The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1922-07-20
MR. cRAIG.s REeoRp

I legislature q 1871, representing IN
counties Of Lauderdale, Dyer an
Crockett. AS such senator he wa
an active supporter Of the presen
system of tax laws, commonly know
as the Roberts tax laws. In thi
connection attention is called to Chap
ter 9 Of the Public Acts of 1921
which is an act providing for the re
assessment of all property in Ter
nessee for the year 1921. Mr.. Graz
introduced this bill, and during it
consideration one of the Nashvill
papers called attention to what aI
peared to be, on the part Of the Sen
ate, an effort to check an assault o
the Roberts tax law Thereupor
Mr. Craig rose to a point Of persona
privilege, and on Friday, January
1921, as shown by the State Journa
pages Az, 40 and so, addressed tn
Senate on the bill mentioned and hi
attitude towards the "ROberts Ia
laws" in general. Among othe
things he said as follows:
Il have on all occasions, both be-
fore the primary election in
which Gov. Roberts was nOmi-
mated and during the recent pO-
litical campaign, on many occas-
ions and in public utterances on
the stump, advocated the reten
ton of the Roberts tax laws in
their general outlines, and, in ac-
cord with the enunciatiOns of the
Democratic platform, have
been unwilling to emasculate
the law or to do more than to
enact some amendments which
would perfect them"
Again he said:
''The bill which / have introduced
provides for a special assess
ment of property for 1921, and
is recognition of the justice
and efficiency of the Roberts
tax laws, instead Of an assault
on them.'
1t will thus be seen that Mr.. Craig
expressly stated the object and pur'
pose Of the act introduced and passed
by him was to aid the just and eff
ficient system, known as the Rob
erts tax laws" And, indeed, it was
very efficient, in that it increased
the amount of taxes paid by the tax
payers 0 ofWeakley county over the
amount paid by them under the as
sessment Of 1920 by several thousand
dollars. To be exact, the taxpayers
of the county paid in taxes for the
year 1921, under Mr.. Craig's re-as-
sessment act, the sum of S262,590.83
For the year 1920, which was the first
assessment under the Roberts law
hey paid into the county treasury
the sum of $228,68761, an amount
largely in excess of that ever paid
by them under any previous assess
ment. It can be readily seen that
Mr.. Craig's act was very effective in
increasing the taxes Of the already
over-burdened taxpayers, and in this
respect, it was a very efficient aid
to the Roberts tax laws. But we fail
to see how it aided the Taxpayers,
when it increased the total taxes Of
the county to the amount of $685.
903.22.
Mr.. Craig also advocated and sup
ported House Bill No. 1899, being
Chapter 113 of the Public Acts of
1921, which bill, in substance, creates
the offices af Satate Tax Commits
sioner and the State Board of Equal
ization. Its effect is to largely de-
prive the respective counties of any
voice in the local assessments and to
centralize the final and autocra.ic
power in the tax commission at
Nashville. 1t legislated Mr.. Louthan,
the present tax commissioner, into
office for a period of four years, at
a salary of $4,000 a year. AS the
bill was originally drawn and passed
by the House, it fixed the commits
sioner's salary at $4,000, or $500
per month. But when it came to be
considered in the Senate, Mr. Craig
and others moved to amend so as to
make the salary $4,000 instead Of
$500. The amendment was adopted
and the bill was passed.
Mr.. Craig viciously attacks that
part Of competitors record for
supporting a bill in Congress in
creasing the compensation of the fed
eral clerks, who are said to be the
most poorly paid Of any class Of
in the world, receiving an
average compensation, so we have
been informed of something like 500
per month. At most the compensa-
ton of federal clerks is a mere pit
tance, as compared with the hand
some salary of nearly $400 per month
that is being paid to the state tax
commissioner at the instance of Mr.
Craig but Mr.. Craig was not then
a candidate for Congress.
Again, Mr.. Craig supported and
helped to pass, by his influence and
vote, bill to exempt from taxation
all bonds issued by any Incorporated
town or city Of the state the same
being Chapter sc of the Public Acts
Of 1921. The effect Of this law is
to withdraw from taxation millions
Of dollars Of securities in the hands
Of rich bondholders, which necessarily
increases taxes of the farmer and
small taxpayer. The wealthy man
can invest his money in city bonds,
clip his interest coupons and not pay
one cent of taxes on either principal
or interest, but if the poor man lends
his neighbor 500, or discounts his
note for that amount, he is compelled,
under the law, to list and pay taxes
on the note in which he has invested
his money.
To illustrate, recently the town Of
Dresden voted and sold $4,000 worth
Of bonds to build a schoolhouse. These
bonds draw 6 per cent. interest, pay
able seni-annually, and were sold to
I. B. Tigrett & CO., bond buyers at