Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-05-04
THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1871.
pIcKINsoNrANs WORTH sle4S.

DICKINsONIANS WORTH &1045.
Did you know that II you are
resident of Dickinson county you ar
worth $685.? That is your pro rat
Of the worth Of the county's proper
ty.
The poor, down trodden Kansa
farmer is the man with the money
There are lots Of city people will
fortunes but the average Kansai
farmer Is richer than the average
city man. II the property OF thu
state that was returned for taxation
in 1910 were divided equally ever
person, man, woman and child. would
receive $1,622.36. That is the pei
capita wealth Of the state and the
further examination Of the figures
show that this wealth is distributed
among the farmers and not among
those Of the cities. The farm coun'
ties OF Kansas show the highest pei
capita valuation and Clark county
away out in the southwest corner
of the state, shows the highest Of
any county. Clark county Is In
what was known years ago as part
Of the Great American Desert In
this good year the rich people In
Kansas live in that county and, what
is more, the people that live there
made their money, or most Of 1t, In
Clark county.
The tax commission found the
total value of all property in Kansas
last year to be $2,762,1OS,67S, and
II the same proportionate growth ID
maintained for the valuations this
year Kansas will almost reach the
8 billion dollar class. This Is sup
posed to represent the actual worth
Of all Kansas property and 1t prob
ably comes as near the actual value
as it is possible to obtain until the
millennium arrives, because as LONG
as there are taxes to pay there are
men who will try to AVOID theiI
rightful share Of the public burden
and will not turn In all Of their pro-
perty-or some of it at less than
the actual value.
A compilation of the per capita
values Of the different counties show
all the high valuations to be in West
ern Kansas, while the normal and
average values are in central KAN
sas, and the low values are in the
counties with the largest cities, In
the eastern part Of the state. Chero-
kee county has the lowest per capita
wealth, $727. Crawford comes next
with $779, then Wvandotte, 5with
the largest city in Kansas with $3.50,
LeaNenworth with 1888. Cherokee
and Crawford counties have excep-
tionally large foreign mining popu-
cations. Wyandotte, Montgomery
and Leavenworth have large laboring
populations that own little or no
property, The average in Usage
county is pulled down en- account
of its mining population. II these
were removed Usage county would
jump up to the average farm coun-
ty. Shawnee and Sedgwick, con-
tanning the third and second cities
OF the state, maintain the average
of the eastern half of the state, but
each one has q large laboring class
that actually owns homes. Each
married man is exempted 5000 in
valuation each year and this allows
hundreds Of men to escape taxation
at all.
The government census shows q
total population Of 1.7O7,ls7, and
If this basis lie taken In figuring the
per capita It gives s1.sll,7G but
the valuation figures were fixed by
q state board and the census returns
to the state board Of agriculture
were taken in figuring the per cap
tia valuations.