The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-03-30

House OF representatives, hulnIlc,
OK, March 2N. 1905.
Mossrs c. W. Sullau. mayor. and f..
G. Livingston, city clerk, and the
city council. Cleveland. OK.
{ Gentlemen. have your resolutions
passed 10y the city council ou the
18th day Of March in which the lcgs-
laturc is implorcd not To place any
burdens upon the oil industry "othcr
than upon the farmer. merchant. Ia.
| bOrcr and other resident builders of
our material interest and prosperity iu'
the form of gross tax ON produc
| tiun"
In reply ! have To say that am a
| bit astouished that the city council
of Cleveland has no better means Of
serving the people of that city than to
request us not TO enact this whole.
some and just tax; for, without such
tax, they will not bear equal burdens
with the farmer, mcrchan' and other
builders of industry in the state
/, personally, am In favor Of a small
gross production tax upon oil, coal and
/ gross-receipt tax upon express com
! panies. an income tax and a tax upon
lcgacios, gifts and succession, as au-
thorzed by section - OF article 10
Of the Oklahoma constitution.
This is our only means of lcvying
state tax for education, since. by the
constitution no ad-valorcm tax can
be raised for this purpose. Without
such tax the poorer communities Of
the state will not be enabled to levy
sufficient revenue to maintain good
schools But by such tax it could be
apportioned throughout the state ac-
cording to the scholastic population,
and thereby insure good schools in all
sections OF the state, irrespective of
| the wealth of the community. Such a
tax is also just.
If the oil producers should pay an
advalorcm tax only upon their tangi-
bic property, consisting Of few der
ricks. pipes and tanks, they would
| pay but little tax, when. perhaps, the
output in the form Of oil would equal
| a million barrels annually And the
equitable method is to place it upon
the amount according to the produc-
| tion. SO that the well that produces
| 100 barrels during the year would pay
upon but 100 barrels, while the well
that would produce 100000 barrels
would pay upon a million barrels.
This is just and equitable, according
TO the output.
There are two forms of taxation
even spoken OF in the Scriptures
| that form which takes "all one hath,
and that even that which hath not
and another form which takes accord
ing to that which he hath"
A gross-receipts, or production, or in
come tax takes according to the lat
ter principle, and requires those who
j produce immense wealth to pay ac-
cording TO its immensity. No system
of ad-yalorem taxation can reach this
I tld66t bul dlNhgo ldlln h'hNl'oA bibA
the poor, which tends to increase two
elements, both hurtful to a republic
the VERY RICH, who grow arrogant
and with loss Of public spirit; and
the VERY POOR, who become dis
heartened and discontented.
The most just and wholesome tax
for society is that which will tend to
increase the middle class.
am fully cognizant of the efforts
now making in all sections of this
state through every avenue, officially
and unoiiicially, to prevent this legis-
lature's levying this system of taxa
tion by the oil interests. They have
had their lobbyists around this capi.
toI ever since the legislature met and
large element Of its strength is
through the subterfuge and mecha
nism Of that gigantic monopoly known
as the Standard OIL company. have
told them, as now tell you candidly
that am in favor OF this tax, and now
they are striving 10 deceive the legis
lature by having every cOterie of ON
cials they can secure 20 adopt resolu
tious condemning this tax. II Il
high time that the people OF the stat'
are having meetings 10 offset the op
position of the Standard oil people
to enable Us easily to levy this tax b,
this legislature.
am astonished at the ease b.
which they secure resolutions fron
bodies of public officials in an effor
to defeat this wholesome legislation
o 1t is not new tax, and | want to war
3. them, while the legislature would no
: propose to levy more than one-haI
OF per cent that if the oil people
nv such mechanism defeat this tal