Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1913-10-23

A traveller recently, while waiting to
change cars At a little town in South
eastern Kentucky. had a conversation
with an intelligent business man Of the
place and ascertained the following
facts:
what is your populationf" he asked
about two thousand"
what Is your principal Industry"
I'VE have none. unless stores count"
Have you no factories?"
None except a tombstone maker"
"How is your population Employed"
well, we have fifty-two stores, nine
hotels and restaurants. two newspa-
pers. one laundry. one photograph gal.
lery and two banks"
you seem to have good railroad "a,
cilities."
Eyes, we have railroads running
north, south. east and west; twenty
six passenger trains in and out every
day and no end OF freight trains"
What does the surrounding country
producer"
Goal, timber. clay, stone, corn,
wheat, tobacco, fruit and vegetables"
What becomes OF all these"
They are shipped to different parts
Of the country"
HAS your town increased in popu-
lation?"
mot much IN the past twenty-five
years"
How are your young people en-
ployed7"
They mostly drift away and get
work In the cities"
HAS II never occurred to you to
start few factories and keep them at
homer"
Eyes, II has been tried, and we at
one time had commercial club, whose
aim It was to get some factories here,
but they couldn't seem to do any.
thing"
What were the obstaclesr'
well, some people we're induced 10
come here and found cheap land, cheap
fuel, good shipping facilities, but no
labor and some Of the inquisitive ones
asked about taxes. ETC.. and nothing
came OF it,"
What is the trouble with your
taxes?"
well, you see. we have the general
property tax In Kentucky, and when
they were shown the assessors lists
and found they had to pay taxes on
about seventy-fve different kinds of
property. and all at the same rate. they
ducked."
rs this true about the taxes?"
well. 1t is pretty near the facts.
The city and county and state and
schools all have to be paid, and II q
man starts a factory he has to pay on
his machinery, his raw material and
finished goods; his cash and accounts,
and, Of course. on his land and build.
ings, and a good many other things.
including his watch and stickpin, and,
" he wants to educate his children, he
must pay on the books and plano and
his horse and buggy and almost every.
thing but his shirt, and the trouble is,
he never knows exactly what his taxes
will be. II he omits any of the seventy
i've things the legislature could think
Of and the miscellaneous things he
must think of himself, there Is the rev
enus agent who gets commission ON
anything he can md. and then there 10
the county equalization board, which
scrutinizes his returns and adds what
X likes. and then the state board at
Frankfort takes q whack ut II and gen
orally raises the whole list, and It sim
ply keeps everybody going who has
anything to DO taxed"
Why don't you change the tar
iawsr"
We'll. they put the Law relating 10
revenue and taxation In the state coar
stitution. and II takes about ave Year,
to effect change. and II V hard to get
the voters to understand the question.
The last legislature passed an amend.
ment and Il will be voted on at the
November (1e1s) election. and II It 10
ratified the change will be made"
II live in Pennsylvania. and every
town In that state az large as yours
has a factory Of some kind. and many
OF them several. They employ the
young men and women and keep them
and the money they earn at home. But
here comes my train, and all can say
is. you people should wake up. and II
your tar laws are oppressive, change
them. and your state will blossom like
| the rose"
well, goodbye. stranger. Z intend
TO vote for the amendment myself. and
may be others will do the same. II
can't DO amy worse than the present
system. and surely would like to see
some smokestacks looming up In these
parts. Farewell"
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