The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1921-07-29
TO CARRY BATTLE FOR
JUST TAXES TO PEOPLE

"oSA1uStou, -. C.-ftcpreSeuCdC1Ve
Oscar Keller of St. Paul announced
today that, realizing the great cor
porate interests are out to stifle his
four recently introduced taxation
measures behind committee doors if
possible, he intends to carry the fight
for just taxation to the people of the
nation and is determined to fight for
ten years if necessary.
Taxation is the most important
matter that concerns the people,"
Congressman Keller declared. more
noise is made over other issues, but
taxation means more to the average
man in dollars and cents than any
other measure which Congress acts
on. It also means more to the flu
ture of our country. l have a pro-
gram that relieves industry of the
enormous burden under which it is
staggering and distributes the load on
industrial drOnes and parasites in
such a manner that they cannot pass
it off to the publoc. Naturally, this
program will be opposed by the pos
SCISSORS of privileges, but will con-
tinue to fight it out on this line if
at takes ten years."
Land Values Tax Proposed.
Representative Keller proposes
that land values in excess of $1O,-
900 be taxed one percent after all
Improvements are exempted; that a
heavy graduated tax be laid upon in
heritances; that unearned incomes
be taxed twice as much as earned in
comes; and that the corporation tax,
excess profits tax, and all existing
sales and transportation taxes except
those ION tobacco, distilled spirits,
oleomargarine, habit forming drugs
and products of child labor he repeal
ed.
He introduced these measures only
few days ago but already pledges
OF support have come to him from all
parts of the country and from all
classes OF people.
Congressman Keller presents de-
tailed figures proving that it is pos
sih.e to lift taxes amounting to al
most 2,OOO,OOO,OOO annually from
industry and at the same time to
raise enough money to meet all cur
rent expenses and to set aside a sur
plus sufficient to retire all of the
national debt within thirty years.
Not only will his bills do this, but
he claims that proper adjustment of
taxation will correct most of the So
! cial inequalities from which America
now suffers.
Wealth Concentration Dangerous.
Concentration or wealth has at
tanned alarming proportions in the
United States" Congressman Keller
declared. statistics show that 65
per cent of the entire wealth of the
nation is owned by only per cent
of the population. This unequal dis
tribution of wealth cannot be de-
Tended on ethical, political, or econo-
mic grounds. 1t creates a top-heavy
social structure that any severe shock
is likely to 'capsize.
1.-The accumulation of wealth into
comparatively few hands, with the
attendant train of economic, political
and moral evils was the cancer that
Slapped the vitality and finally caused
the downfall of the great civilizatio
of Babylon, Persia, Egypt, Rome
Spain and Russia. We can see in
our own land the same social symp-
toms that preceded misfortune in
other countries in different historic
epochs.
/ II we are to survive in a healthy
r condition, changing our forms to
meet constantly changing economic
factors, but doing it by orderly and
constitutional methods, we must rid
our body polite of these germs which
introduce disease and decay into he
social system and threaten it's de.
struction."
Mr.. Keller specified that he meant
by germs of decay" the drift OF
the people away from the farms, the
increase of farm tenantry, the con-
centration of minerals, timber, water
power, and other natural resources
into few hands, and the growing
dependence of the industrial masses
upon the will of the landlord.
Monopoly Holders Dodge Taxes.
His proposed tax of one per cent
on land values after exemption of al
improvements and $4,000 is esti-
mated to produce annually revenue
to the government amounting to 81
00,000,000. The major portion oil
this tax would fall upon corporations
which hold natural resources out oil
use. Mr.. Keller asserts that the
holders OF these monopolies now es
cape without paying penny of Fed
eral taxes and that most of them pay
a disproportionately small amount Of
state taxes.
Keller goes into. the statistics Of
the vast holdings of the lumber
barons, the water power combine ant
. THE coal companies to illustrate the
degree to which these groups con
troll the economic life of the United
States, and suggests that taxation Of