The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-04-10
MANY MILLIONS ARE
INVOLVED IN SUITS
oNE-FoURTh OF STATES TAX.
ABLE PROPERTY TIED UP IN
coURT-AUOiToR TALKS.


oklahoma. under the 1909 assess
mcnt. $lSl, ,000. 900 is involved in suits
that have been instituted in state
and federal courts on various pre-
texts. charging Illegal assessments.
This fact is the basis of letter
given out by state Auditor Trap
ia which he urges state. county,
township and school boards to avoid
tcchnicalities in making the 1910 as
sessment. Auditor Trapp says
During three years service as
county clerk and more than tNo
years experience in the office of
state auditor have made an init
mate study of the question of rev
enue and taxation, taking on myself
all the detail work of the state
board of equalization, OF which | am
secretary. As state auditor AN
now defendant in suit filed by the
railroads and other large corpora
tions to restrain the collection of
more than $S,000000 of state, coun-
ty. city. township and school dis
/ trict taxes, and | find that practi-
| caly all Of these suits are based
on alleged irregular proceedings On
the part of the various state, county.
| township and school district boards
charged with the duty of levyiug
] IL,
| roads and other large public service
/ corporations are inclined TO contest.
| delay and finally evadc. If possible,
/ the payment of taxes I'm this state,
and that at the present time mil.
! lions of dollars in taxes Justly due
| the state and its local subdivisions
are being withheld by the pleading
/ of teChnicalities in the federal courts
! can not too solemnly urge upon the
local officers the necessity of com
/ plying strictly with the letter of this
law il the making OF all estimates
and tax levies, so that no ground
may he given these Wholesale tax.
"The total assessed value of tax
able property in the state for the
year 1909 was sS6S,l26.700. The as
sessed valuation of the property of
railroads and other public service
corporations that have SO far sue
cessfully evaded the payment Of
taxes for that year by resorting to
technicalites in the federal courts
amounts to over $lSi,0OO,000 II il
evident to the most casual observer
that II one-fourth of the taxable
wealth of the state escapes from
paying taxes. the burden OF expense
on the honest three-fourths that pays
taxes must be correspondingly in
creased. As result of the failure
of the great corporations to bear
their share of the expense of gov.
ernment the taxes of the individual
property owners are increased one.
fourth. One dollar in every five paid
in taxes by individuals goes to de.
fray that portion OF public expense
that should be borne by corporate
wealth. 1t is vital TO the welfare
of our entire citizenship that the
men charged with handling the fiscal
affairs of the counties. towns, town
ships and school districts of the state
guard their actions jealously in or
der that these selfish interests bc
given no legal quibble whereby they
may further escape their just obli
cations.
The concluding sentence of Sec
tion I provides that No levy for any
purpose shall be valid unless mad,
according to the provisions of thi,
act and any such illegal levy, anC
the collection Of the tax thereundel
may be enjoined at the suit of AM
taxpayer | wish especially TO i'm
, press on you the fact that under thi
, your part is fatal and that wher,
an illegal levy Is once made ther
. is no way in which 1t may be cor
rected. II the levy is Illegal, tn
school district, township, city o
county FOR which same is made, wi
lose, not only the excess OF the lev
above the legal limit, but the entir
levy. Not only will the local subd
vision for which the Illegal levy
made lose that tax absolutely. bl
the payment of all other taxes
that local subdivision will be lon
delayed.
. The railroads aud other corpor
= tions owning large property value
z subject to taxation employ cXpe
legal talent for the express purpo.
order that payment Of same may {
of discovering flaws in tax leyies
avoided, ii possible. 4 technicali
is as serviceable to them as a mel
II tnrioug cauSo an1 vnu ,na,, r.gt q.