Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-11-23

KITCIIN'S SECTIONAL TAXES.
IN. Y. Sun. Nov. is, 1919

for its exposure of the sectional taxes
which Kitchin plaStcrcd over indus
try, business and individuals north
of Mason and DiXon's line. Tho
Savannah Press may be quoted as an
example Of the rctort which is made
in behalf Of Iiitchin and the Solid
South oligarchy in their tax raiding
Of the North.
The Savannah Press declares that
our "barons Of the barrel section is
merely asked by the trainers Of tho
Kitchin tax schedules to bear its
fair proportion of the taxation, but
els now wincing under the yoke 1t
must Justly wear in paying its share
of the expenses of the national
Government" Another superhcated
critic of The Suns truth telling
challenges us to prove that Ititchin's
taxes were devised to fall Oh sections
hated by him rather than on wealth
wherever il might be. "1Iow,' he
demands, ARE YOU going to make
anybody believe it,"
We'll, we arc going to let the official
records Of tho United States Govern
mcnt do ii. In another place on
this page We print Il table Of sta
iistics Illuminating this question. The
figures of wealth are from the United
States Census Reports. The figures
on individual income and excess
profits taxes arc from the records OF
the United States Treasury in this
present Government. For an exact
comparison Of now tho taxes are paid
in relation to wealth north Of Mason
and DiXon's line and south Of the
Mason and Dixon's line we refer all
inquircrs to that table. IN our re-
marks here VIC content ourselves
with some specific contrasts which
make the sectional Determinations
plain at glance.
In the list of States Of the Solid
South running down the Atlantic sea-
board from Virginia to Florida in
elusive, the poorest, by the Census
Rcports, is Florida. with Il wealth OF
S1,Oi9,13S,22S. BY the same Cen
Sus Reports the State of Maine is
credited with n wealth about the
same as Florida's, $1,069, 59i.027.
But tho income and excess profits
taxes paid by Florida for tho last
Hscal year were $i,G39,716. The
State of Maine paid $12, 016,OSo.
Look at the table and you will see
that South Carolina has wealth Of
1851, 4o0,753, and that South Car
olina's taxes were $7,SS4, 900. Then
al
see that the wealth OF that State is
only $970,S02, 600, but Rhode Islands
taxes were $1G,3S5, 54S.
Vermont and New Hampshire,
mountainous, largely barren, have
not, both put together, anything like
the wealth OF Mississippp. But the
table shows that while Vermont and
New Hampshire together have less
than 81 200, 0HO,0 900 OF wealth, and
while Mississippi has about $1,3i5,-
OOO,O0 of wealth, Vermont and New
Hampshire paid nearly twice the
taxcs-$9, 900, 000--paid by Missis-
sippi, s4,96A,000.
Georgia is one Of the great States
of the old South. Georgia has a
larger wealth-$2, $50 coo, S66-than
Connecticut, with $2,2S5, 454, 659.
Georgia paid some $16,23O,000 Of
taxes. Connecticut paid some $62,-
10000.
Texas, tho largest State in the Sol
id South, is the richest State in the
Solid South. Texas has more wealth
than massachusetts, by half O. billion
of dollars, but Texas paid in taxes
some $50, 5000, while Massachu-
sets paid 166,59S,0O0.
TO preserve our own neutrality in
this review OF sectional taxation, let
lis merely mention New York with its
twenty-five billions Of wealth, but it's
$3.50, 2G5,600 taxes Of tho last fiscal
year. Let us go on to others. Wis
consin, with Sd ,4S7,725,25S, has less
wealth than Oklahoma with $4,581,-
O91, 91S. Oklahoma paid in taxes
$1S,261, 900; Wisconsin paid $780,
10000. Michigan, with only 20
per cent. more wealth-$o,42 7,022,-
651-than Oklahoma, paid 200 per
cent. more taxes than Oklahoma.
Take all these States of the Solid
South in a string: Virginia. North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louis
lana, Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas.
Their combined wealth is billions on
billions more than Ohio's; indeed, it
is nearly three times Ohio's. Yet
Ohio, with $8,90S, 432,943 Of wealth
paid in taxes $24 1,037,457, or $751;
100000 more taxes than all those
Southern States put together.
To that list Of Southern States add
Oklahoma. Then weir combined
wealth is nearly fl ,ucn bilious OF
dollars more Than .he wGplth .Cf ILL
nois, but Illinois paid IN t. Xcs $780,
579, 053, as agdi !. SOP HI&4.UJ0,-
900 by all tho;e ou!nt tatcs.
That stri'lS CT So" ..# Slater,
with wea h : tHc y -, J. Of
Pennsylvania: IL ">r'.i iabors,
paid, in rOnnl 4.urr "@n., the same
1884 100000; PENNSYLVANIA paid, in
round numbers, 3G,o00,0OV.
Even the border States could not
escape tho discrimination which tho
Kitchins exercised against everybody
and everything beyond tho sacred
soil which they were saving from
taxes. Missouri, with less wealth
than Texas, must pay twice tho taxes
paid by TEXAS. Maryland, with less
wealth than Georgia, must pay two
and a half times more taxes.
Thus the very records Of tho
United States Government show that
tho Kitchin taxes We're deliberately
and Indignantly rugged so that the
Solid South oiigarchy might not
merely sponge, but prey, upon the
taxpayers whom Kitchin had threat
encd north OF Mason and Dixon's limo