Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-04-21
dead TOWNS
AND HIGH TAXES
Home CiS.Oyaiiy Is lie Cause
Of Decay.
WHAT GREAT NAPOLEON SAID
Should Tax Vices Instead Of Property.
In Rich, Prosperous Community
Taxes Are No 6urden-in a CON-
munity Where the Local Town Is
Dead Taxes Are High.

Taxes Are No Burden-in a Com.
munity Where the Local Town Is
Dead Taxes Are High.
Copyrighted. 1914. by Thomas J. Sullivan. ]
Taxing is an easy business. Any
new official can contrive new impoSi-
tons, any bungler can add to the old.
but is it altogether wise to have no
other bounds to your impoSitiOns than
the patience Of those who are to bear
them:
What u benefit the government
would render the state. the city. the
village and hamlet if it would but tax
vices instt ID of property: BOnaparte
said he found vices very profitable.
He got $l.OOO.UOU annually from the
lovers Of brandy. and he wanted to
know what virtue would pay him that
much.
Taxes Increasing Each Year.
Taxes are the Sinews Of the state.
and they are indeed heavy. but if those
laid by the government We're the only
ones we had to pay we might more
easily discharge them, but we have
others. and much more grievOns to
some of us.
We are taxed twice as much by our
ignorance. three times as much by our
dislOyalty and four times as much by
our folly. and from these taxes the
commissioners cannot ease or deliver
lis by allowing an Abatement.
The state. county and town levy and
exact Il certain tax from every pet g Of
property located within their bound
aries. the amount depending upon the
official requirements In II rich. pros
porous community. where marketing
and manufa. turing lend their >tiinn!nt-
ing Influences. taxes ale low. 4 com
munity where the local town IL dead
taxes necessarily are high.
The explanation is easy. The town
which is prosperous has successful
merchants with large and valuable
stocks of goods: it has manufacturing
plants and industrial enterprises of
great worth; it has newspapers, bank
ing houses and hotels. and. above all.
it Is a marketing center. The large
amount and the high value placed upon
this property materially decrease the
tax demands made upon the farmer in
that vicinity.
Streets Paved With Jimson Weeds.
Then take the other town, the dead
town. What are the cause and effect:
The cause is lack Of patronage. lack Of
industrial pride, disoyalty and ignO-
rance of ones own condition and best
interests. The effect? The town has
have grown jimsOn weeds. the side
walks have gone to decay, the stores
are vacant. and an air Of poverty and
dilapidatiOn prevails.
In this latter town and the surround
ing community taxes are high. prop
erty values have decreased. and alto
gether it is an undesirable place to live
in, and the disposition of such property
is an impossible feat.
AS we stand and survey the ruins Of
a once prosperous and promising city
we turn to the once successful retail
merchant, now standing in the door OF
his empty store. and ask for the an
swer.
Briefly he makes reply: 1.-THE retail
catalogue houses. Our residents in this
community became hypnotized by their
pictures and prices and misrepresenta.
tons. and this is the result
On the Altar Of Greed.
They sacrificed their OWL interests