The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1908-02-14
PROPOSED TAX LAW
Oregon Tax Reform Association Has
Filed Its Proposed Amend
ment to Be Voted On.

The proposed new tax law. the
amendment for which is to be voted
on by process of the initiative and ref
erendum at the June election is caus
ing discussion throughout the state.
Friends of the proposed measure are
contending for its merits as follows:
''This amendment is not based on
new or untried theories, Eut its prin-
ciples are demonstrated to have truth
aud right in them. New Zealand,
Manitoba, and other British colonies,
have for numter of years exempted
improvements and personal property,
aud it has invariably worked in the
interests of the producing classes in
city or country.
"Many of the greatest Americans
have endorsed the principle which this
amendment approaches. Among them
Senator La Toilette, Gov. Folk. Tom
johnson, Henry George and William
Lloyd Garrison. They believe in the
principle of raising the needed reve-
nues for carrying on our government,
and at the same time discourage land
monopoly by taxing land values aud
franchises more and exempting i'm
provements and personal property-in
short what is commonly known as the
single tax.
Zone hundred feet square sold in
Portland on January %, for $500, 600
or at the rate of more than $4,000, ,000,-
900 for GAO acres. The latter amount
is about ten times the assessed value
of the farms of Oregon. Such city
values, as we'll as the value of railroad
rights of way. is made by tribute paid
by the producers of the state. This
measure will shift the taxes mainly TO
site values, such as the aEove, not to
acres.
"But where a railroad holds mil
lions on millions of acres. this measure
will hit them so hard that it will be
interesting to see the fight they will
put up against it. The farmers of this
county will certainly see to it under
this law that every acre of land grants
is assessed at least as high as that of
the improved farms which makes the
adjoining unused land valuable with
out the owners efforts. This law goes
on the principle that if you want to
discourage the holding of a lot of
worthless dogs. or bunch of vacant
city lots or vacant sections of land,
put the taxes upon them. To en-
courage production and home building
it takes the taxes off from lin the
words of the amendment) all dwelling
houses, barns, sheds, outhouses and all
machinery and buildings used exolu-
sively for manufacturing purposes, all
fences, farm machinery and appliances
used as such, all fruit trees, vines
shrubs and all other improvements on
farms, all livestock, household furnI-
ture in use aud all workingmen g
tools.
Supporters of this amendment soy
that every locality has 'undesira BILE
citizens who oppose every improve
ment of roads; good schools and teach
ers, bridges and other public neces-
stiles, because of the fact that the less
taxes they pay the more land they can
hold ont of use, awaiting the industry
OF. the entire community to make them
wealthy. Nonresident land owners
ale more obtrusive to local improve
ments, yet contributing nothing to the
business interests of the community.
eft the large tracts of this county
paid the same taxes as improved farms,
they would te divided up and rapidly
improved. increasing our population
and wealth.
"Our merchants. blacksmiths, bar
bers, carpenters, and all other business
men, would feel the effects of the new
blood, capital and energy, and under
such a system of taxation our COM
munity would move forward as never
BEFORE"