The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1912-10-24
WOULD TRY It ON
MISSOURI FIRST
Theorists From Other States Would
Make This State the Goat,
SINGLE TAX EXPERIMENT HERE
II the Proposed System Proves Fail
urs the People Of Missouri Stand
70 Lose Vast Sums--Vote No
On November 5.

Let's see how 1t will work on Mis-
souri," is the position a group of nan
with a theory are taking in radical
taxation experiment. The leaders ~
the movement do not live in Missouri
and never have lived here, They have
collected fund of $4,000 to be used
in the November election, are flooding
the state with circulars and orators,
and all to persuade Missouri voters
to try an experiment that the home
states of these men with theory re-
fuse to consider.
Well place all the taxes in Mis-
souri, on ground, excepting franchises
and inheritances," is their proposition.
IF it works in Missouri then we'll
try it on some other state" And if
ii doesn't work in Missouri-if 1t dis
rupts business, causes loss of homes
and farms, destroys the credit OF the
state, stops development, blocks in.
dustry, in fact If it creates a business
and industrial panic then the people
of IIssouri will be the sole losers.
The men with theory can go back
East and work out another reform"
to be tried away from home.
They propose to have Missouri vote
the Single Tax into the constitution
and to do that they have framed a
very cunnin;ly written amendment.
Ii it carries, every building in the
state, whether It be the sixteen story
skyscraper, or the million dollar
brewery, will be tax free. The man.
sion costing a hundred thousand dol
lars will pay no taxes; the bank with
hundreds OF thousands or millions Of
dollars of wealth in the shape Of
money, bonds, stocks, mortgages, etc,
will pay nothing on them. The great
commercial house, the mill, the fac
tory, the packing house buildings, ma
chinery and stock will all be free Of
tax. They will not be assessed a
dollar except for the ground they
use, and If they do not happen to
require the ground they need pay
nothing.
When you take the case of a man
making his living on farm it's differ
ent According TO their plan his
house and barn, horses and tools are
free, but his land-the greatest part
OF his property by far--pays and pays
enough more to help make up tee
taxes the millions in buildings, bonds,
stocks and all other personal pro.
perty escape. And the same holds
good in the case of any other man
who earns his living out OF land, or
who owns land as place for his
home.
1t seems incredible that these "re-
formers from other states should
seriously propose to the people of Mis-.
souri, that they inilict themselves with
a law of this kind. The only danger
lies in carelessness-if the people un.
derstand what that amendment means
it will certainly be defeated But
many who are against a taxation sys.
TEN manifestly so unjust, may neglect
to vote on the amendment In that
case they will practically be voting
for 1t, as 1t needs only a majority Of
the votes cast on the amendment
not majority Of the votes cast in
the election--to make II law.
Remember that and tell II to your
fellow voters. To save Missouri from
these experimentalists you must
scratch Yes" and vote mo" on the
constitutional amendment in the elec
tion on Nov. 5.