Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-04-07

businessman is tleQ up WIN CnaC OF
the worker and the farmer. When
the workers and farmers are pros
porous, the businessman is prosper
Gus; when the workers and farmers
have no money to buy the goods
the businessman has to sell, the bust
nessman likewise suffers.
"The same holds true for the pro-
fessional groups. Today the profess
sions are overcrowded. Why? Is it
because the people have not the need
for the services of all the profess
sional men and women? That is not
the case. The professions are over
crowded only because the people have
not the money to buy their services"
Specific planks in the Farmer
Labor platform adopted by the con-
vention pertaining to the independ-
ent businessman include an effective
chain store tax to remove unfair COM
petition from chain stores and mon
opolistic business, a graduated cor
porate income tax which would aid
the smaller corporation, and, from
the national standpoint, liberaliza-
ton of the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation loaning policies to en-
able extension of loans to small bust
nessmen at low rates of interest.
The taxation planks in the platform
call for lowering of property taxes,
raising of the exemptions in the state
income tax for individuals to corre-
spond with the exemptions in the
Federal law, reduction of rates for
incomes of $4,000 and under, and
complete exemption of homesteads
from the state real estate levy up to
$4,000 valuation. The present home
stead exemption law, amended by the
conservatives in the last legislature
so that its full benefits will not be
felt for some four or five years, ex-
empts homesteads for the first 81 1000
valuation. A tax program based on
ability to pay is recommended.
This is quite consistent with the
stand always taken by Governor Ben
son and the Farmer-Labor party.
1t will be recalled that Governor Ben
son refused to sign the present in
come tax bill because it taxes people
who do not receive sufficient money
to maintain a decent standard of liv-
ing, and because the rates for per-
sons receiving $4,000 and under are
too high. The Governor has uncom-
promisingly championed the cause of
reduction in property taxes, which he
succeeded in having reduced several
mills despite the increase in state
costs due to relief and social security.
1t also was due to his insistence that
the present homestead exemption law
was passed, despite opposition of a
conservative Senate.
Much has been said about state
expenditures and taxes, the news
papers deliberately overlooking-the
word deliberately is used advisedly-
the fact that every item of state ex-
penditures was approved by a Repub-
lican Senate finance committee. This
puts the lie to the spending allega-
tons. The newspapers also fail to
inform the citizens that the Repub-
lican tax program, if adopted, would
have added some IL mills to the state
levy on real property. 1t was ques-
ton merely as to who should pay the
tax bill, and the Republicans wanted
to ease the load for the corporations,
utilities, and those of great wealth at
the expense of the small business
man, the owner of real property, and
those in the comparatively low in
come groups. This fact the dailies
attempted to conceal from the people
under smoke-screen of taxing in
dustry and driving business from the
state-sheer nonsense.
Black clouds seemed determined to
remain over agriculture during 1888
as the United States department of
agriculture reported that it's predic-
ton of half billion dollar loss for the
first six months is being borne out.
Total farm income for February,
1888, was only $487 100000 against
$557 100000 during the same period
of 1887.
Meanwhile the bureau of agricul-
tural economics reported that food
are steadily growing,
while a tabulation of farm sales for
1886 indicated that foreclosures are
still at a high level.