The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1919-06-08

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$6l.S9 per acre. For the jangling
rhyme of the Revolutionary poet,
that:
mo man e'er felt the halter draw
with good opinion of the law"
is as expressive of human nature now
as when he wrote it.
But when Mr.. Johnston tells the
good people of Lee county that they
are paying more taxes than ever be-
fore, and tells them that in such a
way as to make them believe that the
state tax commission has something
to do with it, his argument is some
what misleading. 1t is true that the
total assessment of Lee county was
increased something over three mil
lion dollars from 1915 to 1917 under
the authority of the state tax COM
mission. But the state levy was re-
duced from six mills to four mills.
And while the total state tax collect
ed throughout the state showed a
slight increase even with a four mill
levy, according to page So Of the
pamphlet above referred to the pro-
portion of state taxes paid by the
people of Lee county, as compared to
the total amount of ad valorem taxes
collected by the state, was something
less for the year 1917 than for 1915,
the exact figures being about 1.54 per
cent for 1917 and 1.59 per cent for
1915. Those figures simply mean
that regardless of what the levy may
be, for every one thousand dollars ad
valorem taxes collected by the state
under the system in force in 1915 Lee
county had to put up $3.50; while
under the present law according to
the latest figures available Lee coun-
ty puts up $3.50. When the legis-
lature in 1918 decided that it would
take something like forty pfr cent
more money to meet the appropria-
tions made by them, than had been
necessary during former years, and
raised the levy throughout the state,
of course Lee county had to bear its
portion of increase placed on them not
by the tax commission, but by the
legislature. | have no doubt but that
the Taxpayer of Lee county has more
taxes to pay now than ever before.
That condition exists throughout the
state. But the increase is not due
to the fact that he has assumed some
other mans burden; but because of
the expense incident to improved ed
ueational advantages and the hard
surface roads that have been built
through his county during recent
years. Construction of such roads
shows a very progressive spirit
among the people, and is to be COM
mended; but the state tax commits
sion is hardly responsible for the fact
that the bonds issued in payment for
that work must be paid.
Finally, it may be said that up to
the present time, no serious charge
has been preferred that the work of
the tax commission has resulted in in
Justice. The charge seems never tol
go further than that some are re-
CURED to pay more taxes than they
formally paid. If that were not true
the law would be a failure, and no
man would object to its repeal. 1T
was intended primarily to require
some to pay more taxes than they
did under the old regime The pur-
pose of the legislature was TO require
the man who owned a hundred thou
sand dollars worth of property to pay
his reasonable portion of taxes to the
state. regardless of whether that
property was located in Coahoma,
Pamela or Lee county. The purpose
of the legislature was to make It sol
that three men owning Ford automo-
biles in practically the same state of
preservation should pay the same
amount of state tax on their cars
regardless of what county they lived
in. as far as it is possible to establish
equality Of taxation. If the new law
had encountered no opposition, an