The Liberal Democrat

DEALING WITH OKLAHOMA'S
AUTOMOBILE TAX LAW

To Beaver town we made our trip,
With grudges we're over glutted,
To steering wheel we held firm grip
For the roads were badly rutted,
We're thinking how the roads should be,
Of the work that should be done,
But farmers they'll forget, you see,
They'd forget, to pay the mon'.
No doubt our roads would better be,
If we'd farmed with culti-packer,
And farming would but pleasure be
If we had license on our tractor.
We'd travel on and ne'er get stuck,
If we but had license for our truck.
We'd sail along with ne'er a jar,
If a numbered tag was on our car.
So farmers, be right up to date,
And pay your yearly dues,
On tractors that you've bought of late,
And those cars with curly-cues.
When city dudes you hear complain,
Of roads so full of bumps and flows
Remember, farmers, it's you they blame,
And not their measly skin-flint laws.
When slowly you enter thru the door
A gray-haired man you see
Collecting dollars by the score
To fix up roads for you and me.
The farmers wouldn't begrudge the toll,
If roads would then improve,
So money could move from the capital,
To the county from whence it moved.
When donations must the roads improve,
Why should we then pay taxes.
When monies to the grafters move
So in wealth he richer waxes.
They're put in office to collect
This money for Tin Lizzy,
As to building roads, they forget,
For with other schemes they're busy.
But fellows, tell us, who's at fault?
Not the officials only,
For as farmers we're not worth our salt,
When it comes to act in a body.
If we would but learn to co-operate,
And demand official attention.
We'd have their service up-to-date
And mud-holes few to mention,
As regards our present day auto
and tractor license law, why should
money that is supposed to be spent
at home, first be taken away from
where it is supposed to be spent?
Why should every notary public and
justice of the peace be allowed to is-
sue auto and tractor license? How
do our county officials know how
many tractors, cars and trucks are
in our county? Who keeps a record
of them in our county?
Every business man and farmer
knows there are a great number of
tractors, cars and trucks in the coun-
ty, but no one knows how many.
By letting every "Tom, Dick and
Harry' in the way of officials take
applications for license, how can our
county officials know how many such
vehicles are in the county?
By having every justice of the
peace and notary public take appli-
tations for licenses and sending them
direct to the Highway Commission
at Oklahoma City, what means have
our county officials of knowing how
many cars, etc., there are in the
county? Are they not absolutely
dependant on the honesty of our
state highway commission for such
information?
We wonder how many
officials
would claim to be but merely human?
And, conceding such, who can or will
blame the public for being a trifle
suspicious when such an amount of
money is collected and our roads in
the condition they are?
A mere suggestion we'll venture to
make: Instead of having every jus-
tice of the peace or notary public
receive applications, let the County
Clerk be the one and only one to
go to for your applications. He could
then stick 90 cents in the county
treasurer's vault, and send 10 cents
to the state highway commission for
a number, and in that way each
would have correct tab on the other
and each county would have the cor-
rect amount of money at home where
it should be. Also our highway com-
mission would be entirely above sus-
picion, and have the confidence of
the people the very thing that ey-
ery right thinking man prizes highly.
And why not do another thing?
Let's say we cut the poll tax for road
purposes in half, and put a stiffer
tax on land, thereby making the non-
resident help improve the roads also.
He surely benefits by having his pro-
perty enhanced by improved roads.
But the chief moral is this: It is
bad policy to send money away from
home, when it is supposed to be spent
at home; depending entirely on the
unquestioned honesty of a few of-
ficials to get it back.

GEO. E. RATZLOFF,
Lorena, Oklahoma.