Baxter Springs news., 1919-05-02
Burden 10 uOhisst In Csmmunl-
ttlsS BoastInV Tive and 'IhFlv- :
InC Towns.
FARMER FEELS THE EFFECT
10 inclined 70 Ferssl q TImsAS Fhal
Ne IshAaest vitality intscsstsd n
Pfsapphty 81 Nearby :.


Taxes are alwayn heGty-tO the man
who has to pay then-but taxea In
some communities are much. higher
than In others. II you have ever
stopped to. investigate the matter yon
have discovered that the lowest tAxss
Gre found In the most prosperous com
munities. And there's q reason.
The prosperous community has the
lowest taxes because there 10 q large
amount Of wealth In the community
against which the taxes may be a.
sessed. There are prosperous mer-
ehants with large, stocks Of goods up
on which taxes are levied. Property
values are high and there are thriving
industries which pay q large proper
tion Of the taxes.
The higher the property values and
the greater the wealth Of the commu-
nifty the lower are the tax levies, for q
lower tar on each hundred dollars Of
valuation II required 10 produce the
necessary revenue for the administra-
tiOn Of the city and county govern
mentB. il.
ssothss iTaxss Aas Raised.
On the other hand, take q dead town.
Property values are low Merchants
stocks are small and they have little
money IN the bank: Industries which
ordinarily pay q large part Of the taxes
Of q community have closed down.
There are vacant store buildings which
were formerly. filed with stocks Of
merchandise upon which the owners
paid heavy taxes. Who pays the taxes
that were once paid by the mechants.
the manufacturers, the bankers and
the men who had large holdings Of
high-prieed property The taxes to
conduct the city and county govern
ments, to maintain the schools, t0+bulld
and repair the roads must be collect
Cd from someone. Who pays themf
The man who owns his little homo or
the vacant lot or two upon which he
has been planning to build his home
must pay double or triple the amount
which he paid In the times when the
town was prosperous. to make mp for
the taxes which are not paid now BY
the merchants, tie bankers, the icc=a-
facturers and the big property owners
who bore the heaviest burdens Of tax-
alton when. tImes were good. =
The farmers In the country sur
rounding the town ara also among the
heavIest sufferers from the ebbinG Of
the towns prosperity. A certain
amount Of money must be raised BY
taxation to provide for the expenses
Of the county. Roads must be built
and kept In repair. Bridges must be
built and maintained. Salaries Of
county officers must be paid. County
institutiOns for the care Of the sick
and the poor must be maintained. In
counties which contain aOne or more
thriving towns, q large proportion Of
the taxes for the county are paid BY
the towns. The greater the wealth
Of the towns and the higher the prop
erty valuations, the lower the tax levy
for the entire county. When the tax
levy Is low the burden placed upon the
farmer IL light. -
Burden. FaIlo o. Farmer.
When the county contains no pros.
porous and wealthy towns, the greater
Dart Of the burden Of taxation for the
county falls upon the farmer. The
value Of the farmers property does not
tall In proportion to the value Of the
property in the town and the higher
tax levy that results from the lower
property values In the towns makes
bis taxes higher.
The farmer fOrgets At times that he
e vitally interested in the prosperity
Of '.hIs town." He thinks that Il - up
to the town to take care Of itself and
that IT IL up to him to take care Of
himself and he overlooks that fact that
the prosperity Of the town means ~
much 20 him as it does to those who
i've In It. The farmer who IL inclined
, to overlook this fact has only to think
Of the matter Of taxes and he is likely
to change hls point Of view for taxes
are one thing that neither he nor any
one else can escape, and they are one
thing In which the farmer ordinarily
! takes q very lively interest.
How Farmer Can Help.
There 10 Just one way In which the
farmer can best promote prosperity In
the town near which he lives ana that
ls hy spending hls money In that town
Instead ot-ssndlng Il away to thS far
distant city. Every time the farmer
sends an order TO q mall order house
hs helus 10 destroy the prosperity Of
his on community ana 10 boost his
own taxes. When he sends Q dollar
away from home he gsts none q g
back. When be spends q. dollar at
home, q part Of that dollar comes back
b him IN some way. Il helps the town
where Il ls spent to provide Q profit
ahls market for. his products and 4
helps the town pay'a laEgs part q Ids
: tnxes.
ma farmer Is the one man IN the
,.,...,u,-ltv ahn1A an n4hnRa vim