San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-05

sho' is complicatin' a heap OF trouble fol-
theyselves.
"Ah looks in the paper last night an
All secs nuthin' but taxes a-starin' me ir
the face. Fust All sees sumpin' about 'ad
vaorem.' THEY'LL ad 'em, all right, Al
reckons, an some mo-, too. Sho' 'nough
All mex secs a artickle 'bouten a gross
receipts tax When All was a brat, an
ct so much I got the stummick ache, nah
missus said l was getting gross All
'spose she meant greedy. These law
makers which is always raisin' ole taxes
and schemin' for new uns is the grossest
folks | ever seen.
"a man CANT die no more 'thouten
bein' taxed-'inhcritan they calls it
Yuh reckon they is done gone an levied
on whut is laid up in store for him in the
mex world? Now they's poll tax, and
yuh gotta pay it even effen yuh don't go
anywhercs nigh the polls. They charges
yuh to vote whether yuh does vote or
don't vote. Queer, l calls it.
Used to be poor man could have at
least one frien'. Now he CANT 'thouten
TIC - ldACu. MI. NdSSdl llS SCtS IdNN-
off even on cur dogs.
Nor neither can a man go rabbit shoot
in anywhcres fur from home, onless he
forks over to the government morc'n all
the rabbits in the mex county is worth,
even effen he could shoot 'em.
"Ah sees sumpin' on franchise tax
which All don't savvy. Maybe they was
a mistake in the printin'. 1t SCUM lax a
conversation-half French. half Ameri-
can. But it amt francs Use taxed; its
dollars Use taxed.
"They's a lot of other taxes Which
don't bother me none; they mought effen
l knew whit they was, and I amt gonna
know cause the Democratic pahty is gon-
ma be tooken over, lock, stock an both
barrels, likewise the ramrod, by the white
folks. All keeps away from the movies
all don't run here and wander And All
amt got no income-but All wouldn't
have, anyways, effcn l prccipitatcd in
politics and had to pay all them taxes.
Nor neither does All have to worry
'bouten the automobile tax, the gasoline
tax, nor the Chewin' gum taX-'cep'n' for
chewing navy plug, which no tax collec-
tor is gwine be able to deprivate me Of,
cause l grows nah own, Abs a model
citizen
"They's one tax which is got nah goat
mot on account it hits me hahd, but
cause it SCUM mysterious-lal. They calls
it Intangible tax. Howsomever, All
heerd nah boss discussin it 't'other
day, an he saycd it meant sumpin whut
couldn't be seed, felt, heerd nor neither
'Xactly calc'lated. l sorter got the idec
that effen a business man had lots o
friends he would be taxed extry for bein'
so likeable. The boss sayed sumpin'
about good will which don't mean nuth-
in 'cep'n whit happens when man is
polite, an frienly and makes hissclf agree
able and worth sumpin' to all concerned.
Effen he is mean and unncighborly, and
don't do nuthin' for nobody, he amt gon-
ma have no good will. But the nlinnit he
goes and gets human, an gets hisself
thought heap of by eve'body, they saycs
he's got Intangible assets an he's gotta
pay for not bein' just a knot on the tree
of humanity.
"Ah amt give list of all the taxes
whut the white folks, now that they is
claimin' the Democratic pahty all for
theyselves is writin' in the statute books,
but Abs give enough to show that Abs
completely justified-an' maybe sanctified
for film here an now nah voluntary
disqualification from said panty befo' Mr.
Caesar comes aroun' agin on his annual
rendcrin' foray. An when he begins to
foray, All begins to hooray."