Chariton courier., 1922-01-20
Missouri Wanted a
Change And Got 1t
Continued from Page y

Office. We have in their action the
usual illustration of the Republican
idea of the exercise of power. Fol-
lowing the civil war, for the purpose
of keeping control of the public Of
fees, laws were passed disfranchising
all Southern sympathizers and all
persons who had served in the South
ern army who would not take and
subscribe the damnable oath of allie
glance. The methods employed by
Republicans in passing their so-called
consolidation bills was the same sort
of thing: disfranchisement camu-
flager.
They said they were going to re-
duce taxes to a minimum, and they
have reduced taxes the Lord only
knows what will happen to the peo-
pie of this state if they should take 1t
into their minds before they are oust-
ed from the control of the machinery
of government to increase taxes. 1t
is true they cut the state tax rate
first from fifteen cents on the one
hundred dollars to ten cents and later
reduced that from ten cents on the
one hundred dollars to seven cents,
and if they had stopped there it
would have been reduction of tax
rates, but this they did not do.
Through the action of the tax COM
mission they increased assessed val
uations over the State of Missouri
from $50 to 300 per cent and in many
instances have increased taxes as
much as so per cent. From the In
vestigation that have made in my
section of the state, which has been
for many years regarded as one OF
the sections of Missouri where fair
and equitable amounts of taxes were
returned and paid, the increase OF
taxation under Republican admins
tration will average 35 per cent.
can give you concrete illustration
of Republican method of decreasing
taxation. There is a gentleman llv-
ing in Kansas City who owns a farm
in my vicinity. In 1920 he paid taxes
on that farm in round numbers in the
sum of $640. In 1921 he paid taxes
on the same land, where. values had
been fixed by the state tax commits
sion and tax rates had been reduced
by the Republican reformers, in the
amount of 1865, S5 more than so per
cent increase in taxation in period
of twelve months, and the property
has decreased in value at least ~
per cent in the same period.
There are today throughout the
State of Missouri, due to the de-
pressed conditions and the unfortu-
nate financial situation, and in addl-
ton to that the excessive tax rates,
more delinquent taxes at this time
than at any other one time in the
past 50 years. But if you will take
the Session Acts of 1921 and figure
up the total amount of the appTopria-
tions made during that year you will
readily understand from the eXtrava-
giant and recklessness in spending the
public funds why the leaders of the
party in power feel the necessity for
leyying and collecting excessive and
unreasonable tax
l think that it must be the eXces-
sive burden OF taxation, together
with other financial conditions, that
brought about little episode between
two of our negro citizens few days
ago. The niger Sam was dapper-
ly dressed copper colored coon, stran-
ger to work, who occasionally did odd
Jobs, and made his living shooting
craps, and voted the Republican tick
et He was talking to good honest,
plodding negro farm hand. He point
ed out all of the defects and short
comings of the recent Democratic
administration and praised the Won
Il # l1n oH
ministration. The farm hand listen
ed to him patiently and finally inter-
rupted him by saying: "You know,
Sam, l aint educated and | don't
read much and | can't argue like you
can, but so far as | have been able
to see, the principal difference be-
tween the Democrats and Republicans
is that when the Democrats were in
office the rule was work or fight and
under the Republicans the rule is
steal or starve" And if our Republi-
can brethren have little more time
to continue their program of extra
vagance and reckless expenditure,
which must be met by more exces-
sive and more oppressive taxation we
will either have to move out and seek
new fields for our endeavors or adopt
the farm negro's suggestion of max
ing a livelihood
The other promise that was made
to US was that men would be appoint
ed to official positions in this state
because they possessed special quail
fications for the positions to which
they would be appointed Eighty per
cent of the important appointments
made by the Governor since his in
auguration in January, 1921, have
been made from the ranks of the Re-
publican State Committee without re-
gard to qualifications and solely for
the purpose of paying political debts.
Not only that, in order that he
might find an efficient, competent and
especially qualified man to fill the
important office of Insurance Com
missioner he could not in the great
State of Missouri find man out
side of his own family and disregard
ing the howls of nepotism that have
been made from time immemorial by
Republican spell-binders and Republi-
can politicians he appointed his bro
ther Ben to this office.
When he wanted a member of his
tax commission out of the great host