Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-10
| FIGHT ON TAX LAW
OPENS At GRANGE
Former u. S. Consul Higgins Dc
nounccs County Measure as Out
doing Legislation by Kaiser.

Repeal OF the county taxation act
passed by the last Leg stature was urged
by John G. Higgins, of Delaware City,
former United States Consul at Dundee,
Scotland, and former master Of the state
Grange, at the last meeting OF the Pomona
Grange at Tslleyville, on Thursday,
in q paper sharply condernning the nca-
sure
Mr.. Higgins said in part:
Moved by what IL claims 10 he q
necessity the Levy Court began a cam
paign upon the tanners. IL had law
passed at our last Legislature that gave
the court the power 10 sought. The law
provides 8n assessment committee Of
four persons az yearly salary of $500
each. It directs Chat committee 20 go
up and assess every farm at ifs separate
land value, and in addition to value
and assess every building At it's full value.
f'This committee, being appointed
by the Levy Court, must be expected to
do what it has doneso assess the land
that taxes are doubled in perhaps most
instances.
"You, fellow members, must sec
what our condition is-our interests
have no one 10 protect thern--we have
q case IN court with no lawyer tn speak
for us. This law went mtlcn further;
it provided that every owner Of farm
should himself give full statement of
its items land, houses and barns, and
their value, under heavy penalties for
avoidance or lnadequacy.
"kaiscr William probably never went
so far as this in his demands upon his
sibservient people. Levy Court assess-
rnent committee and the regIlarly-elcctedl
assessors arc not enough, the farmer
himself must assess his own property.
This is a case Of between hawk and
| buzzard
Those who have = farm to sell would
Re impelled TO name high valuation
though higher tax is the result. Those
who areshort Of money, and most Of rs
are. would be tempted to low Csti-
mate 10 save the tax. A big house pn
rich farm with barns to match IS q
thing Of the past They belong 10 an
era when land was very low 10 price;
when labor was cheap md plentiful,
ard domestics for the house were al-
ways 10 he had.
"The great dcmerit of the now tax
| law that we are now discussing is that
| il departs from tho old rental value
| gssessrDent aud values farms largely
/ upon AAttf q t''rA h'A'7AA''s
proposition for any farmer If, IN addi-
| ton, his farm has a mort upon H.,
bis case is probably hopeless, Thus a
good citizen may be lcgistated into vt
| ter bankruptcy.
'But have been too liberal-the
new plan taxes the land as much as
| the farm VIII sell for, and then pile upon
| that what the committee thinks thf
| farm buildings are worth. The butcher
says the tail goes with the hide
| THE new tax represents the interest
/ on It's principal sum at 8 per cent. Il
depress the selling as wellas the hold
| ing value Of the farm 10 that extent. The
| farmer is to feel himself hunted man
/ himself his land and the buildings h'
| has at so much expense erected Tor tn
| comfort Of his family and bis cattle
/ are the game of the new assessors. !
| he had had O suspicion that they would
cause him to pay grievuus tax he woulC
| probably have erected buildings meet
ing his simplest necessities.
"W hat shall we do? First Of all W.
| should appeal 10 the sympathy anc
sense of Justice of all our fellow citizens
| Second, we should prepare a bill for th'
| repeal OF this obnoxious law to be pre-
sented to the next legislature"
The grange referred the matter x
/ it's legislative committee.
Every little dollar added 20 the price
of coal makes it just = dollar more.