The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-05-18
FAIR PLAY
BY LEO CHosA

SOISlueraDle Satisfaction Is Delng IelL |
over the efforts made in our National |
Capitol to get congressional aid for |
some of our Northern counties. Sharp |
declines in the volume of taxable prop |
erty, due to government acquisition of |
acreage for forestry purposes, we are
told, will in time pauperize at least three |
of our Northern counties to the extent |
that they will have to be cared for en-
tirely by the Government. Paradoxical |
as it may sound, this condition of af-
fairs was brought about in some degree |
by the taxpayers of those counties.
The Government does not make the
money that it uses to purchase lands
for the creation of logging empire,
such as the Superior National Forest,
for a lumber company but must first
collect it in the shape of taxes from its
citizens who, in the final analysis are
the consumers. Contrary to popular
belief it is not the average business man
or manufacturer that pays the most
taxes, though he may make the most
noise about it, neither does one have to
own property or real estate to be
taxpayer.
The lowliest bum that roams your
streets must pay his share of taxes,
that in many cases amounts to as much,
if not more, than those of the tenn
perate, employed worker. Uncle Sam IS
not the least bit particular as to who
pays taxes. Every time the bum drinks
a glass of beer or whiskey, smokes a
cigarette, he pays not only the direct
tax imposed but the added taxes of the
manufacturer, wholesaler and merchant
of whom he buys his drinks or smoke.
The same rule applies to clothing and
food. Every can of food carries with it
not only the cost of the can and it's
contents together with added profits
for each handler along the routes of
trade, but also carry as additional cost
in proportionate amounts, all forms of
taxes such as income, personal property,
real estate and other taxes. To all this
must be added the cost of doing bust
ness including salaries of employees,
transportation, insurance, advertising,
etc. The person opening the can and
consuming the contents pays the bill.
Hence, we have what is generally known
as the consumer taxpayer.
This is all as it should be otherwise
the merchant could not for long con-
tinue to serve his fellow townsmen. We
are not criticizing the American way of
doing business only trying to show how
at least eighty-five per cent of the
money that goes to purchase lands for
a lumber company holding monopolistic
rights, of operation in the Superior Ma
tional Forest, due to its membership in
a National association, must come from
the pockets of those least able to pay,
the working man and farmer.
Let us say that our government de-
cides to buy lands Coached by the
great and powerful lumber manufactur-
ers lobby from group of farmers and
does so with the farmers (taN money.
AS land is the farmers only means of
support soon find themselves in dire
need and appeal to the government for
aid. Sure Uncle Sam with a little
more coaching) is willing to help if the
farmers will furnish the GaX) money
with which to be helped. Sounds rather
silly, but if it wasn't government bust
ness, with tragic note attached, would
| be ridiculous.
The sad part of this story is that
every acre bought with the labor and
sweat of the American consumer is
added to the accumulated millions that
go to make up a timber producing en-
pire in the sole interest of one lumber
company. This giant numbering octopus
with its tentacles wrapped around every
remaining pine tree in the national
forest, after having logged off its own
holdings to escape taxation, will have
monopolistic control over millions of
acres of potential public timber pro-
ducing lands; all at the expense of the
consumer taxpayer and without one
cent of investment and tax free to the
lumber company.
Forestry officials try lamely to ex-
plain this, to say the least, peculiar
state of affairs by asserting that the
destruction of our forests through log
ging is all in the interest of conserva-
ton. Reforestation they tell is is neces-
sary to industry. What industry? And
why? Why should our taxpaying con-
lsumers continue to pay for reforestation
if big numbering corporation is going
to hover over the young trees, like a
flock of buzzards over rotting carcass,
ready with axes and saws to pounce
upon them when barely large enough to
turn into boards.
Within this Superior National Forest
and its exceptional recreational facilities
the farmer and laborer are not wanted.
The fact that it was their toll and
sweat that bought the Superior National
Forest, doesn't seem to count in this
case. Natural barriers are maintained
over which only the financially capable
can surmount.
Forestry officials say that rubbish
Twill be scattered about-if one has no
money. If a farmer or laborer. wants
to take his family for an outing, camp
grounds along the dusty, dirty, griny
highways are provided, where the tax
paying part of the family can go fish
ling in some Shiny mud puddle by the
roadside No objection to scattering
rubbish there. But-according to Mr..
John Trowbridge of Minneapolis, in the
Ely Miner, April 81, 1939-"for we of the
sporting public the unique waterways
left by the receding glacier" What a
deteStable un-American attitude for
euon q celf-aDn0iOtad calf opoiptad