Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1914-06-05

Address on taxation, delivered before |
the State Grange at Nampa, Idaho, JAN
uary 20, 1914, by N. Jenness, Of Nampa.
The address is too lengthy for one arti-
Gle, and would suggest that our readers
save this and when the entire address
is printed paste it in a scrap book. The
address follows:
Taxation: The mere mention of that
word sends the cold shivers up and
down our spinal columns. We are like
man in front of a loaded gun with an
other man carelessly lingering the trig-
ger. Particularly during the past three
years have the people Of Idaho been
discussing the question Of taxation with
ever increasing interest. We have
gazed upon our tax receipts with the
hope of noting decrease, and each
time we have been doomed to disap-
pointment. We have on the contrary
been painfully surprised to note the
figures in little larger denominations
each year. For reasons which it would
be embarrassing to explain have not
been able to look upon tax RECEIPT of
my own this year. Some time ago re-
ceived document purporting to be
notice Of taxes due, but, it looked more
t. me like sight draft for the value Of
what little property l have, and had
to let it 60 to protest.
Ineed enter into no argument to
prove to you that the excessive taxes
we have been paying for some years
have created condition in this state
that is serious. Property is worth just
the amount upon which it will pay
fair interest rate above fixed charges,
and no more. II property affords no
income above such charges it is abso-
lutely worthless aside from prospec-
tive value based upon the hope that at
some future time it may earn some
thing in addition to fixed charges. We
have indulged in this hope and tried to
MAINTAIN fair prices in vain. Enormous
taxes have MIXED the values out Of
property until many Of us would be
glad to accept a severe loss if by SO do
ing we could get out from un Ter the
burden we are carrying.
We are all agreed, l think, that il
present conditions continue few years
longer it will mean confiscation off prop
erty. To those who have worked hard
and lived economically for years in the
hope Of acquiring competency for old
age the outlook is gloomy. There has
been much complaint from the people
and attempts to shift the blame from
one to another. There has been much
cheap politics, but there has SO far
been very little intelligent, earnest ef.
fort to honestly determine tn. cause Of
high taxes and when found apply the
ak at the root Of the evil.
1t is high time that the thouch!fu
men Of Idaho, who place the welfare Of
the people above petty politics, com
bine their efforts for the solution oi
this most difficult problem. If such ef
fort be made, manifestly the first duty
is to analyze the tax levies of the diff
ferent departments Of government anG
find exactly where our taxes go and fol
what purposes. For the purpose Of ex
ample have selected the taxes paid il
Nampa and dare say they will be fair
ly representative of the whole state.
find that for the year 1918 every tax
payer in this city paid $39.4O on eacl
$1,000 of property valuation, or in roun'
numbers four per cent. on actual value
If man living in Nampa had valua
ton of a. million dollars in three pc
cent securities and honestly paid hi
taxes he would have had to raise 80, 40
) above his full income in order to NEE
the tax charge. In view of this fat
how long would man continue to liv
0 who could get away?
find upon looking the matter u
that this tax of $39. 40 is made up of va
I ious items as follows:
; School tax $40, or about onc-fourt
! the total
e City tax SIT, or nearly one-half til
q total.
U County tax 1912 1-2, or more tina
:. one-fifth the total.
give the description OF the properi