The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-01-10

biv,se". ns,.i" @ on stock owned by tie Com
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The total expenditures tor th,
game .;me we're s5O24-66 A.
or this aggregate more than foul
millions were derived from taxes on
generations The only item which
H. anv trne sense. is a direct tax on
The neople is that "a s437.576.64
..,ax ON personal pfoDerty.' This
t.x is derived from money at inter.
est watches and carriages. If it is
desirable to retain the taxes on the
n.,ional hanks. which Weld the
state nearly three hundred and fifty
thousand dollars annually. this tax
ON personal property" cannot be
abolished. as the acts of Congress,
creating the national banks, forbid
their h,.iny subject 70 anv greater
tax than is imposed upon "other
meneved capital'' in the State,
There is no tax for State purposes
on real estate. Except certain cor
porate bonds and stocks. and the
road beds and slops and mechanical
devices of railroads. all property In
the State is liable to local taxes, for
city county. school. Door ana road
puruoses. The laws tfer their levy
and collection are substantially uni
form sufficiently understood by the
neople. and their fulliexecution de-
nends ON the fidelity and nerve of
The local officer and the temper of
tie taxpayers. In ,i.is distribution
of burlhens between the State and
the local subdivisionsl am aware oi
no instance in which anv connu.
nitv or interest suffers any relative
Injustice although inde finite claims
are made TO that effect. cannot
conceive how "horrizon,al equality
of ,.xat;on i tn be secured except
hv details so minute. ipouisitorial
and vexatious as to be distateful to
the neople. inefficacious and out of
all nronortlon to the results accom-
plisled If all the taxes of all the
neopIe for all pursos.s in the whole
Stale were accumulated into the
Stale Treasury. no scheme of redis-
,r,bution can be devised which could
reach the growing needs, the con
filctinp claims and changing equities
at different localities. 1t will he IA
dangerous departure from the bab-
its and customs of the people to de
strov the autonomy OF local govern
ment in tine municipal subdivisions.
That in the siugle case of the public
schools the State takes out of its
treasury and hands fpot back. but,
to the school districts one million
dollars annually, aud has so fixed it
upalterabIy In the eor-titution. is
TO testify its detern. ipttian that there
shall be 10 shortcomings in duty to
AN interest vital To the districts and
the State as whole. There are no
serious mischiets in the system to
correct. and no violent remedies need
to be applied. Adjustments and
adaptations will be suggested bv ex-
perience from time to time. This is
the theory upon which the revenue
bills. to be submitted to you bv the
commission. provided for in 1881.
have been constructed.
There is. however. a safe and prac-
ticabIe scheme by which there might
how be a partial redistribution ofI
the burtbens of taxation. Under
the present and prospectiye reye-
nues of the State larger sums 90
annually into the sinking fund than
can be ayailablv used. There are
required from it the interest of the
State debt and the extinguishment
each year of at least two hundred |
and fifty thousand dollars of the
principal of the public debt. accord |
ing to the provisions of the Consti
tutions. Under existing statutes the
fund is swelled by taxes larpely in |
excess of these demands Onipions
differ as the greater or less rapiditv
with which the State debt OUGHT to
be paid off We have no debt ma
iuriug pn,il 1892 except an animal
,n omit of two hundred and fifty
dollars If the money in
he sinking fund is TO he +u,loyed
IN buv;no the bopds of the limited
states or This State to anv great ex.
,ept it can ouly be done now bv
yoiny into the omen market and I
them at the l,rue nre-
niums referred TO. would recon.
nend therefore n diversion of finds
which come into the State Treasury
rom the sinking fund to the general
s,nd except only the sum demand
u for pavment of interest and the
requirement as to
,rincipaI together with sucb oddi- +
iorsl reserve a. nrudeuce and The
of further moder.te
-eduction of the debt might indi-
,ate. After subserving all these
purposes the State Treasury would
till, if estimated revenues held out,
,e in such a position of strength as
o dispense with the taxes derived
rom some or all of the following
sources: Tavern licenses, retailers
licenses, eating house licenses, and