Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-04-09
What Nonpartisan League
Has Done to North Dakota

ly in the state bank they created.
One would expect so, and yet con-
slider the amount above.
All this circles back to the fact
that the North Dakota farmer is
going to pay the bills and stand
the losses of all experiments which
may be made in HE name. His
own leaders are risking little mon
ey.
In fairness to the league leaders
and the barely started program of
industrial democracy, it should be
stated that only small portion OF
the state taxes can be attributed to
state owned industries. The state
tax commissioner figures that of
the $7,024,837.10 appropriated by
the 1919 legislative assembly, 0.192
per cent was for state industries.
League leaders assert this Is only
about fifty cents on quarter sec
ton of land.
But the figure, Whatever it is,
does not signify much. State own
ership is still in the cradle. 1t
cannot be lifted out and taught to
walk until the state bonds are sold.
Then is when expense really starts.
Local Taxes Have Also SCARED
Also it must be rememberer that
the fifty cents a quarter section
does not take into account the ex-
pense of the padded pay roll of
which Justice Robinson spoke, nor
does it include the heavy cost of
100 per cent assessments and single
tax for which league leaders are
responsible. Also, state income tax,
provided by the league, comes along
to take an additional swipe at the
pocketbooks of those whose incomes
are $1,000 or more, and this is not
included in the fifty-cent estimate.
Naturally the leagues cue is to
minimize the tax increases. That
Is to be expected. But after wad-
ing through mass of evidence pre-
sented by both sides and trying to
winnow out of it the lies and libels
which are so common in red-hot
North Dakota, l am forced to the
conclusion that taxes are tremen-
dously increased. What the ac-
complishments of industrial democ-
racy have benin other words.
what the added taxes have bought
will be taken up in another ar
ticle. Just now it is sufficient to
establish that taxes are vastly ele-
waited and to show who pays them.
We have been talking principally
about state taxes, but local taxes
have scared correspondence The
entire state has gone on a wild
spree of high taxes. Taking advan-
tage of the 100 per cent assessment.
counties, townships and municipal
ties are fattening up their treasur-
les this year. League leaders pro-
test they are not to blame. County
commissioners should have lowered
the tax rate in view of the en-
larged assessment, they contend.
True enough. perhaps, and yet
human nature is human nature.
many funds which are now to be
filled by grace of the boosted
assessment had reached the limit of
taxation under lean assessments.
The league cannot wholly wash its
hands of the matter, for many
county commissioners are league
men and they are all taking advan-
tage of league law.
1t is not possible at the time this
| Is written to give an exact grand
total of what this wild orgy of tax
alton will cost the state, but have
the amounts of two-thirds of the
counties of the state These are
not figures obtained from opposi
, ton or unofficial sources. but from
the office of the state tax commits
sioner His figures show that the
grand total of all taxes for thirty
nine counties is $24.8S0.407.25. If
the remaining third show a similar
increase, North Dakota will have
to pay in round numbers $1,000.
900 more taxes this year than last
This is an average OF approximately
500 additional taxes for every
voter in the state.