The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-25
Grenina Telearaph
TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 1871,
THE MILITIA TAX YSWINDLE.

THE MILITIA TAX s SWINDLB
TIE male citizens of Philadelphia have,
number of weeks past, been annoyed by
an impudently worded circular informing
them that if they do not call within five days
at the Office of Isaac @. Pearson, collector of
delinquent taxes, No. 721 SAMSON street, and
pay the militia tax for 1870, with costs, their
goods will be subject to distraint and they
will be made liable to additional costs. This
circular has been sent alike to those who have
paid the tax and those who have not, and
also to those who ought to be upon the
collectors books as exempt. The whole
object of the persons who sent it out is
to gouge the public as much as possible,
and the collection of the tax is managed in
such q manner as to accomplish the double
purpose of annoying the male taxables of the
city and of putting an immense sum of
money into somebody's pocket. The collec-
tor of this tax has never made public ex-
hibit of his receipts and expenditures,
so far as we are aware, and there
fore any calculations we may make must
necessarily be approximate. 1t is certainly
within bounds, however, to say that there are
$4,000 citizens of Philadelphia liable to the
militia tax, which, if properly collected,
would yield $50, 900 to be divided among our
f'soldier companies" There are 6016 officers
and men in the First division by paper count,
which does not represent the actual strength
of the Philadelphia home guards by any
means, as the force available for active service
is much smaller than this. Taking the figures
as they stand, however, it would be interest
ing to know what becomes of all the money
collected. The last division of the tax re-
ceipts gave each man 81 '25-or al
least we will assume that it did
for the sake of argument, for in
reality several regiments did not get more
than 62b cents per man-at which rate the
total of the dividends would amount to
$500. May we be permitted to inquire what
has been done with the balance of $42, ,46O!
The collector or the members of the division
board may perhaps consider the question i'm
pertinent, but as the citizens of Philadelphia
are obliged to submit to all the annoyances
of the militia tax they have at least the right
to know in what manner their money is ex.
pended and into whose pockets it goes
There is another feature of the militia tax
swindle with regard to which there is nc
doubt, and that is the enormous emoluments
of the collector and his assistants. The col.
lector's Office last year was on Vine street,
this year it is on SAMSON street, and next
year it will probably be somewhere else, SO
that it will be impossible for any one desirous
of paying the tax in time to find it without
infinite difficulty. Indeed, the calculations
of the collector appear to be based upon the
idea that the tax in a maj jority of instances
will not be paid in time, and that he will
consequently be able to pocket the costs.
The circulars now being issued demand So '05,
and assuming that one-half of the $4,000
taxables have not paid-and we are certainly
much within bounds in this estimate-the
collector will pocket the very pretty sun
of $26,250 as his share of the
swindle. 1t is an outrage that such tax al
this should ever be imposed, and it is al
aggravation of the outrage that it should bt
collected in the manner it is. Our militit
system is certainly not as efficient as it shoul(
be, but be this as it may, it is certain tina
the tax does not support it, and the principa
end and aim of the whole affair is to furnsl
Mr.. Isaac @. Pearson, or whoever is fortunate
enough to hold the collectorship, with al
opportunity to make a large fortune in
short time with very little labor. We have
considered the militia tax swindle in only on,
of its aspects to-day, but as the subject il
one that we'll deserves ventilation, we will re
tuln 10 it hereafter.