The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1920-05-21

! cioy anu NiiidSt ltoi tSIhlt HlCltdSt'
but 80 per cent, taxation on railroad
property 90 per cent, on telegraph
property "A per cent, on personal
property "a per cent. In addition to
the above, the farmer must pay d
state hail tax of Sc per acre on all
tillable lands and an additional 25,
per acre on all crop lands not with
drawn from the hail insurance pro-
visions prior to the date set by law
In Towner county the state tax on
farm lands is $7S.752.02 for 1919 as
against S17,599,70 in 1918, shownn
an increase of four times as much
for 1919 as for 1918. while for the
same period railroad, express, tele
graph and telephone companies in
crease is but one and thrce-fourth~
times as much.
Here are a few individual cases
taken at random from various parts
of the state.
Stutsman county section 10. IA
SO, owned by Judge J. A. Coffey, paid
state taxes of S2S539 in 1917
S347.S0 in 1919 and $5226i in 1919
plus S1S hail tax. making a total in
crease of S192.S4 for 1919 over tn
previous year.
Barnes county, northwest quartz,
of 10. 140-5S, owned by Frank Helm
county commissioner. $51.47 in 1917
s57.19 in 1918. and $22o,46 in 1879
plus hail tax Of S4.05, making in
creased tax for 1919 $16732
Cass county, northeast quarter Of
IS, 140-53, owned by r. B. Boyd
county commissioner 1917 tax $500
1918 tax $49.43, and 1919 tax S117.55
plus hail tax $46S, making increase
for 1919 $72S3.
Richland county, southwest quar-
ter "a, 135-49. owned by p. f. Slet
moe, chairman county commission
ers, 1917 tax S54.43, 1918 tax $69.Oi
and 1919 tax S12163. hail tax $4.3S
making increase for 1919, S56.97.
Dickey county, northwest quartz,
5, 13163, owned by Bruce Scott, 1919
tax 5000, and 1919 tax $10743
without the hail tax added, the in
crease for 1919 is $685..
Ransom county, southwest quarter
3, 1886, owned by Joseph T
Grange, 1918 tax $5697 and 1919 tax
s122.S7, without the hail tax added
increase is S65.90
LaMoure county, northeast qua
ter 6, 1859, owned by Sam Fcts,
1918 tax 1896 and 1919 tax $7O.97
without hail tax added, total incrca,o
for 1919 is S3701.
Valuation. Multiplied Five Times.
A most impressive exhibit is given
in the valuations placed on all prop
erty for the purpose of taxation y
the State Board of Equalization
which shows that farm lands, eXcl1-
sive of improvements. had an asses
ed valuation of 1921 ,459, 525 in 1918
This was multiplied nearly five time
or 4.8 to be exact, the 1919 figures
being $1,072, 1888. While the 10
tai figures for all property in 1913
was S403, 422,25S. in 1919 it was
$1,523, 767. Alb; and these figure
analysed show that while in 1915
farm lands share of taxes was az
proximately SO per cent, in 1919 TIC
farm lands of North Dakota must
bear more than 70 per cent of the to-
tai tax burden of the state.
This naturally means that there !.
a marked decrease in the percentage
of taxation on town and city proper
ties, on railroad, telegraph, telephone
and express lines-at the expense OF
the farmers.
All this proves that it is the frnI
purpose of the Socialist leadership
of the Nonpartisan league to put in
to effect the Socialist program fol
the confiscation by taxation of all
means of Observation-Disclosures farm
lands; that is the gospel preached in
one of the text books of the Nonpar
tisan league, "rhe High Cost of Liv.
ing" by Frederick c. Howe, and hi.
authority" for his Socialist Single
Tax theories, Henry George.