The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-11-01
ROBERT L. OWEN.
-rAe TAXATION eY MONOPOLY

THE TAXATION BY MONOPOLY
The high cost of living is due to
the artificial control Of the American
market by a series of great industrial
and transportation monopolies, Few
citizens realize the extent of this.
The state of Oklahoma collects fol
state purposes alone for the support
of the governors office, the attorney
general, the corporation commission
the care OF the deaf, dumb and blind
and insane and criminal classes, and
the support of the state institutions,
less than $3,OOO,0OO0O.
The people complain of the high
taxes, and they have a right to COM
plain whenever the taxes are in ex-
cess or expended extravagantly, but
the tax by the United States is about
800 ,000, 100000 per annum approxi-
mately i.50 part of thousand mil
lion, Oklahoma having 1-50 part of the
population OF the United States and
paying $50 part of this tax
The tax of the United Staes govern
ment seems very large. Oklahoma
pays a million dollars a month to the
United States on account of past wars
and expected wars through the pen
sion list and the maintenance of the
army and navy, which costs over six
hundred millions per annum, of which
Oklahoma pays l-50 part.-over twelve
million dollars year--over one mill
lion dollars month
The tax Of monopoly is at least
eight or ten times the tax of the fed
eral government, and this tax of the
monopolies is levied on everything
which men buy in the form of cloth
ing, on manufactured articles in the
form of house furnishings, building
materials. agricultural implements and
articles either of necessity, convent
ence or luxury which man consumes.
These monopolies fix an artificial low
price on most OF the things which men
sell from Oklahoma. as cattle, hogs,
sheep. The Beef Trust fixes artificial
prices on these things when the finih-
ed article is sent to the Kansa City
market. When men ship wheat. oats
or corn to the market they are taxed
unfairly by artificial freight rates pass
ed on fictitious capital through a fran
chise granted by the people them
selves On one product of Oklahoma
alone monopoly takes an annual tri-
butte OF approximately fifty million
dollars year-the product of crude
petroleum.
The crude petroleum amounts to
6O00O0o bbls per annum for 1912
Its price is arbitrarily fixed by the
subsidiaries and auxiliaries Of the
Standard Oil Company This price
las not averaged sixty cents a barrel
while in Pennsylvania the price runs
to about $1.6O a barrel
This oil can be refined for Is ceats
a barrel Its product on the present
market when refined is easily worth
$500 per barrel at wholesale prices
It is obvious that Oklahoma producers
have been losing approximately Sto0
per barrel on crude petroleum because
of the arbitrary fixing of prices on
non-competitiye market
The tax of monopoly on the state of
Oklahoma amounts to at least $500
per year, enough to pay the present
running expenses of the state of Okla
homa for sixty years
The people complain of high taxes,
of the high cost of living Their eyes
are fixed on the spigot They~do not
see the gigantic lead from the bung
hole on the opposite side of the
barrel
ROBERT L. OWEN.