The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1924-09-10

NV NlAANA NOAAAlb vi ILLS !
equalization of the tax burden among
all forms of wealth, that we estah-
llShed a central agency. with full iur-
lSdlctlon over all, popularity known as
Il state tax commission. Although the ,
pe"ple themselves ratified the Tax
commission amendment, The Ana
cOnda and the Montana Power inter
ests Immediately attacked by INDUCTION
In the Supreme Court. After months
OF delay. the ratification by the vote
OF the people was sustained by a bare
majority vote of 8 TO 2 in the Supreme
Court.
Despite the opposition of powerful
Hobbies. financed by these great special
interests, we were finally able to write
into the tax laws Of Montana a modern
provision regarding:
Inheritances,
Pullman car lines.
A Tax Commission,
2% gross on oil production,
"a production and Gasoline.
The financial political power Of the
great metal mining companies was
strong enough to defeat in the Senate
the one per cent gross production tax
on the output Of metal mines, which
the House had passed. Since Mon
tana's admission TO statehood. these
great foreign owned mining companies
had, through political control of legis-
latures, newspapers. bank credits and
state government. been able to have
their yearly output of millions of
wealth assessed for taxation only on
met production" If there were no net
profits there were no taxes on the
mineral wealth produced.
The Dual Tax System
Yet. during all these years. the farms,
homes, livestock, and banks OF Mon
tana's resident citizens we're paying
taxes whether there we're any net
profits in the business or not.
To show how unfairly the present
dual system of taxation has worked
I cite following actual transactions:
This last February. the Davis-Daly
mine in Butte was sold to The Ana
conda by vote of its stockholders FOL
S3000.OO0. Mr.. Mcintyre. the County
Treasurer OF Silver Bow, certified K
the State Tax Commission that for the
year 1923 the taxable value Of THU
mine was Sal. 900. The total take
paid that year on this property, which
sold for three million dollars, actuA
, cash, was $3.50.
q If this three million dollars had beer
7 invested in farm lands that year, In
: stead Of $3.50 taxes II would hav,
? paid S55,275, or nearly q times a
much. If this three million had bee
, invested IN either cattle or merchar
! disc. the taxes would have been S61,41l
or more than "a times as much.
Let me give you another mustratio
, as to how the present dual system 0
taxation works here In Montana.
4 The new Tax Commissions return
for the last year show that livestock
Of merchandise" paid nearly thre
times the amount Of taxes paid by a
y the great metal mines of the state.
Lat year "stOre furniture and r.
8 lures" paid in more than One-third 6
much tax as all the metal mines nt
% proceeds tax.
!. In 1922, bank stock paid ovt
q eight times the tax as did met pr,
- ceeds'' from metals mines. That yes
q Household Goods" paid pa times I
much tax as did all metals mines G
II their met proceeds"
% This dual system Of taxation in Mo
70 tana has been so brazenly unfair tht
the wonder Is the people who live
Montana have borne the unequal bu
den with such meek patience and fo
titude.
But under the initiative section
our state constitution, 10000 citizel
Of the state have. within the past fe
~ months. initiated the same identic
IN one per cent gross output metals min
license tax law as was passed by Il
" House two years ago.
Mines Tax Law Will Pass
ty DeSpairing Of continued control
IS legislatures by the big mining interes
y lllc9 nave lllldlIH UeltI llllllCN ~ 6AN
o. else their reserved constitutional 20
20 ers of legislation by popular vote. c
tie less I know nothing Of the exasperat
feeling of the people Of MOntan regal
r. ing this ancient wrong, the Initial
re bin viii become a law in November
ed the greatest vote ever cast by I
o. people of this state.
lily If these two great corporate int,
* ests would only take the money til
now pay out in trying to control new
papers. primary elections, legislator
,aI courts. the maintainence OF lobies a
ed paid political agents. and the furth
en- ing Of political propaganda, and I
,al It in the payment of their own f
in share OF the burden of taxation, II
ro- would have money left Over for an
INF crease of legitimate dividends to tn
of nonresident stockholders. And,
nv would have peace here at home.
Mt Popular Government Trlumphs
len While il is true that in the rec
at democratic primaries the big cop
led mining companies, by the expendit'
Ia Of tens Of thOuSandg Of dollars Gre n