East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-03-11
Portland, ore, March 10, 1908.

the Oregon Tax Reform association Is
attracting Increased attention not only
throughout Oregon, but the entire
country as well. It's wording is as
follows:
Excepting that all dwelling houses,
barns, sheds, outhouses and all other
appurtenances thereto, all machinery
and buildings used exclusively for
manufacturing purposes, and the APP
purtenances thereto, all fences, farm
machinery and appliances used as
such, all fruit trees, vines, shrubs and
ali other improvements on farms, all
livestock all household furniture In
use, and all tools owned by work.
men and in use, shall be exempt from
taxation"
Many do not seem to comprehend
its import and allow the opponents
of It to warp their judgment without
hearing both sides. 1t Is up to the
voters of oregon to look carefully In
to this, or they may be carried away
by the special pleadings and unfound-
ed assertions of honest and dishonest
men who think the present modes or
taxation better for them than any i'm
provements that could possibly be
proposed.
It is no rash experiment proposed
by band of cranks or plotters against
the commonwealth Of Oregon. 1t Is
along the lines already In whole or
partial operation in various English
speaking and some other countries.
Wherever to any extent throughout
the civilized world improvements,
livestock and farming machinery
have been exempted from taxation II
has invariably resulted in benefit to
the community at large and forced
further extentions OF the principle.
In New Zealand local taxes are
levied on land values exclusively, all
forms OF wealth produced by individ-
ual labor being exempt. A few places
In that progressive state still collect
local revenues In the old way, but 1t
is only a question OF n very few years
when the entire state will be on nearly
n single tax basis. Yes. the cat is
out OF the bag! The above propos-
ed amendment is a long step, a direct
step and a necessary step its spon-
sors belleve-toward the application
OF the demonstrated theories Of Henry
George, the great emancipation OF
civilization. There is no pretense on |
the part OF anyone to deny it. to cover
It up. 1t is recognized as and termed |
the Single Tax amendment
II will, II adopted. force further !
steps in that direction. II not adopt |
ed then at the next state election |
some other form OF approach to JUS
tce in taxation will be proposed. The /
people OF Oregon have long realized |
as body that our present system of |
assessments and taxation, are unjust. |
inequitable, absurd, antiquated and |
almost unintelligible. : They have /
throukh the grange and other or
ganizations been reading up on the 1
steps forward made by other COM
monwealths, and they are going TO
keep on investigation and agitation
until it is settled right. They have
the power to settle It that way, ana
only need the wisdom
Wherever in any locality In New
Zealand machinery and Improvements
have been exempted It has always re-
NAMED In no case has one back
ward step been taken. In city there
larger than all the cities in eastern
Oregon together, all the taxes rest on
land values, and will continue to rest
,as long as the people remain free 20
decide for themselves.
"Oh. yes" may say the reader.
"that is a long way off, and 1t may
not be adapted to this country. l be-
lleve in taxing everything. That Is
America. | don't care about what a
lot of people are doing other side
of the globe Give us something
nearer home." !.
Very well, let us look at Manitoba ;,
More American farmers have gone to !
Manitoba in the last eight years than :
are in Oregon all put together Why q
have they gone? Cheap land" you !
say My friend, the hand is cheaper
the climatic advantages greater and :
natural opportunities richer in Ore q
gon than in Manitoba.
The reason is that 12 years ag3
Manitoba exempted the improve
ments. livestock and implements OF .
the farmer from taxation altogether |.
The farmer there pays no more on a 4.
cultivated section than the idle sec !.
ton along side. The more he i'm ,
proves and beautfies his place the {
more the assessor does NOT jump on Il
him. He pays the same as the same o
value of idle land across the road or c
UP the creek.
Ona OF those farmers would laugh a
at the idea of taxing everything. H. I
would tell you that IN the first place
you can't do 1t, and in the second
place that the farmers Of any state "
pay less taxes under the Manitoba
system than they could possibly under
any tax-everything- g-in-sight plan yet u
devised. The American farmers In f
Manitoba would not consider for a
moment placing such hOdge-podge Z
of conglomerate injustice on their I
statutes as now figure on ours and 81
retard our development.
The city Of Winnipeg. nearly as =
large as Portland. collects no taxes !,
on improvements and personal prop =
arty. Still growing, too. Queer, isn't n
t? h
Baltimore has been built up, and a
several manufacturing cities of the
south, by exempting manufactures a
from taxation in whole or part Ger G
man cities are rapidly swinging into Z
line increasing the public burdens on l