The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-08-06
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
: FARMERS WANT POWER
! 10 CLASSIFY PROPERTY.


The following letter shows that the
farmers are calling for relief from the
non.productIvS uniform rule Of taxa
tion, that they approve the classified
tion of property for purposes of taxa
ton, and that they believe the people
should control all methods of raising
public revenues:
Chillicothe. o.. Feb. Z, 1908.
Hon. F. A. Derthick. Master Ohio
State Grange, Mantua, Ohio: Dear
Sir-At our annual banquet attended
by the producers of our canning crops
the following resolution was adopted:
Whereas. The present uniform rate
of taxation on a property value tepds
to immortality and is productive of
revenue;
Resolved, That the people should
assume the management Of their rev.
enues through their representatives
with power to classify all property for
purposes Of taxation" Very truly
yours. C. H. Sears. Chairman.
POMONA GRANGE, TUscARAWAs
COUNTY.
At the June meeting Of the Tus-
carawas County Pomona Grange the
proposed taxation amendment to the
constitution was actively favored by
Pomono's secretary, T. E. Rornig,
who said: 1T would be impossible to
imagine a condition more dishearten-
ing than our present tax system, or
one that leads to more immortality
while producing but little revenue
from classes of property that should
share the burdens OF government.
Money and other forms Of intangible
property that have a fixed value can
not be justly taxed on the same basis
as land. Real estate is not on the
tax duplicate at anything like its true
value. The whole method OF levying
and collecting taxes in Ohio is unjust
ter for all. We have tried all sorts of
lodges and subterfuges 70 escape the
penalty Of law that prohibits a man
from being honest. One who seeks
to get his tangible property on the
duplicate at less than its true value is
just as much tax dodger in princi-
pie, though not so successful In praC-
tice. as he whose property Is easily
concealed. Get an honest law and the
people will obey it. believe We take
no chances in amending the constitu.
ton. Our condition can be no worse,
but 1t can be made infinitely better.
| believe we should each become &C.
tive in the campaign now being car
ried on to secure enlightenment on
this very important topic, and to Sc
cure the adoption of the taxation
amendment"
HOW PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX
LAWS AFFECT FARMERS. =
There is undoubtedly strong trend
toward the total exemption from tax
alton Of all forms Of personal property
on the plea that from the very nature
of the conditions it is impossible equit-
ably to enforce such taxat on Wheth-
er this be true or not 1t is certain that
the burdens of the personal property
tax laws fall far more heavily on the
rural communities than on the cities,
and that under existing conditions the
farmers in the majority of cases are
compelled to pay more than their fair
share of personal property taxes. An
examination of the personal property
tax returns of the principal states
shows that the amounts paid In per-
sonal property taxes by rural COM
munities are outrageously excessive
as compared with the amounts paid
in personal property taxes by the
cities.-N ]. Bachelor, Master Ma.
tional Grange. Before First National
Tax Conference.