The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1917-03-16

Journal
The counties of Maryland, like the
City of Baltimore, must realize that
by their system of taxation they are
poisoning the body polite, paralyz-
ing progress, failing to do their duty
by, the State and nation of which
they form part. What can we
think of the logic of community
which fines a man once for stealing
chickens and fines the man who puts
up the chicken house once every
year? The fine upon the chicken
thief is supposed to operate as a
deterrent. Does not the fine upon
the man who would build the chick
en- house operate against the making
farmers of Maryland have for years
taxed themselves for constructing
houses and barns and all the other
things that go to make life possible
in the country. Why wonder that
Maryland is backward?
Why should not Maryland be
backward under such circumstances?
Will we not naturally put up the
smallest and most inferior improve
ment which as make-shift carries
US through present emergencies
rather than improve our lands so
substantially as to attract the
serious attention of the assessor.
Does not wisdom dictate the making
of inferior improvements, when the
county causes the assessor to pursue
us most vigorously for building the
best?
The argument is simple, the illus
trations are trite. In the old world
when taxes were imposed upon
windows people dwelt in darkness.
Wherever taxes are imposed upon
dogs their number diminishes,
License taxes keep down automatic
ally the undue establishment of
aloons. Are not taxes levied upon
improvements exactly the same in
heir effect as taxes on windows,
dogs and saloons? Do not such
taxes therefore, prevent our progress
sive farmers from doing for the
benefit of themselves and the COM
munity the things which ostensibly
we believe to be for the advantage
of all?
The effect of our procedure is
fundamental. 1t becomes less profit
able to use land than to hold it out
of use. 1t becomes improbable to
employ labor and our laborers suffer.
Under our system of taxation we
are driving the independent farmer
from the farm and turning over our
land to tenants who have no partic-
ular interest in maintaining its
fertility. We are despoiling the
granaries of the nation and robbing
the coming generations of the riches
of the earth, that earth which we
should hold in trust for them as we'll
rs for ourselves.
Under this system of taxation,
some forty per cent of our farms are
cultivated by people who have no
interest in their maintenance and
development. This figure has risen
within thirty years from twenty-five
per cent. If we continue as we have
begun, in another thirty years our
country life will have so completely
degenerated that the Independent
farmer will be almost unknown and
his place will be taken by those who
by that time will have become a
restless, shiftless and irresponsible
tenantry, without pride or respect
for the country in and the land on
which they subsist.
Today taking the whole United
States, almost 20 per cent of the
farming land in tracts of 1000 acres
and more is held by less than one
per cent of the farm owners and of
this land less than 10 per cent is I'M
der cultivation, whereas land held in
tracts up to 500 acres is cultivated
to the extent of so to 70 per cent
A large part of these smaller farms
left uncultivated is as we know held
speculatively, as are the great tracts.
Meanwhile two and one-fourth
millions of farmers-more than one
third of the whole number-are get
ting in many cases difficult exist
ence on farms of fifty acres or less.
The sons of the farmers Of these
smaller tracts lind the door Of OPP