. II the
legislature had the power to classify
it would appear to have the power to
fix the rate. favor the creation of
a permanent tax commission repre-.
senting each of the industries. of the
state. This commission could levy
taxes and classify property, II that Is
necessary and this would be less OBJ
jectionable than to leave 1t in the
hands of the legislature.