The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 18, 1915, Page 5

~4 e e - William Uhde. William Uhde, of Regan, N: Dak., |’ was 'born in Germany 66 years ago - and’ came fo America 43 years ago Haven attorney. He remind: 2nd! bas: farmed; in, ‘North . Dakota for- 14: years. If he were to liquidate now, the 5,000 bushels of wheat he holds would represent all he has left after 43 years- of" struggle. He affirms that if he had not been Joseph Kamenetzky is a farmer: liv- ing near Wing, Burleigh County, N. Dak. Mr. Kamenetzky is one of a dozen Jewish families now living near Wing who heeded’ the appeal of the land —the remaining remnant of a colony. THE NONPARTISAN LEADER Joseph Kamenetzky. shark and promise.” One of the remaining: members of this colony has promised to relate through ‘the columns of the Leader the story of how this little colony was exploited, by the native Ameri- can who induced them to come here. came to the “land of I R e T L iy S e | SR AR i robbed out of what he-produced he;is well versed in law, as some of the could have retired in comfort before | native sharpers have learned to their now. sorrow. He is a member of the Regan Mr:. Uhde is an accomplished stud- | School Board and a booster for tho ent of history. and government and Nonpartisan League. PAGE FIVE R T B T s e N L T O S LA P Ji- M. Brody, Regan, N. Dak. Mr. Brody . is a real farmer, has traveled and knows-pplitics-and: eco- nomies. He says the obiects of the ‘Nonpartisan League are cerreet: and: cannot fail to. land .a knockout punch -to. the North Dakota gang, i —— The wheat buyer with the most cheek does the least blushing, Are They After the State TaxCommission? By. Franklin H. Powers The latest sensation at the capital is the onslaught on the board- of im- migration law made by John F. Sul- livan of Mandan and an attempt, through the press of the state, to credit this onslaught to Frank O, Hellstrom. As a matter of fact Mr: Helstrom has had, nothing to do with the institution of this suit and it is the concensus of opinion among those. on the inside that it is not' airhed at- the immigration; law' nor the board- of regents law, but these measures: are being sacrificed in order to get at the law under which the state tax commission is operating. Hellstrom: Not- a Party. In addition to Hellstrom’s denial that he is a party to the suit, is the further fact that Sullivan is a reac- tionary of the deepest dye, and that while a democrat he has always op- posed the candidacy of Hellstrom— not: passively but. actively—from the stump. ard. otherwise. That Sullivan is- not. bringing this suit at the in- stance of Hellstrom is generally ac- cepted by those who are familiar with North Dakota- politics. Sullivan and' Hazley Partners, It should be noted, and.it is un- doubtedly significant, that Sullivan is a partner of Hanley and that Hanley was_ recently arpointed, to the dis- triet bench in Morton:county by Gov- ernor Hanna. It is well known that: Governor Hanna is- bitterly orposed to the tax: commission and it is the belief of many .politicians who are well informed; that the desire to get the: tax commission out" of business, New Haven. Railroad Defied Law Even Though Advised ~ Not To New. York, Nov. 10.—Testimony that the. New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad acquired control of the Central' New England Rail- road; a competitor, in the face of legal advice ‘that it: might be in vio- lation: of the Sherman.law, was. ad- duced- today at: the: trial of William Rockefeller and ten otker former directors of that road, accused of eriminal violation of that law.. The: adviee was given, according to _a letter read in'evidence, by the late Charles. F. Choate of: Boston;, a:- New Cfggrlep 1 which- has proved uncontrolable by big business, has become, so great that they are willing to sacrifice the im- migration measure and the board of regents measure. It is openly boast- ed by those connected: with the suit that: it will result within three months of a walkout of the entir tax commission organization. g Crimes of Tax Commission. The crites of which the tax com- mission, stand convicted and for which: they. are to be abolished, are first of all, their agitation in connec- tion with the assessment of railroads. For two years they have carried on a campaign looking toward an in- crease in the assessment of railroads in tke state by about sixty per cent. This activity undoubtedly resulted in the raise of more than eleven milion; dollars made in the assessment of railroads-by the state-beard of equal- ization this year. Tke opinion is gen- cral among railroad tax officials that if the agitation is continued that it is only a question of a year or two until a entire raise will be made by the state board. S=id foney Should: Be Taxed. The commission has also been guilty. of declaring that money and credits should, be taxed. At the present time this class of property, which a- mounts. to from three hundred fifty to four: hundred million dollars, béars a tax of approximately thirty. thou- sand dollars. It comprises more than one-fifth of the taxable property of prises about forty per cent of the taxable property of the state bears better than sixty per cent of the