The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-22
THE MILITIA TAX.

The Military Board of the First Division N.
G. of Pennsylvania, 'believing that the sub
ject only needs to be properly understood in
order to remove much of the unpopularity of
the law caused by continual and persistent
Misrepresentation, have published PAM
phlet giving their views with regard to the
militia tax, with reports of the Receiver,
Division Paymaster, and brigade officers,
which contain the receipts of the tax
during the year ending May 2, 1871, with the
manner of their distribution. This pamphlet
the substance of which we gave last week.
is, we believe, the first official statement with
regard to this tax that has ever been pub
lished, and as it has undoubtedly been
elected by the criticisms which the Division
Board complain of as persistent misrepre-
tations, it may be considered as promising
sign that the division officers and their sub
ordinates of the Military Tax Office are begin
ming to have an appreciation of the fact that
the citizens who pay the tax are interested in
knowing something about its collection and
distribution, and that they are anxious to be
informed as to whether they get the worth
of their money. While the division officers pro-
fess to believe that their statements contained
in the pamphlet before us ought to be sufd-
eient to silence criticism, even if they do not
make our citizens enthusiastic on the subject
of paying the tax, we find in them ample evil
| dence of the correctness of our statement
that the tax is an improper one, that it is i'm
properly collected and distributed, and that
| it is practically of no benefit whatever to the
community at large.
According to the report of the Re-
ceiver, the sum of $50, ,32l '02 was col
lected during the year ending May 2.
| OF this amount $5593'27, or nearly one
fourth, was absorbed for necessary expenses.
Now a tax which costs such percentage as
this to collect ought to be very important in
deed, especially when it is attended with so
many irritating and obnoxious features as is
this militia tax, and the majority of plain,
practical common sense people will not be
long in coming to the conclusion that $l'25
per man, which was the largest dividend made
during the past year, will scarcely do enough
for the support of the militia of the First di-
vision for the citizens of Philadelphia to be
annoyed as they are in its collection. The
reason given for the non-collection of larger
amount is curious. The Receiver in his re-
port SAYS
'.The discrepancy which exists between the total
number of citizens enrolled as liable TO military duty
by the assessors, and the number who pay the com
mutation tax, is bess exempliied bV c0mparlson N
with the figures of the Eighth ward
Total number enrolled 1865
FSempt Tor service and disapilisy .........isi
over age....... ........,......'.'.. So(
Removed. ..........
-l640
Cannot be found supposed rem 'ved) .-....... 90;
Here is practical confession on the part OF
the Receiver that out OF 2565 persons en-
, rolled 1879, or nearly three-fourths, have moi
! paid the tax or excused themselves in lega
manner. Further than this, it is fact, fol
0 which proof can be produced, that persons
n have been excused without the production o.
3 sufficient evidence, and that the tax has no
i, been collected in cases where those liable t
It 1T have shown sturdy disposition to contes
# its payment to the last 1t Car