Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1913-04-11
( From the News Leader

and roads for counties which fraudu- |
lently and consistently refuse to deal
Justly with their sister CO unties and |
cities:
That legitimate business must suffer
because grasping statute unrsason- !
ably ex acts al unfair proportion of
honest profits;
That those who are mindful of then.
oaths and obedient to law snffer fer
for their prohity while the laws OF the
Commonwealth put premium upon
perjury and reward a lie;
That citizens holding ore class of
property are forced to pay three times
the taxes often paid by owners OF
other classes of property of like value.
thanks to a ruthless law which boldly
demands full tribute of rectitude but
allows local self-interest to protect
dishonesty;
That the widow and the orphan,
wards OF the State and possessing a
pittance 10 the hands of trustees, are
forced to pay more than one-third OF
their living in taxes, while the favor
citizens of tax-dodging eoun ties may
pay less than five per cent. of their
earnings;
That q senseless statute, the fruit of
grasping fraud, twice taxes the mort
gagged property and overburdans the
thrifty man who would borrow to save
or to better his estate;
That the banker. who would loan to
increase prosperity, must pay on every
dollar OF his capital, surplus and an
divided profits, while the owner of real
estate in the offending counties pro-
tests if his assessment is more than
twenty per cent. Of the value of prop
erty:
That in no two counties and in 70
two cities are the same provisions OF
same law constructed in the same
manner and to like end of equality
and justice;
That the arm of The states officers
is not strengthened to enforce the law,
while local officers dependent upon
county influence and the creatures OF
their constituents are empowered to
defeat the law, to reward their friends
and to punish their enemies. regard
less alike of law and honor;
That worthy commissioners and
honest assessors are unreasonably
burdened in that there is none to guide
them, none to uphold them;
That tae relentless enforcement OF
unjust statutes threatens the stability
of the business world, pinches the
poor and may drive from the Com
monwealth those whose wealth spells
prosperity to hundreds;
And that while our citizens toll in
the cities and wrestle with the soil,
making the barren pl aces blossom and
building up the old waste, while they
labor to seat Justice, while they strive
to make fairer Commonwealth for
those unborn, they are barred from
progress and thwarted IN their work
because where government first
touches man and where above all the
state should be honest, We find rob
berry, fraud and injustice against the
peace ind dignity of the Common
wealth.
WHERE TAXATION HITS BUSINESS.
Men measure mercy by IFS fruits and
judge IL tax code by its effects upon
them They have neither the time nor
.he inclination to study the theories
of taxation: they must form uheir
oDinion of the statutes by the manner
in which they personally pay tribute.
II the citizen of Richmond could sit
d own. reckon the value of all his
property, Of every sort and descrip-
ton, and then calculat the amount of
a tax at total of S1.75 On the hun
dred dollars valuation, he might com
p ain. but he would haye no special
G "ievance. He would feel that taxes
were heavy. but would reflect that
this is the common fate Of man and
might even congratulate himself that
things were no worse.
Bu5 Is a matter of fact, taxes in
Virginia do not end with the seeming
assessment on February first of all
that man has. Every time. the
farmer or the merchaas makes a SALES
or borrows dollar, or discounts a
note or draws dividends, he is paving
tri butte to the state. Where he might
expect mercy, he finds robbery: where
he anticipates equity. he encounters
bare-faced coniiscation. Daily he
pays tribute because officers who
neglect the law and citizens who VIC
late their oaths place on the shout |
ie-s of honesty the entire burden of
government.
Take, for instance the tax on money
which man is forced to pay. If hel
mas busir ess he pays on the profit !: |
Il he owns stocks or bonds, he paws |
D q the principal; If he has money in |
, INK, he pays on it, full value. re
yardless OF his outstanding obliga-
ions; if he has an income, he is fore
} TO pay one per cent. of that; if he'll
axes his money from bank and BUYS
,ersonal property or estate. he must
contribute heavily to the State, On
he very food he eats, the clothes he
Years, the tobacco he smokes, even on
"a the nortgaged property be does
Iot possess, he pays taxes.
As specific instaace, might be
ted the bank taxes. Levied GA the
s;,ital, surplus and undivided profits {
t the banks, this tax may seem to 1
)ncern the banker only. But in re-
lity, it vitality affects the business
rosper ty of every merchant and |
armer. Suppose grocerynan goes T
, the bank and wants to borrow :
'oney with which to meet coming
RATS. His credit IS good, his stock