The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1921-07-15
DINkINS ON SUB
JECT OF TAXATION
Sounds Note of Warning to Tax
payers. Says State and National
Officers Must Answer. to People.

Sounds Note of Warning to Tax
payers. Says State and National
Of6cers Must Answer to People.
In view Of the enormous ia.
burdens Of the present day, and tn
further fact that it is generally con
seded that the people can not carr.
y the tax load they are carrying ant
move forward, The Sentinel is givini
to the following communication o.
Judge E. D. Dinkins, Of Senatobia
and which first appeared in the Sena
tobia Democrat. Judge Dinkin'
formerly lived in the adjoining coun
ty Of Tallahatchie and is we'll known
in Grenada:
"The tax burdens that the/peoplt
and property are bearing today ART
realized only when they are direct
ly laid and are directly met. The
indirect taxes are covered in the
increase in the price we pay fol
commodities, and are laid mainly by
Federal authority, and we have
imagined that we are without in
huence to affect that source Of power
and, consequently, opposition has
been slight and resistance negligible,
but we have come to the point of
holdness IN demanding decreases in
direct lives.
s~ Habit is so strong and environ
ment of such influence that the. few
who have realized that the country
is being led into bankruptcy, have
suppressed protest and quietly
yielded to the majority influence.
This majority has succeeded in i'm
pressing the people, Legislature and
Boards, that it is ill-bred and the
height Of bad form to protest against
bond issues, against levy or payment
Of taxes, against extravaganza and
waste, and almost, against the graft
that exists IN SO much that is under
taken in the name of the public, but
such intimidation no longer presents
terrors TO men who realize that they
are being driven on rocks, Hnd pol
ished or Hired, clothed or unclothe6,
they are ready to come out into the
open and sound their protests, and
if need be. force retrenckment with
in the limits OF their ability to de-
liver
no man of vision, or even the most
ordinary powers Of comprehension.
cam fail to see that the local tax
burdens are altogether out Of pro-
portion to the benefits received and
that NO marked disposition has yet
appeared in any act of the LEGAL tax
ing authorities either to deereass
valuations and ievies,s or to curtail
expenditures.
"It is true that men may assemble
and may petition for redress, that
this right under our Constitution can
not be denied to them, but why
should their time be taken thus, or
expense be incurred, when the very
men to whom they must ar~eal are
fully informed of conditions and
have authority to right them? Moth
ing is undertaken today without as
sernblies, speeches and banQuets, that
often cost more than is accomplished.
We need men who know the right
and have the courage to 90 1t; who
recognize evil and resist because it is
cOwardly and dishonest not TO DO so.
''The most agreeable of all light
occupations and the hardest 20 give
up is the spending of other peoples
money, especially, when 20 get more,
one mas only to make a basty touch
through the tax-gatherer. Taxation
is discussed far and wide. but more,
it seems. with the view OF inventing
new methods or raising taxes than
of decreasing them. Our civilization
may reach the point Of being too ex-
pensive TO maintain. Education to-
day costs vastly more than it did
when We had on free tuition and no
endowed schools. We are obsessed |
with the idea of big institutions, big
big talk, and are satisfied |
with very meager results.
"The tax gatherer must be debated |
kindly If possible, with an AK if |
necessary. Taxation was once a |
fighting matter in America. It is pos |
sible that it may become so again.
"Relief can be secured in one way
only, and that is through wise
faithful, candid, manly, honest effort |
the duty Of levying, collecting and
the gathering a.d to demand more
OF what is expended. The officers of
the counties are capable and the peo-
pie have summoned them to act.
"But should CUR efforts at retrench-
or should they be State
and Nation wide? What we witness
1T home is no. less true in the State
and Nation, Of both which we are
and State and National of
ficers must answer to US, and will do
80 and will meet our commands if
made to feel the earnestness of our
,hought and the seriousness of the
already manifest to the
eyes Of all who are under the yoke.
"The officers of this county whose
salaries are fixed by law are under
40 duty to reduce them, or to donate +;
IS that would be the effect Of it, any
lart of the compensation so provided,
o the public. They had nothing to L
10 with fixing the amount nor did
hey try to influence the Legislature
n so doing. Their attitude is like
hat of other salaried men, and they
re very much above the average of
ounty officers in devotion to duty