The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1920-10-29
hIDDLEEAMq'S ACTION
REDUCED LAND TAXES
Feature of Administration Was
His Stand on Distribution
Of Taxes in 1918.

OF the administration OF the State
Treasury Department under
George H. Middlekamp, Demo-
cratic nominee for State Auditor,
outside OF the careful manner in
which he has handled the States
money was his stand in favor Of
an equal distribution of taxes in
1918, He, as a member of the
State Board of Equalization, in
sisted that the enormous valua-
tons placed upon the farms and
the city homes by the old State
Tax Commission was out of the
bounds of all reason and should
not stand. John L. Sullivan, Sec
rotary Of State, and Frank w. Nc
Allister. Attorney General, stood
with him, and the owners of the
farms and the city homes were
saved from paying double taxes
and even more.
AT the time some of the big city
newspapers criticised Mr.. Middle
kamp and the other two state Of
'icials who stood with him. The
scales have since fallen from their
eyes. Without doubling the val
uation of farms and city homes,
the revenues of the state have been
more than sufficient to meet every
obligation and every need of the
state government, and after pay
ing the public schools of the state
more than S3,5OO.0O0 last Septem-
Der, there is still about $4,000, 900
in the State Treasury, of which
about $4,000, 900 is in the general
revenue fund. We now have a
big nucleus for a soldiers nd
sailors bonus.
When Mr.. M~iddlekamp voted
against more than doubling the
valuation placed upon the farms
and city homes Of the state he in
sisted that but a very small per
cent Of money, notes, high-class
securities subject to taxation, etc.
had been listed with the assessors
OF the state, and that in place Of
putting enormous valuations on
real estate. the Tax Commission
with its authority ovet the as
SCISSORS, should force the tax
dodgers to list the classes of prop
erty that had never been assessed
In place Of following the direction
OF the members of the State Board
Equalization. the Tax Commits
report actually showed 81
per cent less on the valuation Of
money, notes, bonds, etc, for the
Of St. Louis. where the great
bulk Of this property has been for
years, than had been listed the
preceding year.
The people out in the state were
quick to SET the injustice of plac
ing more than double valuation on
farm and city homes and permit
ting the great bulk of the wealth
OF the state to escape either en-
tirely from all taxation or pay but
a very small fraction. They recop
nized the single tax idea in this
Plan. in hat it would place almost
he entire burden Of taxation upon
the owners OF real estate. The
Tax Commission valuation meant
a full valuation on one class Of
property only-land-and sought
to place the full burden there.
When the facts were known there
was no possible argument against
the position assumed by Mr.. Mid
dlekamp. Right was on his side
and so was common sense.
The Democratic state platform
convention last month most
heartily endorsed the policy Of
Mr.. Middlekamp and the two
state officials who voted with him
to save the farmers and the own
ers of city homes from more than
double taxation.
State Auditor Hackmann. the
Republican nominee for the office
he now holds, supported the plan
OF full value assessment and does
today.
MIR Middlekamp stood up and
was counted when it came to a
showdown on the proposition Of
imposing enormous and wholly
unnecessary taxes under the land
owners and home owners of Mis-.
sour while the real wealth wa.
escaping. he believed then, anC
he knows now, that the state wa,
collecting enough taxes from tn,
owners Of land. A vote for Mid
dlekamp is a vote for fair taxation
and against real estate increases
Do you want Middlekamp o.
Hackmann2