The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-10-29
WHAT Ais STATE
OF KENTUCKY
Traveller Ascertained Facts
About One Community
CHANGE IN TAX LAWS NEEDED
Why Are 100000 Of kentucky's People
Living in Other states?-A True
Story With a MoraI-What Do You
Think About These Conditions?

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 population" he asked.
About two thousand"
What is your principal Industry"
1--WE have none, unless stores count"
Have you no factories?"
None except a tombstone maker"
How is your population empoyed?"
We'll, we have ffty-two stores, nine
hotels and restaurants. two newspa-
pers, one laundry. one photograph gal.
lery and two banks"
'You seem to have good railroad ia.
cilities."
yes. 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"
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-.
ployed?"
They mostly drift away and get
work in the Cities
HAS it never occurred to you to
start a few factories and keep them at
home?"
"Yes. it has been tried. and we at
one time had a commercial club, whose
aim 1t was to get some factories here,
but they couldn't seem to do any.
thing"
What were the obstacles?'
well, some people were induced 70
come here and found cheap land. cheap
fuel, good shipping facilities. but no
labor. and some of the nQuisitive 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-five different kinds OF
property, and all at the same rate, they
ducked."
rs this true about the taxes?"
We'll, 1t is pretty near the facts
The city and county and state and
schools all have 90 be paid, and If a
man starts a factory he has to pay on
his machinery. his raw material and
finished goods; his cash and accounts
and, OF course, CA his land and build
ings, and good many other thiAgs
including his watch and stickpin, and.
IL he wants to educate his children, he
must pay on the books and piano and
bis horse and buggy and almost every
thing but his shirt, and the trouble is,
he never knows exactly what his taxes
will be. IL he omits any of the seventy.
five things the legislature could think
of and the miscellaneous things he
must think of himself there is the rev
enue agent who gets IA commission on
anything he can find, and then there Is
the county equalization board. which
scrutinizes his returns and adds whai
1t likes. and then the state board at
Frankfcd takes a whack at it and gen
orally raises the whole list, and it sim.
ply keeps everybody going who he
anything to be taxed"
Why don't yoS change the tax
laws2"
Wei, they put the law relating %
revenue and taxation liz the state con.
stitution. and it takes about five years
to effect change. and il is hard to ge.
the voters to understand the question
The last legislature passed an amend.
ment and ii will be voted on at the
November (ls13) election. and II il is
ratified the change will be made"
Il live in Pennsylvania, and every
town in that state as large as yours
has 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. Blu,
here comes my train, and all can say
is. you people sh'Sd wake up. and IL
your tax laws are oppressive, change
them, and your state will blossom like
the rose"
Well, goodbye, stranger. intend
to vote for the amendment myself, and |
may be others will do the same. IL
cant be any worse than the present
system, and | surely would like to see |
some smokesiacks looming up in these
parts. Farewell"