to- tal tax burden. The-tax commision has further sin- ned by forcing the bankers of the state to forego their exemption of five per cent of loans and discounts which aggregate more htan $150,000 in the cases of some of the big banks of the state which resulted in the in- crease of their assessable property. in the state by abhout four milion dol- lars. Would Tax Foreign Corpcrations. The tax commission has insisted that a tax be levied on the foreign corporations which are transacting business in North Dakota, such as the International Harvester Company, which does approximately a four mil- lion dollar business yearly and- pays about a fifteen thousand dollar tax. These companies do a business of a- bout ten million dollars annually in the state and pay a tax of lsss than thirty thousand dollars for all pur- poses, state and local. ¥ The greatest sin, however, of all committed by the tax commission, has been tkeir stand. that the con- stant increase of the tax burden on farm property, which now bears a- bout seventy-five per cent of the-total tax burden, both state and locally; must cease and that the tax burden must be equitably distributed upon all. property within the state in pro- portion to its ability to bear its bur- the state and bears this insignificant | den of taxation. Since- statehood it tax, while aere: property which com-. has been the policy of the state board S. Mellen, president; that: the, North- ern Securities case was at that time, 1904, still pending: in the courts and, said that he was not in favor of “do- ing-anything’ that- might: be in viola- tion of the Sherman Law.” - The Northern . Securities case forced the dissolution of the. joint ownership of the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railroads. Law Did Not Stop It - Nevertheless, the New Haven: Presi- dent appeared-in'another letter, writ- tn scarcely a month later, as notify- ing; William Rockefeller that he had bought the New Haven, and: Rocke- feller in reply congratulated Mellen on the acquisition. e The Choate letter was: introduced after it had been shown that Janu- ary. 30, 1904, Mr. Mellen’s: secretary wrote® to. Mr. Choate, saying the board had authorized, Mellen to buy the Central New England, but that of equalization to set its face against any innovation in taxation which would reach foreign corporations, money and credits, public service cor- porations, the bankers and money loaners, ete., and to allow. the ever increasing burden of taxation to fal upon acre property and' city realty and their improvements, and the tangible persenal - property. of the state. 3 Just. Distribution of - Taxes. City realty, live .stock. and acre property bear the great burden of taxation in Noth Dakota, and if a reign- of-justice should be- brought about in the administration. of tax matters, millions invested in unassess- ed money and credits and foreign cor- porations, and, milions of dollars in- vested in grossly underassessed pub- lic service: corporations; would. be saddled with their just portion of the tax burden. It is-for these reasons that two at- tempts have been made in the legis- lature and two attempts in the su- ‘preme court to put:the tax: commis- sion out of business. These are the facts which lend color to the belief in: many. .quarters that big business kas ‘reached a pesition where it has concluded to sacrifice the board of immigration and the board -of - regents and: undoubtedly a good many other measures, which: will ! more or léss cripple the state governirent, to be rid :of the tax commission before the' legislature -assembles - which tkey are beginning to believe will'be- made up of . people whom' they canmot control. Mellen had not. yet. “committed him- self.” There was still. time for ob- jection to be raised and Choate’s opinion was asked. : : Choate reglied, directly to Mellen, stating that he did not know much about the properties in question, but that in view of tke fact that the Norhern Securities. case: was. still pending, he advised against “doing anything: that might be a: violation of tke Sherman Law.” 3 Ran it. as “ladependent” In his letter to William Rockefel- ler, Mellen. stated that -Rockefeller would doubtless be glad to know he had - purchased: the Poughkepsie Bridge System (the Central New England), for 5 million dollars; some- what: less than the: original price. He recommended that the.road should be continued as an inderendent road, “for a time at least, on account of the. minority interest. stil outstand- ing.” The next day Rockefeler wrote back- to “sincerely congra#uiate” him. “I-felt-sure: you would: secure it ab that price,” he: addme: To The Leader: Ous: here: inStut-- man county: the- farmers.are. learning the value of co-operattom; There are several locals of the Formers’ Educa-: tional Co-operative Uion: around here. The farmers are. wide awake, also, to the neds of: better: lgislation and are ‘joining -the. - Nonpartisan League- almost to a mwan: Last ' Saturday evening .Orgarizers Simonson, Rice and” Wood' gave 'some interesting talks at two Jocal unions. Every man present with one exces- tion are now members-of: the: League. - We got our papers this mornirg and you did a.fine job this week. § ED. F. WOOD. =N