The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-07-23
farmers VIEWS
Why AgrlCulturists Support the
+ Taxation Amendment.
PRESENT PLAN is A FAILURE
Constitutional Amendments Must Be
Adopted to Give Equity In Taxation
TO Farmers.


Adopted to Give Equity In Taxation
TO Farmers.
Farmers of the state, individually
and through organization, are giving
strong support to the taxation consti.
tutional amendment Here is some
interesting news from leading agri-
Culturists:
I am heartily in favor of the tax
amendment. which will give greater
liberty in taxation. | feel confident
that the Grange, which has secured
more beneficial legislation for the en-
tire people of the state than any other
organization. will be abundantly able
TO care for the interests Of the farm
ers. Our tax system can not be worse
than it now is, and have hopes that
with a good tax commission, when
will carefully study the entire ques-
tion, Ohio can reach an enviable posi-
ton among the states of the Union In
devising a tax system that Will en-
courage thrift and investment, instead
of, as now, discouraging it. ONO can
never make progress in taxation I'LL
the constitution is amended allowing
her latitude in devising taxation
system that is iust.-F. P Ames. Lee
turer Deputy Masters Association,
Ohio State Grange; Lecturer Wash
ington County Pomona Grange.
DEPUTY MASTER S. J. BALDWIN,.
S. ]. Baldwin, president of the Dep
uty Masters association. Ohio State
Grange, deputy master of Summit
county, writes: The present taxa
ton clause in the constitution has
been in force for SO years and is ad-
mitted by its friends to be complete
failure, less property being listed in
the cities than so years ago AS the
amendment says the legislature MAY,
not SHALL, classify property for pur-
poses Of taxation, is it not time to at
least try plan, that if unsatisfactory,
still permits a return to the present
plan? What is there to lose even ii
unsatisfactory"
TUsCARAWAs POMONA GRANGE.
Rev. w. II. Rice, ID. d., chaplain
Tuscarawas County Pomona Grange,
said in a recent address before that
body: Il do not believe that the leg
islature is the worst body of men.
Our last legislature made some mis-
takes for which we are all sorry.
(What one of us does not also make
mistakes which are regrettableD But
1t also gave us some of the best legiS-
lation Ohio ever had. Let us not con
stantly take men at their worst Let
us sometimes take them at their best.
! suspect my own honesty when | Sus-
pect the honesty of others. 1t is mar
roW-gauge to carry our diStrust to the
extreme that we can not trust our
selves, our fellow-men or our ability
to elect mon of honor and ability to
represent us. The legislature is elect
ed as a representative of the intelli-
gence and integrity of the people and
reflects these qualities of the electors.
l do not believe in this universal
undertaking carried on by those hop
ing for profit politically and otherwise.
Some say that to amend the constitu-
tion and place the matter of raising
revenues in the hands of the legisla-
ture will be to jump from the frying
pan into the fire | say we are in the
fire already. Let us change our laws
which are wrong in theory and in
practice, and thus be able to get fair
ly at other property AS our laws now
stand tangible property, the fruits of
thrift and industry, bears share of
tax entirely out of proportion to its
productivity 1t must bear an ever
increasing burden, unless more rev.
enue can be derived from intangible
property because as fast as the rate
goes up the kind of property easily
concealed will 90 into hiding We
boast of living in the twentieth cen
tury. Let us really live in it, not in
the nineteenth or eighteenth. Let us
rid ourselves Of this hide-bound con
servatism that is sapping the morals
of our people and robbing them of
their earnings We have faith in the
people; faith in the past; faith in the
present; faith in the future. Let us
amend our constitution. Give the peo-
pie through their representatives an
opportunity to work out a system that
is suitable. Our present system is
woefully unjust. 1t can not be bet
tered till the constitution is amended.
Ohio should not lag behind, but forge
to the front and lead otner states to
a better system"
CARLWICk GRANGE, MUSkINGUM
COUNTY.
At the eighth anniversary of Carl
wick Grange, Muskingum county, the
lecturer, H. D. Lewis, urged upon the
Grange the necessity of more lib
eral tax system, and the need of
amending our constitution before
equity in taxation could be secured.
He said: Our system bears the
heaviest on farmers because their
property, the result Of thrift and in
dustry, is in sight. Let us get as far
away as possible from the time worn
theory that all property should be
taxed equally and seek system that
will yield a sufficient income to carry
on the growing needs of our govern
ment and that will fall more easily
upon the real producers of wealth.
Let us tax the profits of privilege, not
Of industry. Under the present sys-
TEN of uniformity there is absolute
non-unifOrmity in valuing property
and the heaviest burden is borne
by u.s."
Necessary.
The Old Lady-Little boy. aren't you