The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-10-27

five hundred sixty-six dollars direct
taxes, you would then have the aver
age amount for each Of the four years
OF one million slxty-two thousand,
eight hundred ninety.two dollars per
year in the entire state as compared
with the last year OF Territorial gov
ernment when tax collection was
made, namely the year nineteen hun
dred six, which was five hundred six
ty-three thousand, two hundred dol.
lars direct taxation for the portion on
ly Of the cost of Territorial govern.
ment after deducting the part paid by
the government Of the United States.
AZ that time Oklahoma Territory had
less than one-third the present popu-
lation of the new state and about one
half the size OF the present state and
yet their direct taxation was more
than one-half the average collection of
direct taxation to run the government
OF the State OF Oklahoma, build public
buildings, aid common schools and
supply the deficiency OF unpaid rail-
road and special privilege taxes.
And 70 give you some exact figures
] will take FIVE OF the counties named
by Mr.. McNeal in his list Of nineteen,
namely, Cleveland. Pottawatomie. Io-
gan, Kinghsher and Lincoln counties.
! take these five counties because II
is well known that they are among the
Oldest counties Of Oklahoma Territory
and have changed least In valuation
and condition since state government,
and from the official records of these
five counties you will find that for
the years nineteen hundred -four, nine
teen hundred five and nineteen hun
dred six, these five counties paid an
average OF nine thousand, six hundred
dollars n month as their share Of tie
cost OF Territorial government, where
as these same five counties. as shown
by their official records for the first
thirty-one and half months of stnte
government, paid an average OF eight
thousand, five hundred dollars
month as their share of the cost of
state government, so that state gov.
ernment was one thousand, one hun
dred dollars month cheaper for
these Ave counties than Territory gov
ernment had been. Notwithstanding
the United States Government paid a
goodly part Of the cost Of Territory
Government.
] And there is another feature during
Territory Government. Railroad and
public service corporations paid ap-
proximately one-eghth Of the total
taxes, whereas under state govern
n,ent they pay approximately two.
eighths of the cost OF state govern.
ment and every dollar paid by the
special interests aud corporations
saves a dollar for the other taxpayers
OF the state.
Another proposition important to
4 the people of the state, and that Is the
source from which the money comes
TO pay the expenses Of State or
Territory government. In all States
and Territories there are two sources
OF deriving state revenues, one by d.
rect taxation levied ON all the taxable
property in the state. the other by rev
enue laws that produce income from
the special privilege and franchise
class. and we give you some compari-
sons:
In the best showing ever made In
Oklahoma Territory there was less
than forty thousand dollars collected
in the entire year from the special
privilege and franchise class. - that
ont Of every one hundred dollars col
lected to conduct the government Of
Oklahoma Territory, after crediting
the amount contributed by the United
States Government. less than eight
dollars was received from special priv
ileae and franchise incomes and over
ninety-two dollars was collected from
the taxpayers Of Oklahoma Territory.
IN the State Of Kansas last year out
q every one hundred dollars required
to conduct its state government less
than twonty-seven dollars was from
special privilege and franchise In
comes and over seventy-tkf sc dollars
was collected from the taxpayers OF
Kansas. In the same year in Okla.
homa out of every one hundred dol
lars required to run our state govern
ment sIxty-two dollars was collected
from special privilege and franchise
incomes and thlrty-eieht dollars by d.
rect levy on the taxpayers Of the state,
This speaks for Itself. Under the Joe
McNeal dictatlon OF Oklahoma Terri
tory the ordinary taxpayers bore the
burden and the special interests and
great corporations were practically
free from taxation. In the Republl
can State Of Kansas the condition was
somewhat better, but under Democrat
ic administration in Oklahoma State
there is fair distribution of the tar
burdens The special privilege fran
chise and railroad properties pay q
fair share OF taxes equal only to the
share paid by the ordinary taxpayer
Mr.. McNeal cannot deny the approx
innate accuracy Of every figure W.
have made in this article. There may
be slight inaccuracies due to hast,
computation but they would make ne