Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-29

get money out OF tnem. The Russian 10 natur-
ally suspicious, and you have to have the proper
means Of Identification or the police is called in
and your record is looked up. 1t takes about
day for q stranger to get a check cashed at
country bank, and charges are made for every
thing. In figuring up the amount due you in
change the banker will use little box Of but
tons strung on wires instead Of calculating by
figures. and be adds and subtracts, nultiplies
and divides rather as the Chinese do than the
Europeans. There are pawnbroking shops in all
the towns; These are licensed by the govern
ment. and the pawnbrokers have to make large
deposits and pay well for the privilege
THE IMPkhIAL BANK
Speaking Of the Imperial Bank, il is inter-
esting to note how this immense sum of nearly
e5Oo, oOo, 900 worth Of taxes is collected every
year and where it comes from. This is a big
country, but the revenue would. n divided
among the Russian people, amount to $25 Q
family, and the expenditures Of the govern
ment are enormous. The emperor, in addition
to his Large private fortune, has practically the
control OF al the revenues Of the empire and
his word is law as to the disbursement Of this
vast sum. He has q big organization under
him and he has his cabinet Just 90 our Presi-
dent has. This vast empire Is divided up into
provinces or states, each Of which has its gov
ernor, who rules the state much as our govern
ors do, but who is appointed by the emperor.
Every state is divided up into districts and
every district into towns and villages and there
are elective assemblies in the towns counties
and states, which have much to say as to the
distribution of the taxes, and every village de.
cides just how much each Of its members shall
pay Of the land taxes. The peasants
now pay about 50 head for their
adult male population and they pay more
than ESQ, 900 Of direct taxes every year.
The bulk Of the revenue, however, is col
THE TAXES.
lected in indirect taxes and Russia has higher
wall of protection about it than the United
States. All sorts Of imports are taxed and
there is a revenue tax spirits which amounts
to $3.50 DOC, 900 year, and the passport taxes
amount to something like SIC, 900. 900. Nearly
everything under the sun is taxed and the tax
list is greater than ours was during the worst
part of the civil war. You have to pay a tax
to carry any kind of business here, and a
clerk in a store is taxed for the privilege of
clerking. 1t costs about Sc year for the right
to sell tobacco and if you want to run a hack
ney coach or a sledge you must take out a Ii
cense at a cost Of IS. You pay $500 year for
keeping distillery and S75 for selling wine in
a tavern, and if you keep restaurant of any
kind you have to take out license for it. II
you own a horse it will cost you 90 year in
taxes and dog you can have for 80 cents. II
you have law suit you will have to pay a tax
on the amount of money involved in it, Rail-
road tickets are taxed and 25 per cent is
charged on express rates. There is a tax for
fire insurance and there are taxes on house
hold furniture and personal property. You
note in your purchases at the stores that all i'm
ported goods have little metal tags fastened to
them by wires and these are the government
stamps put on by the custom house officers. II
lady wishes ribbon for her hair a man buys
a neck.ie they find upon them these little
stamps, the cost of which has been added to
the price Of the goods.
PROTECTION AND THE WORLDS FAIR.
This Russian protection crowds nearly all