New-York tribune., 1873-07-03

tax law of 1872. declared unconstitutional LOT
some technical defects by the Court OF Ap-
meals. and reenacted by the Legislature Of
1873. This tax is now being paid into the
treasury and will produce $7,000,0OO. And yet,
NV tbe end of the current fiscal year (Septcm-
her 9O,. IA the result of the legislation OF 1872
and 1873 there will be still deficiency OF from
90 900 900 TO s3.OOO000, which must be met
sooner or later by second special deficiency
tax.
The canal expenditures since 1869 have been
,yitbout nrecedent in the history OF the
State. The taxes collected and TO be collected
for the five years from 1870 to 1874 inclusive
for canal purposes aggregate the enormous
sum of St48O9,G30 o. For the five years I'M
mediately preceding they were only 3h@oo'-
gOy A. and for the five years from looo 10
1854. inclusive, 1856 ,253 46. More taxes nave
been levied for the canals in the last hVe
wears than in the preceding eleven. Inc eA-
penses for collecting the tolls and making
ordinary repairs, which are paid out Oh the
canal revenues, show similar prOgresSioh'
For the five years from 1868 to 1872, inclusive
they are $S,73G5j4 70; for the five years pre-
from 1858 to 1859, $4,2O3,9l9 H.
For fifteen years, from 1927 to ISL IN
elusive. there was no tax levied by the State
of New-York. For fifteen more, from lol@ 10
1856, inclusive. the tax averaged less than one
mill per dollar. For the four years ended
with 1860 the average rate was three MUS
For the five years ended with 1866 1T was un-
der fpe mills. For the four years ended with
1859 it was q little over sir mills. For the four
years ending with 1873 the average IS nearly
scrcn-and- -one-hird mills. The rate fixed by
the Legislature for the present year, that Is 10
say. the fiscal year commencing on the lst OF
October next, is 6 95-100 mills, and this is not
sufficient to meet the demands on the treasury.
Each mill produces over S2,OOO0OO, Of which
one half is paid by the City of New York
alone.
The Republican party came again into power
in 1872 with many professions of economy and
of their intentions to Tighten the burdens rest
ing on taxpayers, yet the actual performance
has not satisfied popular expectation. Neither
in canal management nor in that of the State
prisons, notoriously the great strOn gholds OF
fraud, arc they as yet able to show that they
have accomplished anything Whatever. Var-
ous public buildings are advancing by slow
stages, at snail's pace, towards completion,
with an annual absorption of public
money which is terrific to the tax
payers Not the slightest effort has been
made to reform the absurdities,
inequalities and injustice of our system OF
taxation. David A. Wells and two other ac-
complished gentlemen are employed for three
years in labOrious investigation of these gi-
gantic evils, and the Legislature tumbles their
report unread into the waste basket and re-
fuses 10 devote a single instant to the discus
sion of its contents. Appropriation bills have
to be delayed until the last hour of the ses-
sion, and then carried through by sleight Of
hand, as the only way Of shutting of eXtTdSa-
CANT and reckless grants, or rather grabs, of
money from treasury already worse than
empty. Such are the characteristics OF the
| financial legislation of 1872 and 1873, subject
which is treated more in detail elsewhere in
our columns 49,