Evening star., 1932-04-17

any one of several directions
Until recently it was in f1uX. Now
Il however. it has cryStallized 1t
has taken its direction, and the
direction is recognizable At least the
writer is sure he recognizes it, and he
is confident it will be recognized gen.
orally in little while.
AS respects social and political con-
sequences. this depression has taken
the direction of return to old-faSh-
ioned individualism. 1t is expressing it
self all over the country in a determina-
ton Of the farmer to hold on to his
farm, of the home-oWner to hold on to
his home The farmer and home-oWner
are defying the tax collector More ac-
curately they are defying the tax layer,
the tax eater-the officeholder.
This is the most obvious present polit-
ical development in the United States
l dislike the overused word "signifi-
cant" but there is no denying the plain
meaning of this spirit. Wherever We
start from after this depression, and
wherever we go to, We are going to build
from the same old American basis of
organized society-the farmer owning
his farm and determined not to let the
State take it away from him; the home
owner with the same determination.
So far the tax rebellion is perfectly
orderly 1t is taking things in time
1t is demanding-and getting-reduc-
tion of cost of government, reduction
of taxation. Because the rebellion has
taken things in time. it may not be
necessary to defy the tax collector. The
reduction in cost of government, and
the consequent reduction of taxes, is
being brought about early enough to
avoid any occasion for forcible resist
ance of the tax collector. But to any
one who understands the present mood
OF the country, it is clear that forcible
resistance will be practiced if it is neceS-
Sary. The farmer is not going to let
his farm be taken away from him, nor
the home-oWner his home. And they
are not going to tolerate new theory
of society which includes State owner
ship Of farms and everything else All
the preaching of that sort of thing is
being emphatically rejected America
is turning straight back toward our
earliest pioneer conception of society
and property and ndividualSelf- suff1ci-
ency. This is going to make some high
broWs sad. and it is going to defeat the
predictions of a good many prophets
Of new order But the thing that
America actually is doing is perfectly
plain.
A Sign of the Turn in the West.
The East, and much of the country
outside North Dakota, thinks of that
State as having tendency toward hav-
ing the State carry on an increasing
number Of functions. That may or may
not have been, some time ago. At pres
ent, North Dakota and the rest of the |
West is energetically engaged in trim |
ming the States feathers In fact, |
North Dakota is one of the two States /
IN U7iPh fha dafa ,i,ao .
the cost OF government and reduce tax /
alton has gone fsrthest. has been most .
successful. A letter from the editor of /
the Fargo, N. OAK, Forum conveys this /
Information:
This county. Cass. has so townships. /
IN the annual meetings held during
March these townships cut their taxa /
ton for next year by $4,000 out of
total OF Sl27000-a cut of As per cent |
The fact that this was done in the
townships has especial meaning. 1t is
a beginning OF something to follow
Tor the townships are the first to set |
up their budgets for the coming tax
year After the townships will come |
the villages, the school districts, the |
cities. the park boards and the /
counties, and then the State.
Our North Dakota taxpayers as
sociation has initiated five measures I
to be voted on in June: two are to cut .
mileage allowances to State and
county officials; two are to cut the .
salaries of State and county officials a
straight 20 per cent. Lastly, and most .
important, one measure orders the re-
ouction of property values for tax pur-
poses from IS per cent to so per cent
of their actual value. This latter has
the direct purpose of literally COM
pelllng the various units of govern
ment to reduce taxes"
In short what is going on in North I
Dakota is to reduce taxes first. The /
people are taking hold of the situation /
What happens in most States is that /
the people wait and hope and plead /
that the State Legislature will reduce
taxes. The people of North Dakota. .
taking advantage of their initiative /
law, are going TO reduce taxes by their (
own action first. Thereafter the office .
holders Will have to make budget to .
flt the taxes. IF the measure pasSee.
q special session of the Legislature may
be required to reduce costs Of govern /
ment. As to that. the North Dakota /
taxpayer does not care He is. by CO. .
operative action through the ballot re- .
ducing his own taxes. He is saying /
not letting the officeholders Say-how 1
much Of his property he is willing to (
ment, and, speaking generally, he pro- /
poses to contribute a third less than he |
has been contributing.
Trimming Useless Features.
literal taxpayers rebelhon-that is +
resistance by force to the collection of
taXes-is an unpleasant thing. We
have never had but one III the United
subsequently, the leader of it,
from his rame was Irish-Shay's Re
bellion, in Western Massachusetts,. 1t
was during the very early days Of the
country, when the spirit Of the
frontiersman, the spirit of individual
ism, was strong One would prefer not
to see armed resistance to the tax col
lector And yet, what is the worse
alternative? To see farmers organizing
to defy the tax colector-Or TO see the
tax collector accompanied by the sheriff
come to a mans farm and say: Get