The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-06-24
INDIRECT TAXATION BREEDS
rXTRAVAGANCE.

the governor OF Texas, opened his
campaign for a second term at Ter
reS on Saturday
Governor Campbell, as was to be
expected, stands squarely by the
acts of the Thirtieth legislature,
which body moved under his direc-
ton.
We have never been able to see
the wisdom and the justice of all
done by that legislature; possibly
time will vindicate it's proceedings.
In his Terrell address Gov. Camp
bell declared the movement against
the tax laws came from the powerful
interests which had prevented tax
reforms in the past.
ut will continue to come from
them as long as the people trust
me-" he continued, the remark be-
ing received with applause. IF l
have to barter or sell the rights of
the people or retire from public Of
fee l will retire and that / dom
expect to do right quick"
Il want every man here he con-
tinued, who is in favor of repeating
the gross receipts tax law, the fran
chise tax law, or of abandoning this
system that has shifted from the
shoulders of the masses nearly two
thirds of the burden Of government,
to hold up his hand"
There being no response to this,
he then said:
"If there is man in this audience
who believes that l did wrong in
asking the legislature to obey the
will of the people in these matters
| want him to stand up and let the
people look at him
There is in this performance a bit
OF cheap demagogy that is surprising
in one who fills the exalted station
of governor of Texas: Il want him
to stand up and let the people look
at him. The man who so INDUCES is
manifestly afraid of his argument.
We have in Texas a commission to
fix transportation charges on a reas-
enable basis. The members of that
commission are charged with the re-
sponsibility of seeing to it that the
railroads get only fair compensa-
ton for their services. That is abso-
lutely just.
These railroads are visible-track-
age, stations. equipment and so on
and we assess this property for tax
alton
Wouldn't that seem to be enough !?
Regulating what they shall charge
for hauling passengers and freight;
! seeing to it that they do not get
more than a reasonable price for ser
vice performed and in addition to
| this collecting from them their pro-
portion of taxes for the support of
the state government; isn't that
quite enough?
! But we do not stop there. We tax
i their gross receipts and their intan-
gible values. And in doing this our
governor says the burden of taxa
ton has been shifted from the peo-
pies shoulders to that of the inter
ests.' Here is his further language
influences are now at work in
this state to undo the great work &C
complished by the last legislature in
response to the peoples demands
These influences have sought to poi
son the minds Of the people against
their public servants with the view of
emasculating and destroying the cor
poration tax laws and in that way
they hope to shift the burden of tax
alton back upon the shoulders of the
individual citizens. The interests
seek to elect your officers, shape your
policies, control your government
and exempt themselves from taxa
ton"
Were the governors contention
true-were it fact that we have
shifted the burden-how shall we
justify ourselves in the imposition of
a tax which is partial in its opera
ton? But in reality we do not shift
the burden.
Money does not grow on trees in
Texas. 1t isn't found on the prairies
after the clouds have rolled by. The
money we get in Texas primarily
pays for our cotton and our corn
and our cattle and our sheep; some
for investment, of course, but this
only by reason of the fact that the
cotton and the corn and the cattle
and the sheep are here to make it
worth while.
Before the interests" can pay the
state its demands, they must first get
the money from the individual citi-
zens. They have no money save as
they get it from the people
But it may be argued by the gov
ernor that they do not get away with
as much as they otherwise would but
for this eXtraneous taxation. That