The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-12-22
RODD|E DEFINES
TAX LEVY SITUATION
caustic Letter Dealing With the DOM
inant Issue in Oklahoma Politics
"A Concrete Illustration.
Ada, Okla, Dec. 16, 1911.
To the Editor of Oklahoma State


! have read each of your issues Of
The Oklahoma State Farmer, and
want to congratulate you on your
policy of protecting the people of Ok
lahoma who most need protection
the man on the farm, and the heaviest
taxpayer, collectively speaking
/ wish to ask the suffrage of your
columns, and beg the indulgence of
your subscribers for a moment
The influence behind the Aiken bill
p is what desire to discuss.
Those of us who know Mr.. Aiken.
know very well that he is only carry
ing out ideas that have been hereto.
fore put forward by those in high au.
thority
The real cause of this agitation over
the educat Jnal institutions is the ac-
ton of the state board of equalization
in making such a sweeping increase in
the valuation of the property over this
state outside of the public service cor
porations.
If you will recall at the time this
board was in session, the press car
ried the statement that the tax ex
perts of the various railroads of the
state were meeting with the board
and making showing to the board
that the property throughout the state
other than public service corporations.
was on the tax duplicate at much less
than its value. The bait smelled good,
and looked good, and the unsophisti-
Gated autocrat in the governors chair
took it in, and now he sees what he
has done, and scuttle-fish-like is dark
ening the water in hopes of lodging
the responsibility of his act in the mat |
ter and its results by attacking the |
educational institutions.
Now let us see just what our tax |
board, sitting with the railroad ex-
perts, did for the people of this state. |
Take Pontotoc county for an illustra-
tion. The real property of this county |
was on the tax duplicate at eighty-five |
per cent of its actual value. With one
Jswoop of the pen the tax board to-
gether with the railroad experts raised |
the valuation in Pontotoc county fifty /
per cent, the result of which is that
there is but very little property in this
county that can be sold for anything
like its assessed valuation.
A concrete illustration:
A brick building in one of the most i
prominent places in this city recently
sold for $500, its valuation as fixed
by the state board of equalization and II
the railroad tax experts is $9750. A Il
piece of vacant property has been Of
fered for sale for more than a year at
$500 and is on the tax duplicate at L
$500. Il
Many men are offering to sell their
property at from $500 to $4,000 less {
than its valuation for taxable pur- II
poses as fixed by these two boards.
| see his exceIlency is out in an Ic
article to the excise boards demanding II
them to equalize and adjust the taxes s
over the counties in such way that a
no one will be compelled to pay on
property above its actual value, and he 10
cites the attorney generals opinion to In
give them authority to do so. 2
This opinion of the attorney gen. ic
eral emphatically states that the ex-
else board cannot reduce the total. 5
That being the case and our property S
all over the county having been put t
on the tax duplicate at more than its {
actual value We are unable to figure
out how our excise board will be able o
70 help the taxpayer by "equalizing" p
Let US see just what it really means L
The railroads are on the tax dupli- a
cate at about $45, 900 per mile and the
federal court recently found in an o.
opinion rendered in St Louis that p
these same railroads are worth $4,000 81
per mile. See the comparison of Pom a!
totoc county lands on the tax books
from 10 to 1873 pc rcent of its actual
value, and railroads on the tax books Il
at 65 per cent of their actual value as el
found by the federal court bc
OF course, if the farmers had been ra
invited to Oklahoma City and allowed INK
to fix the valuation of the railroads,
and the valuation of their property, Ior
maybe there would have been more Ipr
equitable distribution of the expenses nc
Of the government, and this great wall eli
coming up from the people would not
had have the effect upon his excellency or
to cause him to lose sufficient sleep pl
that he would decide to abolish many 45
of the educational institutions, and as
say to the people that eighth grade
schools are good enough for your chill tn
dren, and we will have great uni er