Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-07-28
The Democratic State Platform.

The Democratic State Platform.
Editor Little of the Raymond Re.
view, which poses as a democratic
newspaper, announces his opposition
to two planks in the Democratic state
platform, namely, the recall Of
judges and the demand for a consti.
tutional change OF the tax system.
No one questions the perfect right Of
Mr.. Little to reject any part or the
whole Of this platform, but his demo.
cratic readers are entitled to better
reasons than are set forth in the an.
nouncement of his displeasure at
those two planks.
For instance, he opposes the recall
of judges because he is opposed to
the recall of any official, yet we have
the recall as part of our political
system and the Herald has yet to
hear a valid reason why the judges
should be exempt. The fair and i'm.
partial Judge need have no fear of
recall and the other kind needs it
to remind them of what is in store
if they go astray, without the dilla-
tory process of impeachment by
partisan legislature. Judges are
drawn from the ranks of attorneys
and the records fail to show that
attorneys rank any higher for honesty
and integrity than the citizens in any
other walk of life, so that when we
have a recall law in force, the exemp.
ton of judges is a reflection upon
every other official in the state.
Editor Little is also perturbed over
the following plank in the platform.
I'VE consider the present constitu-
tional provision relating to taxation
to be Anticipated and inequitable, and
we favor such an amendment to the
constitution as will empower the
people to enact a revenue system
that will be in harmony with chang
ed economic conditions"
The Herald has pity for the mental
vision that sees in this plank dec.
laration for the single tax. The writ.
er was a member of the committee
which framed this platform and is
in position to state that this plank
was adopted without discussion or
dissenting voice, and he is satisfied
that the Review will hesitate before
calling this committee-consist of
one member from every county in
the state-either single takers or
fools. G5F
The fact is that the tax laws of the
state relating to taxation are anti
quated and need revision and can
only be revised by amending the con.
stitution. The plank is not a parti-
san one in the full sense of the word,
further than that the republican ses-
sions of legislature refused to heed
the reports of the State Tax Com
mission and the democratic party is
pledged to do so this year. The Tax
Commission, in its report of 1910, on
page p, urges such amendment, and
again in 1912, from which we quote,
page 9: Long strides have been
made in tax reform all over the Unit
ed States in the last few years, and
the state of Washington has not been
behind others in it's work of solving
the great problems going to make up
this vast, vital and absorbing sub
ject of contributing to government
expense. But the stumbling block in
our way has been and always will
be, until it is removed by constitu.
tinaol revision, our system Of tax
ing property by what Is known as the
general property tax system. This
system is founded upon the idea that
all property, of every kind and des-
cription, can and should be taxed at
a uniform rate. Any student OF polit-
1Cdl eCOHOUy huOWo shde thiS 80 P~'"
fiction, because absolutely impossi-
BILE of practical application"
The State Board of Tax Commits
sioners has made four efforts to
change our system of taxation and
each time it has been met by the
overwhelming force Of special inter
ests.
The first effort was made In 1908
when the amendment was defeated
through a general misapprehension
that under the amendment church
property was to be taxed. A similar
amendment, specifically exemptlng
church property, was presented to
the legislature of 1909, and was de-
feated in the senate. In 1911, anoth-
er attempt was made, when the bill
was pocketed by the chairman of the
committee to which it was referred.
Il 1919 the effort was reDeated for