The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-08-22
SEEKING SENSATIONAL
FINDS A HORNETS NEST
Farmers Not so Black as They are
Painted by Cobb County Times in
Its Article on Taxes

County Times of last week which they
| take as an attempt to reflect upon the
honesty of the farmers of the county
and asked US to make an explanation
of the matter to the people.
The letter below, with clippings
and other matter, is self explanatory
Marietta, Aug. 18, 1919.
editor Marietta Journal,
Marietta, Ga.
"Dear Sir: Although do not take
the Cobb County Times myself, my
attention has been called to what
amounts to base SANDER against the
farmers of Cobb county in the last
issue of that paper. 1t is pity that
it has the circulation it claims, Il
other statements in it are as mislead-
ing as the one which insinuates that
the farmers are swearing to lies
about the cotton they are supposed
to be holding. One so ignorant Of
the laws Of our state should not be
trusted with circulating a newspa-
per.
CATER his headlines about Start
ling facts that taxpayers swear true
he goes into spasms because he finds
| only $4,000 worth of cotton given in
upon the tax returns of the county.
While all farmers knoW it, some 9TH
ers may not know that some years
ago there was law, or possibly a
constitutional amendment, passed, ex-
empting farm products, including cot
ton, from taxation for the year fol-
lowing that in which it was grown.
"Will you not look up this law
and print it, so that anyone who may
have read the SANDER may see that
we are not such lot Of perjurers as
the Times seems to think US?
"And finally, / would not care il
you would say to the people that the
farmers dogs of Cobb county, ac-
cording to the same tax digest, seem
to be worth $1,740 more than this
Times wonderful printing plant, for
while l find the dogs given at that
sum, do not find this printing plant
given at all. am not concerned with
the other statements in the article.
But for the fact that the Marietta
Journal is given at $4,000 on the tax
digest, should say that the most APP
propriate headline would be 'County's
Dogs Exceed Value Of It's News
papers.
Cobb County Farmer"
The offending article appeared last
week in the Cobb County Times on
its front page under headlines as fol-
lows: "County's Dogs Exceed Value
of Its Cotton" "Tax Digest for 1919
Brings to Light Startling Facts that
Taxpayers Swear True" Then fol-
lows:
at seems little hard to believe,
doesn't it, that the dogs of Cobb coun-
ty are worth 81 ,740 and that all the
cotton in the county is worth only
$40? Another funny thing about that
cotton business is that it is all owned
by one mana man living in Big
Shanty district.
"At the present price of cotton he
must have only about 100 or $50
pounds of the staple.
'If you don't believe the above, all
you have to do is take down the 1919
tax digest for the county. There, in
the consolidation of the property re-
turns of the property holders of the
county you will find only one man In
the county has any cotton. All OF
the rest of the taxpayers have not
returned any cotton and have signed
their names to a statement that they
have made returns of all of their
property. So there you are-Oniy
$40 worth of cotton in Cobb county,
Looks like we will not have much to
hold over until the 1919 crop"
The tax exemption our farmer
friend refers to is authorized by both
constitutional amendment and a
special act of the legislature.
We quote from Georgia laws of
1918, page 122, as follows:
Taxation, certain Farm Products
Exempt From. No. 241.
IAN act to put in force the Consti-
tutional amendment ratified at the
November election in 1912, in Article
7, Section 2, Paragraph two OF the
| VA GLio A0S<AtOg 0NSAANA~3@~e9
the General Assembly to exempt from
taxation, farm products, including
baled cotton grown in this State and
remaining in the hands of the produc-
err. but not longer than for one year
next after their productions and fos
other purposes.
"Section 1. Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State OF
| Georgia, and it is hereby enacted by
the authority of the same, That from
and after the passage of this Act,
all farm products, including baled cot
ton, grown in this State and remain
ing in the hands of the producer but
not longer than the year next after
their production, shall be exempt from
taxation.
"Section 2. Be It further enacted,
That all laws and parts Of laws IN