Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-22

This growth Of taxes, national, State and
municipal-in short Tor every form of gov
ernment-has never drawn such attention
as now. TIE extraordinary action of Con-
gress in calling for one thousand million of
dollars for its appropriations this year ap-
pears to have set the pace through the
country, and it is not alone the gentlemen in
the saddle at Washington who can ride hard
and fast when the popular eheek-rein is
loosely set.
A consideration of some recent figures is
instructive as showing the weight of the
burden. Let US see for example what was
TO be contributed for the current year by or
for each inhabitant of our own city, whether
infant or adult.
!. The Congressional appropriation calls
for the equivalent of per capita tax of
about SIS upon each Of the population of
the country.
,. The State of Pennsylvania appropria-
tions are reported as being likely to call for
near SIS 600, OOO which, if allowed, would
represent per capita tax of SIS on the
population of the State.
3. The city of Pittsburg's appropriation o
81, 500, 900 for the year is almost S20per capita
on the population of the city.
4. Allegheny county tax, say So per capita
population of the county.
These rough but sufficiently close esti-
mates show for the current year the equiva-
lent of total per capita tax of S47 for resi-
dents OF our own city. Allowing for in
iants, for the helpless, incapacitated and un-
employed, the usual average of four to every
adult workingman, and it appears that on
the labor of the latter there is a total yearly
tax OF S2S5.
That the tax in none of these cases is nomi-
nAlly per capita, and that in none is it as
sessed directly upon the productive labor of
the country, makes of course no difference
in the actual result since whether direct or
indirect, or in whatever form assessed, it is
all in the end payable by labor. Thus the
first item which real estate owner counts
in setting his rents is the amount of the
taxes: and the grocer in turn counts up his
rents and his business tax and adds for same
TO the price of his goods But course all that
is an old story, and perfectly understood by
the dullest, or should be by this time. What
attracts interest now is the substantial and
somewhat startling result that the labor of
each active producer, especially In our
cities, has to pay directly and indirectly, be-
tween national, State and county taxes,
about enough to support one oficeholder.
The business of government must go on.
and no one wants 1t TO be inefficient, shabby
or parsimonious. But there is such thing
as getting on too fast In the old times,
among the Orientals, for every man who
sowed or harvested, there had to be another
with sword TO furnish protection. Protec-
tion is still the main thing got from Federal
and State Governments-the city gives us
streets and schools besdes-but judging by
the money paid, it is getting back almost to
the Oriental standard of man for man, one
TO work, the other to watch, and the net
product of the labor divisible into two nearly
equal parts, one for him who labors product
lively, the other for him who holds Govern
ment post.
The powers in politics will have to
moderate their pace or the people will
begin to inquire whether it is necessary they
should pay SO much for what they get