The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1919-08-22
LOUTHAN
IN WARM REPLY TO
SPEECH Of CHURCH
AUTHOR OF EQUALIZATION LAW
DECLARES MAURY COUNTiAN
lis A TAX DoDGER.
PROPERTY WAS UNDERVALUED
Says That Bill Taxing Corporate
Property Was Passed and Accuses
the Senator of Practicing Decep-
ton.

The Herald is in receipt of lengthy
statement from Senator Louthan, stat
istician of the state board of tax equal
izers, replying to the speech here
Monday of Senator Church. The ma
terial points of the state officials re
ply follow:
| have proof in my office which
represents the sworn testimony OF
some of the best men in Senator
Church's civil district, and that proof
shows the following:
There are ninety tracts of land
in the second civil district, in which
Senator Church resides, none OF
which are assessed less than so per
cent of their value The average as
sessment on the ninety tracts Is 90
per cent of the value. Several of these
tracts are assessed at rs per cent
some at 100 per cent and a few in ex-
cess of 100 per cent. Senator Church,
according to the records is theFowner
of 100 acres in the same civil district
which is assessed at 81, S25.00. The
sworn testimony of some of the best
men in the district, value this prop
erty at $S0,770 Senator Church's as
sessment is a fraction over IA per
cent of the value of the property. The
owners of these ninety tracts of land
are paying nearly five times as much
taxes on their property as Senator
Church pays on the same amount of
These owners did not only
pay their own taxes last year, but
paid more than half of Senator
Church's taxes.
The proof shows that Senator
Church is the owner of one tract of
land which is assessed at $500, and
the witnesses swore that this tract
If land was worth $4,000.
There is a small home owner living
in Senator Church's district whose
little home is assessed at $500 The
witnesses swore that that was every
lollar it was worth, In other words,
he small home owner paid the same
!, IF 1itfIn hmm, hi a
home, that Senator Church paid on
J. tract of land which his neighbors
swear is worth $4,000.
Senator Church is assessed with
mother tract of land of 13S acres in
he same civil district, at $1,000
Proof shows this tract of land to be
worth $13,S00. Another small home
S assessed at 5000 in the same civil
district, and the same witnesses who
valued Senator Churchs property,
lay this little home is not worth over
800. The owner of this small home
,aid in 1918, within $500 of as much
axes on his small home as Senator
church paid on his farm, which his
leighbors say, under oath, is worth
1880.
From these figures it will be seen
hat Senator Church has a very potent
eason for being violently opposed to
he equalization of assessments in
his state.
When Senator Church goes on an.
ther demagogic TRADE, | suggest to
lin that he explain to his neighbors
he injustice of this law which we
re administering, which proposes to
make Senator Church bear his part
f the states burden which his neigh
ors have been carrying for him here
Ofore.
Senator Church is reported to have |
aid that the legislature passed the
lw providing for the assessment of
he farm lands, but failed to pass
rOposed companion law that would |
ave applied to corporations The
enator might have known the truth I
he had been concerned about the
ruth. The truth is that the last leg
stature passed senate bill No. lis, I
'hich provides for the assessment of .
in Tennessee which have
entirely escaped taxation