Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1917-03-16
Poisonous System OF Taxation.
To the Editor of the Montgomery Count,
Sentinel

system of taxation they are poisoning the
body polite, paralyzlne 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 deterrent.
Does not the fine upon the man who would
build the chicken house operate against
the making Of improvements And yet
the farmers Of Maryland have for years
taxed themselves for constructing houses
and barns and all the other things that
60 to make life possible in the country.
Why wonder that Maryland is backward :
Why should not Maryland be backward
under such circumstancesS VIII we not
naturally put up the smallest and most
Inferior improvement which as a makeshift
carries US through present emergencies
rather than improve our lands so substan-
TALLY 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 7
The argument Is simple. the Illustrations
are isite. IN the old world when taxes
were imposed upon windows people ,dweit
in darkness. Whenever taxes are imposed
upon dogs their number dimlnishes. License
taxes keep down automatically the undue
establishment Of saloons Are not taxes
lived upon improvements exa city the same
In their effect as taxes on windows. dogs and
soloonsY Do not such taxes, therefore. pre-
vent our progressive 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 funda-
mental. 1t becomes less profitable to use
land than to hold it out of use. It becomes
improbable to employ labor and our labor
ers suffer.
Under cur system Of taxation we are
driving the independent farmer from the
farm and turning over our land to tenants
who have no particular interest In main
tanning its fertility. We are despoiline
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 well as for ourselves.
Under this system Of taxation some 40
per cent Of our farms is cultivated by peo-
pie who have no interest in their mainte-
nance and development. This figure has
risen within thirty years from rs per cent.
II we continue as we have begun. in an
other thirty years our country life will have
so completely degenerated that the indie
pendent farmer will be almost unknown
and his place will be taken by those who
by that time will have become restless,
shiftless and irresponsible tenantry, with
out pride or respect for the country they
are in and the land on which they subsst.
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 farm owners and
Of this land less than 10 per cent is under
cultivation, whereas land held in tracts up
to 500 acres is cultivated to the extent OF
90 to 20 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 than one-third
Of the whole number-are getting In many
cases difficult existence on farms Of fifty
acres or less.
The sons Of the farmers OF these smaller
tracts find the door Of opportunity closed
in their faces because the relatively large
owners demand for the privilege Of pur-
chase Of their lands price which is pro-
hibitive to industry. Thus they are driven
from our rural communities to seek preca-
riOus livings in the cities, or to 60 great
distances to obtain cheaper lands. In this
we shall largely find the explanation for
the fact that the rural population Of South
ern Maryland was fully as great In 1920
as in 1910. the young men having been
driven from the agreeable climate and
natural advantages Of Maryland far out
into the West. even into the deserts. to
get the opportunities which existed but
which were unavailable at their own doors.
Our whole civilization. our growth in
population. our advancement in govern
ment, unite to build up and maintain the
value Of land. No element can be named
not conspiring TO this end, whether II be
school. church. lodge. fire protection. police,
roads and railroads or what not Every
agency OF government assists. None con-
tribute to add one dollar to the value Of
personal property or improvements. whose
value rests ever in the amount Of human
exertion entering into their production.
II would seem a simple thing that those
who receive all the pecuniary advantages
Of government and civilization should beaI
the burdens.
People deceive themselves. They say
the government protects personal prop
erty and Improvements and, therefore,
their owners should pay proportionate taxes
They overlook the obvious fact that ac-
cording as in a given neiehborhood pro-
lection is given or perfected. so land values
rise. The possessor Of personal property
and would-be constructor Of Improvements
therefore, pays sum proportionate to the
disability Of the neiehborhood for the
privilege Of being there with his personal
property or constructing his improvements
and should not pay doubly.
Nor. for a variety Of reasons space for
bids me to enumerate, should mere evil
dences Of ownership Of property, like mort
CAGES. notes. stocks. etc. be taxed Suffice
it to say. that taxes upon them do not
stay where put but are passed on to the
borrower. making his progress in the race
Of life more difficult. We might add that