The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-11-27

=
tax figures the opposition is attempt
ing to stampede the farmers and cap
ture Towner county in the present
special election to fill the vacancy
cause in the state senate by the death
of Senator A. S. Gibbons.
In recent report in an opposition
paper the assertion was made that
state taxes on farm lands are 347 per
cent greater this year than last year
and that state taxes on railroad, ex-
press, telegraph and telephone COM
panies has been increased only Is per
cent, and the tax on town properties
had been increased only 81 per cent.
These false figures are used in an at
tempt to show that the League favors
big business at the expense of the
farmers.
What are the facts?
The facts that the corrupt organ of
the I. v. A. deliberately concealed with
intent to deceive and win an election
by fraud are as follows:
Facts Concealed .,~.
The farm tax includes the soldiers
compensation and the hail tax, two
features the opposition is careful not
to attack openly. They preferred to
conceal these figures in the totals and
not say much about them. The totals
they give are utterly misleading.
In giving the increase on the rail
doads, express, telegraph and tele-
phone properties, the I. v. A. Jug
glers didn't mention the fact that the
present increase on these properties
is the second since 1917; that taxes
on these properties were practically
doubled in 1917 and that the present
valuation gives them a valuation five
times greater than they had before
1917.
In attempting to show that the
towns had been favored at the expense
of the farms, the opposition has de-
liberately concealed the fact that the
biggest part Of town properties are
homes and that the homes of both
farmers and townspeople are exempt
ed from taxation. They forgot to tell
the voters that when these exempted
town properties are figured in. busi-
ness properties show the usual in
crease.
Attack Soldier Tax
| The cowardly attack of the opposi-
tion on the soldiers compensation tax
and on the exemption of farm and
town homes from taxation is shown by
the fact that while they dared not at
tack these popular measures openly,
they were willing to use figures from
these items to discredit the League. 1t
is time this element came out in the
open and declared how it stood on the
soldier tax and the law protecting
hores and improvements.
/ Here is an analysis cf the tax fig
ures furnished by the hostile I. V. A.
Towner county administration and
spread by the opposition papers:
Valuation of all property 1919;
$26,215.11500. Valuation of all proper
ty, 1918; $6,680 $1,000. Increase $19,-
534,845.00 This shows an increase
four times greater than the 1918 valu-
alton. 1t represents the fulfillment OF
the new law, which says that proper
ties shall be taxed on 100 per cent of
their value.
Fern Land Valuation
! 1919 Valuation. $50. 1854, 4,370.0O; 1915
Valuation, 1902, ,955.OO.
This shows an increase five times
greater than the 1918 valuation. The
opposition tries to make much of the
fact that land valuations have gone up
five times, while valuations on all
county properties Jumped together
have increased only four times. They
are careful not to tell the real reason
Corporation valuations had already
been practically doubled in 1917 while
farm valuations had not been changed
for years. The large number of ex-
empted homes in the towns and will
ages and farms have thrown slight
ly larger tax on land and business and
corporation properties.
Tax Increase Universal
The new tax laws based on a 100
per cent valuation do not increase
taxes, they form only the basis for a
just tax on all properties, with favors
to none. The main cause for increased
taxes this year in North Dakota is
the advance in the, cost Of living which
is reflected in the advance cost of the
Government. This Increase IS univer-
sal in all states and is higher in Min
nesota and Wisconsin where no re-
forms are being inaugurated than in
North Dakota with its great industrial
program which has saved the people
much more money than all state, coun-
ty, school. bridge and local taxes COM
bined.
Continuing their figures on va'ua-
tions the opposition report next shows
the increased valuation On railroad, ex-
press telegraph and telephone corpor-
ations.
1919 valuatisu. t2sos. sGo.oe. l,ls