Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-09
ference excluding everything not strictly "gov-
ernment" and not especially mentioned.

terence excluding everything not SLrlCLly gov.
ernment" and not especially mentioned.
Some Omissions Pointed Out.
So little has the Trainer of the bill realized the
complexity of a modern municipality that he
omits from his schedule the following depart
ments of our city organization, for which,
therefore, no tax could be collected under
the bill The Bureau of Street Cleaning.
the Bureau of Water, the Electrical Bureau,
the Fire Bureau, the Board of Fire Escapes,
the Boiler Inspectors. the Building Inspectors,
the Bureau of City Property. the Bureau of
Health, the Municipal Hospital the Bureau of
City Iceboats the City Morgue, the Port
Wardens, the Park Commission, the Harbor
Commissioners, the Oil Inspectors, and the
Nautical School. Even in what he does men,
tion his dictlon is SO confused that he provides
'for the support of the poor and INDECENT in
sane" thus taking care of the insane and lit
orally excluding paupers. Section Z. line y as
sumes that the school tax is to be levied by the
school district, which is novelty, at least SO
far as Philadelphia is concerned and IN line II,
"class seven" is alluded to when ''class six" is
obviously intended. Section 20 is devoted to
raising the poll tax to 81 25, very commend
able thing in itself, but 1t requires this
payment to be made by "all natural male
persons over 81 years of age" thus
including all strangers who may chance to
pass through the State or to reside here tempo
rarily. Fortunately the complications which
the enforcement of this curious regulation
emitting all penalty for non-payment and all
instructions as to how such a tax is to be COL
lected, whether from strangers or citizens.
1t will not do to disregard all this as captious
or verbal criticism. Such is precisely the criti-
cism to which all laws are subjected. and
which they must be drafted to meet, first from
the officials entrusted with their execution,
and then from keen lawyers and able judges.
when doubtful points require to be settled
The bill fairly brstes with such obscurities
and incongruities, and this is the more mex
cusable, as it affects every household. every
store, every factory and every corporation
within the boundaries of Pennsylvania.
How to Relieve Taxpayers.
The effort in the bill to make the "transpor.
tation and transmission" companies pay their
fair proportion of the public burdens is move
in the right direction, but would suggest that
much more could be accomplished for the re-
devise measures for preventing the discrImina.
tioDs in transportation which exercise SO bane-
full an influence on the prosperity of the public
for the enrichment of the few.
The bill has evidently been drawn to fit the
agricultural counties of the State, and we are
told that they demand its passage. If they
think it would be beneficial to them we of the
cities have no right to prevent them from ex-
perimenting with it, but We have the right to
demand that they shall not infiict upon US
measure utterly unsuted to our needs. 1t
would require but simple amendment exclud-
ing from Its operations cities of the first and
second, and perhaps, third class, and then both
parties will be satisfied. AS the State revenues
are not involved and as the sole object of the
bill is local taxation. there can be no pretense
that uniformity is necessary. and the rural and
urban population can each have a system
adapted to their wishes.