The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1920-07-01

firms, associations and corporations
owning land in value in excess of $40,
900, not including improvements,
| whether in possession or leased to
others, would be subject TO an excise
tax upon such excess at the rate of /
per cent il this bill should become a
law. Where land is leased and
the value of the lease is in excess of
$4,000 such value shall be deducted
from consideration in. determining
tax to be assessed against the owner,
and shall be charged against the
lease. 1t shall also be the duty of
every owner of any interests in land.
| the value of the fee or lease of which
is in excess of $4,000. to report his
interests therein before March 1st of
each year to the Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue on blanks prepared
\ by him. Ii is required that the owner
shall give such information in regard
| to the purchase price, sale value and
the like as will enable the Commits
sioner OF Internal Revenue to de-
| termine therefrom, and from such
other data as he may obtain. the true
value of the land holdings of the tax
payer. 1t shall further be the duty
of the taxpayer in the event of a sale
he has reported himself as the owner
to report to the Commissioner of In
terRal revenue the price at which
said sale was made. In the event
that the payment is not made as di-
rected by this bill the taxpayer will
| be. subject to an additional payment
of per cent and an additional pay
ment of l per cent for each month it
is delayed. and no conveyance made
\ by him shall be admitted to record
| of date on or after July LIST of any
year unless he shall have first pro-
| cured from the Commissioner OF In
| ternal Revenue and exhibited to the
| recording officer a certificate that all
| taxes under this act are paid
The Nolan bill is sometimes re-
ferred to as the Nolan-Ralston bill
because il was drafted by a Washing
ton lawyer named Ralston. who is
one of the attorneys for the American
Federation OF Labor. Congressman
Nolan is from San Francisco labor
district, and is leader of the labor
forces in the house. His bill, how
ever. is backed by a group of manu-
facturers who 1t is said, are willing
TO spend several hundred thousand
dollars in an effort to put it throagh
congress.
International Grange is strongly op-
posing the Nolan bill DR.. T. c. At
keson. the Washington representative.
saws il is a deliberate effort to sfift
federal taxation to the land. No aC-
count is taken of present taxes on real
estate or on farmers incomes. They
are to remain as at present. ard ia ad
dition to that a further burden of
billion dollars a year is to he placed
on the shoulders of the farmers Of
the country should this bill become
law" The opposition OF tine Ameri-
can Federation of Farm Bureaus is
well known.
1t Is not believed that the Nolan
| bill will be seriously considered in
congress. II was referred to the COM
mittee on Way. and Means and or
dered printed on Feb. :. ts25. and
here it will probably remain unless
brought up by special ordAT. The
Washington representative of the Ma
tional Grange and the American Fed.
1 GRAFTON OF Farm Bureaus are bringing
all the pressure at their command to
! bear against the bill, and are keeping
a close watch to see that it is de
feated il il comes up for action.
If the agricultural interests were de-
pendent entirely upon members of
congress coming from districts in
which the farmers compose a majority
OF the voters to secure legislation in
their favor or to defeat harmful legis-
lation. their cases would be hopeless.
In making a careful survey of rural
land urban population in the congress
sional districts. ! have classified 125
Is purely urban. los as largely urban
nd 200 which are usually classed as
rural districts.
While these figures may make it ap-
pear that there are more rural con
sressmen than those coming from the
cities, the facts remain that more than
two-thirds of the voters live in places
Of more than FIVE thousand population.
while hess than one-fourth OF the 9th.
ers are actually engaged in farming.
In the strictly agricultural states the
villages are dependent upon agricul,
ture. vet even in these States more
than oue-half of the people live in vii.
lagos and towns.
1t. is not uncommon to find repre-
lsentatives from districts quite largely
urban standing firmly in favor OF leg
isiStion demanded by the farmers
while some lawyer from u so-called
rural district, elected by the farmers
votes and whose home address is a
lcountry village. may he lined ur
against nearly everything that the
farmers want In the case of the
Nolan bill it is evident that there are
IL considerable number of representa-
Itives who IL they have opportunity
gs