The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-08-13
BURDEN OF THE
LITTLE FELLOW
Has Been Lightened by Watchful-
ness of County Auditor Halden
Who Urges This Point in Favor
of His Retention in Office.


itor Halden has kept the regard and
support of the voters of st. Louis
county lies in his strong sense Of
equality, and his effective efforts to
bring about fair distribution of the
burden of taxation, so that the big
fellows who have much won't get a
chance to shift their part of the load
off onto the shoulders of the little fell
lows who have little and have a pre-
cious hard times hanging on to what
they have.
There is a lot in that-more, per-
haps, than there is even in the mat
ter of the total amount Of taxes. You
see when nobody is watching it is so
easy to shift the cut" and give the
little fellow the worst of it. Let's
illustrate:
Imagine a city of thousand tax
payers, with an assessed valuation of
100000, total taxes of $4,000 year,
and tax rate of 4 per cent.
Of that total of $40o,ooO, a man
with a street railway, say, owns $751;
900; a rich man with lot of choice
real estate and personal property owns
a like amount; another man with a
large, profitable business owns $780,
900. That makes 100000, or half the
total, divided among three taxpayers.
The other 100000 is divided among
997 small taxpayers with their little
homes. A typical case would be that
of workingman with $4,000 home,
assessed at $500: and paying $32
year in taxes at per cent.
But suppose the county auditor, who
has a lot to do with the final fixing
of assessments, is friend and neigh
Dor of the three big fellows. in the
community, and member of their
club. Suppose he had no care for the
little fellow, but only wished to curry
favor with the big ones, and perhaps
to feather his own nest with their
favors. Suppose they got him to cut
down their assessments so that instead
of amounting to half the total for the
city, they amounted only to quarter
of the total. =.
That would be fine for the big fell
lows. Their assessments would be cut
from 100000 to 100000, and their
taxes from $4,000 to $4,000.
But what about the 997 little fel-
lows who didn't enjoy the friendship
of the county auditor?, Somebody has
to pay that $4,000 the big .fenows
saved. So it is put off onto the little
fenows. The greed Of. the big fell
lows and, the treachery of:.the assess
ing officer would cut the big fellows
taxes in two, but they would. add fifty
per cent to the taxes Of the little fell
lows. Instead of paying $4,000, as
they did before, they would pay $12,-
600. ~ j. 5$55
Yet the total valuation of the city,
the tax rate, and the total taxes,
would remain the same. You see how
easy it is to slip the cut when nobody
is, looking. .z:-.: n: ...,L H.
That's why it is good for the small
fellow to have somebody in office who
is keeping track OF his interests, and
who is. determined that the big fellows
shall shirk none of their share. that
is what County Auditor Halden has
been doing while. he was county aud
itor That is why he ought to be re-
elected county auditor. 10 that he can
keep on doing the same thing and
more of It, n, MI. ,s J. ss s,.s
The public keeps track, In way,
of the. total amount of the assessment,
the total amount of the taxes and the
tax rate, and each man keeps track
Of his own assessment and taxes. But
nobody keeps track of comparative
yaluation and taxes unle sss you nave
II man y the count aud itor''s office