The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1911-12-16
RODD|E DEFINES
| TAX LEVY SITUATION
caussic Letter Dealing With the Dom
inant Issue in Oklahoma Politics
"A Concrete Illustration.
Ada. Okla, Dec. 16, 1911.
Editor of Oklahoma State

no the Editor of Oklahoma State
Farmer
| 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
lahema who most need protection
ltLe man on the farm, and the heaviest
Taxpayer. collectively speaking.
l wish to ask the suffrage of your
columns, and beg the Indulgence of
your subscribers for a moment.
1.-THE influence behind the Aiken bill
Is what | desire to discuss.
" Those of us who know Mr. Aiken,
Vknow very well that he is only carry
ling out ideas that have been hereto
fore put forward by those in high au-
8thority.
The real cause of this agitation over
1.-THE educational institutions is the ac-
ition of the state board of equalization
lin making such a sweeping increase in
ithe valuation of the property over this
istate outside of the public service cor
lorations.
u 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 iliustra-
5 tion. The real property of this county
was on the tax duplicate at eighty-five
per cent of its actual value. With one
of the pen the tax board to-
vgether 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
q county that can be sold for anything
like its assessed valuation.
A concrete illustration:
A brick building in one of the most
N prominent places in this city recently
sold for $500, its valuation as fixed
Aby the state board of equalization and
II NE railroad tax experts is $3.50. A
4 4ece of vacant property has been of
syfered for sale for more than year at
4 $500 and is on the tax duplicate at
$1,000.
Many men are offering to sell their
n property at from $500 to $4,000 less
than its valuation for taxable pur-
b poses as fixed by these two boards.
l see his excellency is out in an
article to the excise boards demanding
them to equslize and adjust the taxes
Mover the counties in such way that
no one will be compelled to pay on
property above it's actual value, and he
ties the attorney generals opinion to
\ give them authority to do so.
This opinion of the attorney gen
( eral emphatically states that the ex-
Z else board cannot reduce the total.
D That being the case and our property
all over the county having been put
on the tax duplicate at more than its
actual value we are unable to figure
out how our excise board will be able
| to help the taxpayer by "equalizing. :
Il Let us see just what it really means.
/ The railroads are on the tax dupli-
cate at about $4,000 per mile and the
federal court recently found in an
opinion rendered in st. Louis that
these same railroads are worth $4,000