The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-08-17
FARMERS OPINIONS
Leading Agrloultursts Tell the state
Tax Commission How TO
Reform [ avs.

Reform Laws
Here are some Of the pertinent ex-
pressions on the subject OF taxation
made to the Tax Commission OF Ohio
at It's meeting on June 3
o. b. 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 II
that ! was pretty close to one side OF
It. | can see how easy II Is for me 70
figure how the other fellow should payII
the tax, and | think that is one Of the
troubles through the state. II Is easier H
To figure how the other can pay taxes
without finding out how you Will pay
youI share and escape II you can. well
are all a little nearsighted. There II
are many Inequalities In the present
system If a man has $4,000 In cash
and Is honest, he will return II at AZ
tual value $4,000 If he invests II IN
real estate Ii will be taxed, IN my
county (Green) for about $4,000 OF
$4,000 If in horses they would be
appraised at about $50 In Green coun-
ty S27 in Cuyahoga and $40 In Ham
iltUn counties Some one is mistaken
In the value of horses. The very best
horses we grow 50 TO the city. III your
10000 is in cash II Is on the dupncate
at fun value, in horses nearly up 10
tuli value, II in real estate, less than
| half the value. The assessor gets |
everything the farmer has close up 70
the actual value. In merchandise the
stOrekeeper places a value on his own
stock and he is usually pretty liberal
on the small side.
Let a dollar be dollar no matter
In what invested, whether in bank,
telephone or railway stock, In land
cash mules. horses or cows. The
trouble has been that the tax has not
been justly prOpOrtiOned. Preble coun-
ty, which is purely agricultural. re-
turns more credits. with debts deduct l
ed than Hamilton or Cuyahoga.
The decennial appraisement is un' |
wise and unjust | favor more ire
quent appraisements.
C.. p. Dyar, Marietta:
have no plan to propose whereby !
money stocks, bonds or credits can
be put upon the duplicate We have !
tried long enough along that line TO I
show II can not be done. ! favor such
an amendment to the constitution as
win change the old and inefficient /
method. | do not know the details, !!
but | would like to see the whole mat |
ter placed i'm the hands of a 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 been
mentioned here today will get the ben.
eft in reduced interest rates. Put ac-
tual. tangible property on the dupli-
cate Tax the public service corpora
lions 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. a.,
c. NJ. Freeman, Tippecanoe City,
Secretary National Grange
We find nothing particularly wrong
/ in the taxation matter II the other fell
! low would only pay his taxes.
We come into the world without our
own yolition, and We are protected by
society. There is moral obligation
resting on each individual to that So
ciety In the matter of taxation II is
financial duty To society.
fhe assessor asks more questions
Of the farmer than Of the merchant or
manufactures; true inventory is
taken of agriculture, but not of the
other industries There are $ll,0 ,000,-
600 less manufactured goods In 1906
than 1875. You ask the merchant one
question; he may have $l,000,000
worth on his shelves; you ask the
manufacturer two questions; you ask
this solves the forgetfulness of the
merchant and manufacturer
In regard to classification in the
meager time ! have had to spare to
II ! have not been able to find one
word that has been said to show 1t
was just aud right.
So, have been convinced that there
Is no justice or equity in classification.
The man who pays one-tenth or / per
cent enjoys and Will enjoy all the ben
etits that the man who pays the full
tax enjoy He will have the benefit
OF the roads, schools, insane asylums
and park In other words, he Is to be
citizen OF this country ON basis OF
onetenth 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; / do not
see how you will get all intangible
property, The inheritance tax will
catch the property somewhere along
tLe line, Men Of great fortunes have
been enjoying privileges that they
should not De slow to pay for
As 10 the equity of taxing farm
property, paying on mortgages and on
lands. Here is double taxation that
ought 10 be relieved. ! encourage the
building OF homes, ! IKE the lnulana
law, which eNempts TO the amount of
every 500 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-
Caipts paid on the tax.
II the constitution Is to be changed,
| wish you would be kind enough and
good enough to the people to let them
have chance In changing II. We
realize the magnitude of this question
and our inability to solve II, but we
believe IL is worth while to retain a
moral law. You can't afford to de-
stroy u 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. @