The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-15

| less and home'ess man who first joins the
ranks of the discontinued.
Soldiers Should Own Land
To get rid. as ar possible, of farm
| tenantry. to promote the tilIng of the soil
by the owner Of the land to increase the
number of homes owned by farmers and
others, should be the most important a5ov-
eminent object of the present hour in this
! Not only the protection of the state against
| the rapid increase of speculation in our
| farm lands demands it, but new reason
! impels us especially at this time. There are
/ coming home from overseas and from train
| ing camps at home, many thousands of
/ tunity to work the soil if a chance were
| provided whereby they might possess
farm upon terms of easy payment.
| Secretary Lane has suggested a plan
| which will bring relief in some states. This
| easy terms public lands and -.rnds secured
such lands in Kansas, so that our measure
of relief must be in whatever provisions
I Any effective plan in this direction de-
Ponds first upon cheap money and the pos
sibility of buying on easy terms
State Might Extend Credit.
California has taken very progressive
| step in this direction i'll the creation of
I fund thru which she buys lands in large
| holdings and resells them to small farmers
on easy payments. Other states are study
ing the proposition of creating associations
backed by the states to create system
| credits thru which good tenant farmer
can borrow up to 90 per cent of the value
of the land Doubtless there are many
/ plans which could be aided by legislation
for the creation of credits to be used for
the increase of home owning. A fund such
as California has created, used to provide
| second mortgages, might become a simple
and direct aid to the system.
A valuable addition to small land hold
ings might also come from more inteli-
gent and effective interest i'll the pOssibili-
ties of irrigation in the western portion of
the state Kansas has PLAYED with the
more intelligent and effective aid TO this
project than has yet been given thru state
sources.
Relief Thru Tax Revision.
Assistance can be given also by adopting
suggestions that have been made from time
to time by the tax commission of this state.
An exemption from taxation of all improve
ments land farmed by owners would
have wholesome tendency to reduce land
speculation. Some form of progressive land
tax with special tax absentees would
have n remedial effect upon the tenancy
problem. The exemption of mortgages
from taxation and the substitution of Il
filing fee for mortgages would eliminate
double taxation. A law exempting mort
/ our state Legislature. On one occasion it
received the veto of the governor and the
be unconstitutional by the supreme court.
The efforts of the legislature to include this
needed amendment to our taxational sys-
TEN proves that its necessity is understood.
| Some states have adopted with fine effect
the System Of classifying property so that
all land and city property owned for specu-
; latiye purposes shall bear larger relative
! burden of taxation than that which is
I operated and improved by the owner
/ strongly recommend to the legislature
that the entire subject of growing tenantry
of land be given constructive attention. 1t
: will require, Of course. constitutional
: change to create anything like broad
! program. The changes will involve not
i cheap money that can be loaned up to
nearly the value of the property. but like
of land man may own in this state for
, speculative purposes.
In support of what I have said above
l include herewith Il revealing excerpt
from an excellent address recently de-
' livered by Samuel T. Howe upon the rela-
! ton Of taxation to this subject The gov
/ Mr. Howe calls attention to the fact that
f some of the members of the Kansas sta tt
a propositions which to some extent are
t involved with taxation:
The following view is expressed by 6
8 member of the board. The development 81
agriculture in eastern Kansas hes in tracts
of medium size farmed by the owner. The
r following three rules in regard to taxation
2 would help materially to secure the desired
change and give justice to all /: ta) higher
rate on tenant lands than on owner
9 the land Indebtedness shall not be in
tdndeH Tor tfHatiom: Gc1 increased rate o
: kinds of property. The first and thirt
l will help make man who holds larg,
; the market. The second removes n grea
r lnpediment from the path of the poor maj
: II
$ taxation. The third tends to make tax
: alton equitable. The poor laborer, the maj
heavily in debt on the farm and the mil
t li0naire all pay the same poll tax. TIN
lnborer pays property tax all he has
\ The, mortgaged farmer pays on all tina
he has and all that he owes. The ricl
: man pays what he gives in as valua
: ton and the assessor has way of detect
e ing. valuation and omission. Thes
4 omissions are i'll many cases more than tn
I second man pays altogether. Increase,
u rate would tend to make this equitable ant
his farm or house" The above proposition
= are re-stated simply to give Opportunit
t to say y that no such plan of amending tn
Howe or. indeed. making any progress
h stve change in them is possible under tn
e present constitutional limitations
$ Taxation System a Failure.
f Probably no man who has given an,
d thought whatever to our Kansas system 0
1t taxation fails to realize its incOngruitie
q and inefficiencies. The present system. if
V rs a system, was written into the constitu
$ ton of the state Mt time when PRACTICAL.
Il al or our property consisted in land, horse
" Repeated effort has been made to Civ
n the system some elasticity thru which w
10 might secure Il proper classification o
l. property but in whatever direction the eff
Is fort has been made. it has encountered tn
d constitutional limitations and so We hay
If gone on placing in one tax category al
l. KINDS of property from lands and building
lie to razor strops The ,necessaries of lif
= the same basis. 1t is indisputable that in
i equality in the distribution of the tn,
I. burden must of necessity result from a sys
r TEN requiring the taxation at Il uniform
20 rate of subjects widely varying in kin,
r and quality.
n Tax Thousands in Revenue
In addition to this. thousands of dollar
o or revenue possible under n modern system
or taxation, escape us. Injustices withou
number prevail in the distribution of tax
y able obligations and the fact that unequa
" and unjust taxation is fastened upon us b.
~ the letter of the constitution and the law
n is too patent to leave room for any debat
1 upon the subject.
+ Most of the states which suffered fror
an unequal system fastened upon ther
by the letter OF their ancient constitu
ID tons. have made amendments to permit TN
he classification of property by the legisla
l. ture and the prescription of rates differen
n tlated according to the economic difference
r among classes of property The genera
II property tax system which is the OuI