The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1919-06-26
he State Tax Commission
Raises Taxes in the Hills

4
The scheming politician who tells
on that Johnston is against the
AK commission because he wants to
iave taxes for the Delta is simply
rying to pull the wool over your
yes. To see that this is so, you
imply have to remember that the
present governor of Mississippi went
Ill over the hills of north Mis-
'issippi four years ago saying that
he was going to put into effect a
tax scheme that would save money
to the pc ople in the hill counties Of
Mississippi, and at the same time
put great burden of taxation on
he Delta. Today delta lands are
assessed at about $50 an acre. They
are worth from $500 to $500 per
'cre and are bringing that price on
the market. They have increased
n value in the past four years un-
til they are worth two or three times
what they were. worth four years
lgo. What has the Tax Commits
sion done to the Delta? Absolute
ly nothing, in comparison to what
it has done to the hill counties of
north Mississippi.
Why doesn't the Tax Comm ission
raise the assessed value of lands in
the Delta to where in belongs? The
answer is easy-it is because they
haven't the power to do it, and be-
cause some of the Delta counties
stood pat and refused to make a
raise ordered by the Tax Commits
sion in the year 1916.
On the other hand, what has the
Tax Commission done to the hill
counties of north Mississippi? In
Lee County, which paid into the
state treasury $4,000 in 1915, the
last year of Brewers administration
the taxes were raised until in 1918
it paid in little over $4,000. Is
this Delta county. and did the
present governors tax scheme take
The load off the people of the hills
of Lee county? In 1915, Monroe
County paid in little less than
$4,000; in 1918 it paid in $50, 900.
Its taxes were raised ALMOST rs per
cent. Is this Delta county, and
has the Tax Commission helped
this section of the State?
In Prentiss county in 1915,
$4,000 was paid into the state
treasury; in 1918 little over $4,000
was paid in. Is Prentiss as Delta
County. In Lowndes County in
1915, $4,000 was paid into the
state treasury from taxation; in 1918
Lowndes paid in nearly $4,000. Is
Lowndes a Delta County, and has
the present governors tax scheme
taken anything off the people of the
hill counties of Mississippi? In
Clay County in 1915, little less
than $4,000 was paid into the state
treasury from sources of taxation;
in 1918 the amount was $36, 900.
In Alcorn County in 1915, little
over $4,000 was paid into the state
treasury; in 1918 $4,000 was paid
into the state treasury. Even in
Benton County $1,000 more was
paid in 1918 than in 1915. The
some applies to Itawamba, to Pom
totoc, and to Tippah Counties. and
in Marshall County $1,000 more
was paid into the state treasury In
1918 than was paid in 1916.
These figues prove coEclusively
that the present Tax Commission
has raised and assessed valuation of
property in the hills of Mississippi
to much greater extent in proper
ton to its actual value that it has
in the Delta, and has placed upon
the people of the hills greater
proportion of the burden of state
government than rightfully belongs
to them. Thus it is shown that the
argument of the enemies of Oscar
Johnston, who favors the repeal and
absolute abolition of the Tax Com
mission. is worthless. Mr.. Johns
ston boldly declares that the Delta
should pay more in proportion to
the value of its lands than what it
is paying at present, but he frankly
admits that the present tax COM
mission is powerless to make the
Delta pay any more than it is pay