The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-08-20
BURDEN I Or I'I | ] !;
LII TIE FELLOW
Has Been Lsgihtsssned by W'xschtul,
= ness 81 County Auditor Hs1dsn:
:, Who Urges This Point In FaSv,or
/ Of His Retention III Office.

: eeeoO ~O0SV 49, =
/ !. Of His Retention an Office.
One big reason why County Aud.
1tor Halden has kept tho regard and
support of the voters 81 st. nolis
county lies In his strong sense Ut
equality, and his effective efforts to
bring about fair distribution OF the
burden of taxation, 20 that the big
fellows who have much won't get b
chance TO shit their part 81 the load
Oft onto the shoulders Of the little fel-
lows who have little and have pre-
cious hard times hanging on To whit
they have. !
There Is lot in ti1at--it,ore, per.
haps, than there is even III the mat.
TOR OF tho total amount sof t4xss. You
see when nobody IL Watching It IL 10
easy to shit the cut ahd give the:
little Fellow the worst , Ut It: Lets
illustrate: -,
J, Imagine city Of i thousand tax
payers, with an assessed valuAtion bf
100000, total taxes IT $4,000 u year,
ana q tax rate Of 1 per cent.
OF that total OF 100000, i man
with a street railway, say, owns u.s..
600; rich man with lot Of choice
real estate and personal property owns
I like amount; another man with =
large, profitable business owns $780,
600. That makes 100000, Of hull the
total, divided among three tSxpsyefs.
The other 100000 III dividsd afnohg
'9s7 small taxpayers with tAeaf little
homes. A typical ease would be that
Of q workingman with L ta,00o home,
assessed at $500, ana paying $S2 4
year In taxes 1t | per cent. -.
But suppose the county auditor, who
has lot to do with tho final fixing
Of assessments, is a friend and neigh
Dor Of the three big fellows in the
community, and q member 81 their
club. Suppose he had no care for tho
little fellow, but only wished to curry
favor with the big ones; aud perh4ps
to feather his own nest with their
favors. Suppose they got him to cut
down their assessments so that Instead
of amounting to hair tho total for tho
city, they amounted only to quarter
of the total.
That would be fine for the big tel.
lows: Their ASSESSMENTS would be cut
from 100000 to 100000, and their
taxes from $4,000 to $4,000.
But what about the 9S7 Nttle fel-
lows who didn't enjoy the friendship
Of the county auditor? sondeBoty h&s
10 pay that $4,000 the big fe1tows
saved. So it is put Oft onto the little
tel4ows. The greed OF the big fol-
lows and the treachery Of the assess-
ing officer would cut the big fellows
taxes In two, but they would ada fifty
per cent to the taxes 81 the little fel-
lows. Instead Of paying $4,000, as
they did before, they would pay $12,
900.
Yet the total v.luation 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.
That's why it is good for the small
fellow to have somebody In office who
IL keeping track OF his interests, and
who Is determined that the big fellows
shall shirk none of their share. that
ts what County Auditor I1alden has
been doing while he was county aud.
'itor. That>is why he ought to be re-
elected county auditor, SO that he can
keep on doing the same thing and
more Of 1t.
. The. public keeps track, In a 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
valuations and taxes unless you nave
man IN the county auditors office
who has = thought for the little fellow
and who uses his power to see that
the little fellow isn't compelled to pAy
part OF the big fellows taxes.
Besides conducting efficiently and
fairly the important duty Of supervts.
Ing county expenditures and seatn@
that they are fairly spent. County
Auditor Halden has taken time to sea
that the burden is fairly DIVIDED
which is q pretty good reason for vot-
Ing him back into office, Amin.
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN;
The teachers Of Buffalo, N. g., have
organized themselves into q fedora
ton and, following the example 81
the Chicago federation, have Afffii-
ated with the American Federation