The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-09-28

situation was entirely omitted IN the
proposed constitution as presented IN
House Bill "A. Now, the question is
why? Most people will remember
the attempt OF the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific railway COM
panies to merge their interests un
der the single corporation known as
the Northern Securities company
which corporation was dissolved by
the courts. Now, what possible reas-
on could these men have for elimin-
ating entirely from the constitution
of the state a provision solely for the
purpose Of regulating railroad cor
operations within the state and pro-
fecting the people against consolida-
ton and monopoly?
Single Tax CunningIy Planned.
Section 17S of our present constitu-
ton, relative to taxation is amend
ed to read as follows:
THE legislative assembly may by
law exempt any Of our closes OF
personal property from taxation, and
with the meaning of this section all
fixtures, buildings or improvements
of any character whatsoever upon
land shall be deemed personal prop
erty and all exemptions under this
section shall be uniform in their OPP
eraHons. The property Of the Uni
ted States, and the state, county and
municipal corporations, and property
used exclusively for school, religious
cemetery, charitable or other pub
lie purposes, shall be exempt from
taxation. Except as restricted by
this article, the legislative assembly
shall have power Of all property for
the purpose Of taxation
In this measure we have the
simon-p Socialist single tax
doctrine Of Henry George, the doc
trine that no class of property should
be taxed except land. Now the gem
tlemen who are trying to secure the
enactment of this legislation have it
sugar coated for the people by tell
ing them that its purpose is to ex-
,empt farm improvements, but no man
can read the proposed amendment in
House Bill A, or the proposed
amendment which is before the peo-
pie at this time, and arrive at any
such conclusion. In order to under
stand the purpose of this measure
we will have to go back little and
study its meaning. Henry George
was the father of the single tax doc
trtne. His theory was that all taxes
should be raised from the land; that
the land was the source of all
wealth and, consequently, should be
the only class of property taxes. But
there is a deeper meaning even than
appears. from this statement. The
real meaning Of this proposed amend
ment is that if land pays all the
taxes, the taxes will become so high
as to be confscatory, with the re-
suit that the land will be taken over
by the STATE -getting back once more
to the Socialist doctrine that no in
divtduaI has any right to own land.
They tell you this is aimed at the
Spectator; that the farmers of North
Dakota improve the land and the
Spectator gets the 'sbenefit OF the
local improvements and consequent
" the farmers should pay no taxes on
the improvements. This argument
sounds quite plausible insofar as it
goes, but what about all classes of
property other than farm land?
What possible injustice can be done
by taxing al property wherever
found? Why should the man with
one hundred thousand dollars invest
ed in farm mortgages pay no tax,
while the farmer who is trying to
pay off the mortgage also pay all the
tax? 1t seems to me that even from
selfish motives the last class Of peo-
pie on earth who should be in favor
OF o single tax is the farming class.
The purpose Of taxation is to raise
money to run the government. If we
eliminate personal property from
raise the levy on real property, as
the money must come from sowe-
where. But for any man to claim
that in order to reach the small per-
centage Of land which is owned in
this state by outside spectators it
is necessary to eliminate personal
property from taxation, seems to be
too stupid for serious discussion.
Congress is now working on several
idle Land tax" measures by means
of which to properly tax speculative
land holdings.
Would Extend Appointing Power.
Section 1913 OF the proposed con-
stitution, relative to the election Of
county officers, amends that section
to read as follows:
provided, that the legislative as
sembly may provide by law for the
appointment OF all officers named in
this section"
What demand is there now, in this
state, or eva. has been, to take the
election Of county officials out of the
hands of the electors of their own
counties and make the offices ap-
pointive, without even stating who
shall have the, appointive power? ?
What possible reason could these
men have for desiring any such
change in the state constitution, I'M
less to build up and perpetuate a
political machine?
Safeguard School Funds.-
Section 165 Of the present constitu-
ton reads as follows:
The legislative assembly shall
pass suitable laws for the safe keep
ing, transfer and disbursement of the
states school funds, and shall re-
quire all officers charged with the
same, or the safe keeping thereof,
to give ample bonds for all monies
and funds received by them. And if
any of the said officers shall convert
to his own use in any manner or
form, or shall loan with or without
interest, or shall deposit in his own
name or otherwise than in the
name. Of the state of North Dakota
or shall deposit in any bank, or
with any person or persons, or ex-
change for other funds or property,
anv portion of the school funds afore-
said. or purposeIy allow any portion
of the same to remain in his own
hands uninvested, except in the man
ner prescribed by law, every such
act shall constitute an embezzlement
of so much of the aforesaid school
funds as shall be thus taken or loan
ed or deposited or exchanged or
withheld. and shall be a felony. ANY
failure to pay over, produce or ac-
count for the state school funds, or
any part of the same, entrusted to
any such officer, as by law, required
or demanded, sshall be held and taken
to be prima faciIe evidence of such
emhezzIement."
This entire section was omitted in
the PROPOSED constitution known as
House Bill A. Can anv one imagine
why? There is Just one great fund