The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-06-20

Under the caption, State Tax
Commission Raises Taxes in the
Hills" The Madison County Herald
Of last week gives few of many in
stances of what the Tax Commissic-
has been allowed 70 do to th> "A
couRties. ~
It is usually talked ''vhat H~tax
commission has done to the delta"
That is easily explained when it is
far more votes than the delta coun-
ties and the spurious public IAN, the
demagogue, is always trying to play
to the crowd with the most votes.
But happily tht people are on to the
curves of the Tax Commission and to
the arguments Of those trying to sus-
tain them. But to the Madison
County Herald editorial:
1.-The scheming politician who tell
YOU that Johnston is against the tax
commission because he wants to save
taxes for the Delta is simply trying
to pull the wool over your eyes. To
see that this is so, you simply have
To remember that the present govern
or of Mississippi went all over the
Hills of north Mississippi four years
ago saying that he was going to put
into effect a tax scheme that would
save money to the people of the hill
counties Of Mississippi, and at the
same time put & great burden Of tax
alton on the Delta. Today delta lands
are assessed at about $40. an acre
They are worth from $500 to $500
per acre and are bringing that price
en- the market. They have increased
in value in the past four years until
5hey are worth two or three times
what they were worth four years ago.
What has the Tax Commission done
to the Delta? Absolutely nothing,
IN comparison to what it has done to
the Hill counties Of north Mississippi
! 'sWhy doesn't the Tax Commission
raise the assessed value of lands in
the Delta 10 where it belongs? The
answer is easy--it Is because they
haven't the power 10 do it, and be
cause some Of the Delta counties
stood pat and refused to make a
raise ordered by the Tax Commission
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 tax
es were raised until in 1918 it paid
in a little over $48OOO. Is this Del
ia county, and did the present gov
ernor's tax scheme take the load off
the people of the hills of Lee Coun-
ty? In 1915, Monroe Cuonty paid
in little less than $4,000; in 1918
it paid in 100000. Its taxes were
raised almost rs per cent. Is this a
Delta county, and has the Tax Com
mission helped this section of the
State?
"In Pren1iss county in 1915,
$4,000 was paid into the state treas
ury; in 1918 little over $4,000 was
paid in. Is Prentiss a 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 govern
or's tax scheme taken anything off
the people of the hill counties of Mis-
issippi? In Clay County in 1915, a
little less than $4,000 was paid into
the state treasury from sources of
taxation: in 1918 the amount was
$4,000. Ip Alcorn County in 1915, a
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, Tho
plies to Itawamba, to Pontotoc. and to
Tippah Counties, and in Marshall
County $1,000 more was paid into the
state treasury in 1918 than was paid
in in 1915.
'These figures prove cOncluSively
that the present Tax Commission has
raised the assessed valuation of prop
erty in the hills of Mississippi to a
much greater extent in proportion to
its actual value than it has in the
Delta, and has placed upon the peo-
pie 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 sd absolute
abolition of the Tax Commission, is
worthless. Mr.. Johnston boldly de-
clares that the Delta should pay more
in proportion to the value of it's lands
than what it is paying at present, but
he frankly admits that the present
tax commission is powerless to make
the Delta pay any more than it is
paying at this time. The people of
the hill counties of Mississippi have
been hurt more by the Tax Commits
sion than The Delta will ever be hurt.
The people of the Delta can afford to
pay much larger proportion Of the