The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1924-08-13

~EA E1CRN@Ng
to contribute and the thrifty would
not be penalized. This is the easier
method to collect revenue Think of
the enormous sums that are collected
by the tariff, and this in fact is
simply a scheme making the purch-
aser contribute q certain amount to-
ward support of the government.
All Pay Share
Taxing expenditures would compel
each TO make his payments in such
small sums that it wouldn't be no
ticed and all would have to pay their
share. Whether the scheme is adopt
ed or not is is very important that
some system be worked out which
will require all to stand them just
share of the expense Of the Govern
ment which all are enjoying.
Another thought along the tax
equalization prOblem-We have been
and are yet, raising enormous sums
for road building and maintenance.
1t has seemed to me nothing short
Of a crime to saddle all this expense
on the property owner. We all re
alize the roads are used very largely
by the nOn-taXpaying public and by
the tourists who contribute nothing
worth mentioning toward their con-
structiOn nor maintenance. Another
way to relieve the excessive tax bur
den on property would be to raise
all funds for road purposes by a gas
oline tax. Then those who use the
road would pay their portion OF the
building and maintaining of them re
CARELESS of where they called home.
| cannot help but refer to another at
tempt at tax equalization.
"The farmers have been convinced
for some time that certain interests
here in the state have not been pay
ing their just share of the taxes with
the result that the farmer had had
to pay more than his share. They
have arrived at this conclusion by
considering the net showing of the
various industries. They have there
fore asked that the law be changed
so as to right this Inequality.
"They have been willing to be fair,
and it would seem more than fair,
and have asked that these indus
tries pay a small percentage of their
gross income while the farmer has
to pay just the same tax whether he
has any income or not. They have
even been willing to allow the gross
income to amount to $500, 900 before
they were subject to tax. Taxation
IS supposed to be worked out on an
equality basis so that all are treated
alike. Following that / suppose it is
logical that the farmer is entitled
to expect that he will be exempt
from taxes until his gross income
reaches 100000. I can assure you
that We as farmers will gladly vel
come such IN Interpretation OF the
law. Yet these interests have seer
fit to spend thousands of dollars to
keep this from becoming a law. You
may say this is foreign to my sub
ject. But it is not. It is very ger
name when you ask me what the
farmer of Montana can do to heir
make this great state of ours a de-
sirable place to live in. I am sure
those interests will fare far better
if they will change their tactics and
try and be as fair as the farmer has
been.
Desire No Sympathy
ut is a common pastime nowadays
TO sympathize with the farmer and
to tell him how sorry they are for
him. But let me suggest that sort
Of bunk does not get very far-not
even in a political campaign now
days. The farmer is getting his
eyes open and he is doing a little
thinking on his own account. There
were so many farmers on the job II
Washington last winter that they
know who their friends were. They
do not have to look in the congress
Sional record to find out, nor to con