The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1920-04-09

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"'T0WNLEY REGIME"
H. G. Holtz of Northgate writes
letter in reply to the one written
last week by E. j. Marks of Wo-
burn and published in The Trib-
une, and same is herewith publish
ed in full. The Tribune is free
press, and is glad to publish both
sides of question for the benefit
of it's readers. It is unlike other
papers in the. county that we know
of that will publish everything they
can find that will prove detriment
to farmers whether it be true or
not. but absolutely refuse to pub
lish anything supporting the farm
ers' movement. Mr.. Marks. who
wrote the article for The Tribune
last week is a strong Nonpartiaan,
while Mr.. Holtz is just as strong an
anti-Nonpartisan, and does not even
read The Tribune for the rea son
that an article favorable to the
farmers movement is published
herein every once in a while. Mr..
Holtz makes some statements in
the following article which are not
true. and the chances are Mr.. Marks
will call his attention to them in
the next issue of The Tribune. The
letter follows:
In answer to Mr.. Marks letter
in the Bowbells Tribune wherein he
gives figures Of my taxes and states
that I have misrepresented the
facts, I submit the following
statement:
First since Mr.. Marks sees fit to
make some personal charges as to
Misrepresentation, and further
states that picked out the St. Paul
Daily News to publish a statement
would not make in a home paper,
but "picked out a paper in another
state where there would be very
little chance of these taxes being
analyzed and where he might find
someone who would believe his
statements" permit me to say that
the list of my taxes as given to the
St. Paul Daily News was furnished
by me to a personal friend in Min
nesota who asked me for a state
ment of nv taxes, which was given
in brief form, being the total
amount paid, and is correct. How
ever, in this connection, the list of
taxes as published in the Bowbells
Tribune as quoted from the Daily
News is not the itenized list which
I signed for publication, but has
been condensed from my figures.
AS my taxes show $500 per cent
Increase my friend asked my per
mission to have same published as
per the letter mentioned in the st.
Pau! Daily News.
Now l nm going to show you and
the readers of this article where I
am right and that I did not show
all the increase due to Townley
rule. There is in tax increase not
included in the figures given but
directly chargeable to this, a one
cent per gallon tax on gasoline
which l use to run my farm amount
ing to over $50 per year. Not in
cluded in the state taxes but an
item which is state tax and all ia
crease is cent fat rate on all till
able land, amounting to $50. The
increase in state taxes as given IS
$28.4O which taken alone is over
100 per cent increase.
A total Of 800 per cent increase
in state taxes not =. counting the
gasoline tax which In my case means
another 100 per cent.
It is true the largest increase in
. tax divisions is in school taxes, but
why do I pay excessive school
taxes? Because a Townley law
exempts the man in town with a
$4,000 home from only a nominal
tax Of $40 to $12, while the bur-
den is placed on farm land and the
farmer pays for educating the
children of the man in town who
may have large family and pays
no taxes at all. Therefore is not
my excessive school tax direct re-
suit of Townley rule in an unequal
valuation of property? What is
tair about a tax system that i'm
poses on the farmer who owns a
$4,000 farm taxed at $4,000 val
uation, on merchant who owns a
$4,000 stock of merchandise and is
I taxed, on $1,000 while the bank
which owns a $4,000 mortgage on
my farm pays no tax on it at all?
You say the increase in taxes in
Minnesota is even greater than it
is here. This statement is not
true as I am in position to show.
/ have list of farms in Minnesota
and the amount of taxes they are
paying. This land is selling for
$3.50 per acre and upward. The
land Is from one to three miles
from good town. has fair build
ings. and the taxes range from
$25.97 to $63.21 per 100 acres.
7 You further state that by exposing
this matter I am only knocking my
own community and perhaps keep
4 ing some new settler from moving
in and may keep some investors
from putting their money into
North Dakota. I am in a position
to know that investors are side-step-
ping North Dakota now, and why?
Because an investor first looks into
conditions before investing. Who
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