Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-04-09


credit tighter and where a run, of
poor-crop years has left portions of
the state with it's pockets turned
out.
South Dakota. which is more
comparable with North Dakota and
which was quietly putting state
hail insurance and state real-estate
loans into effect while -.ownley was
getting out the band for industrial
democracy in North Dakota. has
increased its state tax only twenty
one per cent. as against North Da-
kota's 113 per cent.
"Or increase is largely due to
additional appropriations for state
highways, betterment OF country
schools and appropriations for the
soldier land-settlement board" re-
marks Governor Norbeck
On the matter of highways the
league has little to be proud of.
Minnesota which the league uses
as a haven of refuge in tax COM
parisons, is vastly more liberal with
its roads. Also Minnesota's in
crease in total taxes is unusually
large because the state is catching
up on deferred educational obliga
tions, I am told, while North Dako-
ia is evidently running behind on
hers.
"Minnesota's total taxes. state
local and school, will be only
about twenty-five per cent higher
than last year." a state commission
er said. Despite the big increase
our state taxes are still low
There is so much conflicting tes-
timony that ] cannot vouch for
this, but it seems to be borne out
by the comparison of taxes in
Grand Forks county. North Dakota
and Polk county, Minnesota, which
are on opposite sides of the Red
River Anti-league newspapers pre-
sent the figures, and conclude thai
the average owner of 160 acres or
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S2222 state taxes. while the owne
of quarter section on the Mime
sofa side will get off with onl
$15.62.
Big Biz Profits.
League leaders and editors ma
squirm all they please, but the
will not be able to get away from
certain statement put out by thei
own tax commissioner, showin
that, whereas farm property of tn
state paid only 66.04 per cent o
1919 under single tax it pays IA
264 per cent. And this increase il
spite of the 1919 exemption @
farm improvements and a partia
exemption of farm personal proper
ty. On the land alone the jump
even more-from 54.S9 per cent t
1896 per cent. At the same tim
the railroads of the state, whic
are part of the hated Big Biz, ge
off with a decreased percentage @
taxes.
What has happened is that tn
league has been assessing Big Bi
out of all proportion to other proI
erty, and when everything is pu
on the equal footing of actus
value, farms suffer by comparison
, Also the exemption which the Lea
que gave city residents on thei
homes-presumably to catch cit
votes-puts a new burden on farm
ers, for what is taken off of cit
homes must be put on other prof.
erty. League leaders held out tn
hope that the added burden wouI
; be put on corporations, but result
have squashed that theory.
The state auditor. comparing tn
1918 tax valuations with the 191
valuations. achieves these rathe
, startling figures: farm lands IL
crease 40S per cent. railways an
other public utilities only 254 pt
cent and city real estate only 81
per cent.
If the North Dakota experimel
, does nothing more than wal
farmer of all states against sing
tax. 1t will have accomplished
a useful purpose. The farmers
various states have sensed and su
;. missed this sort of result, but Il
: North Dakota experiment proves
:, And there Is no telling when 9th
= states may want to lay hands I
such proof, for there is an orga
lied and financed movement in t
= country to put single tax aero
: 1t is not likely that 1t will be tri
- again soon in Missouri, where
,, was showed under and probat
= Iowa will be considered a pc
:. Field for the movement, but tn,
:. are various agricultural sta
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