The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-01-06
THERE is EVIDENCE =.
IN YOUR POCKET


At the expense of the taxpayers of
the state, the Tax Commission, body
empowered to do extraordinary things
at public outlay, is engaging clever
and plausible agents to go out over
the state and argue the indefensible
assumption that taxes have not been tesIrl
increased. Pick up county paper m
almost any county, and you will read
of gratuitous insults offered to the
intelligence of the people by some one
of these propagandists, employed to
spread an ncomprehensible doctrine,
when the people have evidence to the
contrary in their own pockets.
The net achievement of these agents
is to sow seeds of discord between the
officials of the state and local au-
liberties, for each of these gentlemen,
travelling about Missouri at public
cost, undertakes to tell the county
courts, public school boards and town
tax-collecting boards that they have
only themselves to blame if taxes are
raised in the midst of their constitu-
ercies, and that the State Board of
equalization, with the Governor at its
head, is blameless. There Gamble no
more contemplate fallacy than this
claim. If there had been no excess
valuation of property, there would
have been no increase in taxes. either
by the state government or locally.
There was no reason for boosting the
valuations, or for peremptorily telling
the local officials that they should, ar
bitrarily, raise the assessments so as
to meet fixed standard, because the
revenues of the state did not demand
any such action.
1t may be true that the new levy by
the last legislature will yield small
er sum than the old levy. Why? 1t
is perfectly plain, the old levy was
levied upon "a different valuation, but
the new valuation at they O. 10y
would yield millions morvsthSh the
state possibly could use. Yet this
was the plan of the Hyde adnfhiStral
ton, until the Democratic press forced
a reduction of the levy. It-was well
known during the regular session that
Mr.. Hyde and his Board intended to
raise assessments, and yet they. voted
down in the first session of this Re-
publican legislature every proposal to
lower the levies. They could not ev-
en- agree upon repeal OF the income
tax law, as the Democrats proposed.
Money, money, money, was the cry of
Mr.. Hyde, until public indignation
made penitent out of him, and then
he was merely peevish boy, deprived
of his toys. =" s
Why shouldn't the levies be much
lower? Why shouldn't the collections
be far lower than they were in 1920?
1t must be borne in mind that the col
lections of 1920 yielded revenue suf-
ficient to produce surplus of nearly
$5,000,000 at the beginning Of, the
Hyde administration. We even may
admit the claim of the Tax Commits
sion that the new levy will afford
100000 or 100000 less than last
year; it still would be fully $4,000
900 more than the state requires. The
retiring Governor, whose business
sense had guided the state during the
war period from 1917 to 1919, knew
that the levies under existing statutes,
plus the income tax, would give far
more into the state treasury than the
states justifable requirements de-
manded, and he recommended the
elimination of special taxes, and the
reduction Of the levies, so that the
burdens upon the people might mater
tally be lessened. But this would not
do for Hyde. He was going to make
the stnte over, so as to conform with
his own extravagant ideas, and he
wanted money, money, money, despite
the surplus.
The surplus is vanishing Expenses
are rising. Taxes are gfeatef And
the people Of the state have the EVIL
dence in their pockets. No trifling
interference with the knowledge Of
the people BY snartIalecks paid fancy
salaries by the Tax Commission can
avail. Taxes are far beyond the needs
of the state, and the ability of the
people to pay has suffered because Of
the shinkage Of the values. But there
will come day of retribution. 1t is
even now in sight State journal.
Cellars Of the @drys' appear to be /,