The record., 1913-10-16
What Ais STATE
OF KENTUCKY
Traveller Ascertained Facts
About One Community
CHANGE III TAX LAWS NEEDED

Why Are 10000 Ct Nentucky's People
Living IN Cther Sta:es?-A True
story Tith 4 I,orai--Ghat Do rou
TrirN Shout These Conditions?
A traveller recently. while waiting to
change cars ri a l.JJle town In South
eastern Kentucky, had a conversation
with an intelligent business man of the
place and ascertaiHed the following
facts.
What is your populatiou?" he asked.
About two thousand"
What is your principal Industry"
I'VE have none, unless stores count"
"laye you no factories?'
None except a tombstone maker"
"llew is your population employed?"
well. 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
cilltlos."
Yes. We have railroads running
rorth, south, east ard west: twenty
six passenger trains in and out every
day and no end Of freight trains"
What aces the surrounding country
producer"
"Coal, timber, clay. stone. corn,
wheat, tobacco. fruit anI vegetables" f"
What becomes Of all these?"
They are shipped to dfsereat parts
Of the country"
Has your town increased in popu-
lation?"
Not 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 10 get some factories here,
bat they couldn't seem to do any.
thing"
what were the obstacles?"
We'll, some people were induced TO
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
taxea?"
We'll, you see, We have the general
property tsx in Kentucky, and when
;hey were shown the assessors lists
ard found they had to pay taxes on
sbSut seventy aVe different kinds OF
property, and all at the same rate, they
ducked."
rs this true about the taxes?"
We'll, ii Is pretty near the facts
Tho city and county and state and
schools all have TO be paid. and if Z
man starts factory he has to pay or
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
if he wants to educate his children, ht
must pay on the books and piano ant
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
five things the legislature could thinl
1 q kA mic L
must think Of himself, there is the rev
enue agent who gets a commission OF
anything he can find, and then there /:
the county equalization board, which
scrutinizes his returns and adds wha
II likes, and then the state board a
Frankfort takes whack at it and gen
orally raises the whole list. and it sim
ply keeps everybody going who ha'
anything to be taxed"
why don't you change the ia,
laws?"
We'll, they put the law relating Il
revenue and taxation in the state con
stltution, and it takes about five years
to effect a change, and it is hard to ge
the voters 10 understand the question
The last legislature passed an amend
ment ana il will be voted on at tn,
November Q913) election, and If 1t |,
ratified the change will be made"
Il live in Pennsylvania. and ever,
town in that state as large as youri
has factory OF some kind, and man!
of them several. They employ th'
young men and women and keep then
and the money they earn at home. Blu
here comes my train. and all ] can sa!
is, you people should wake up, and |
your tax laws are oppressive, chang,
them. and your state will blossom lili
the rose"
We'll, goodbye, stranger. ! inten'
TO vote for the amendment myself, ant
may be others will do the same.
can't be any worse than the presen
system, and I surely would like to Sc
some smokestacks looming up in thes
parts. Farewell"