Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-11-08
WHAT Is THE REXEDY FUg TIE PEOPLE
% 0gEGgN

The peopse of Ofegon have no aPpar-
enG rsfDedy fog the. enOTmOOs burdens
Of taxation that viii Be be4ped upon
them in the Dext four years While
profits Of business, pnees Of farm pro
dsess and wages Of IatoTers and sslaTi.=
q all professional meD are reduced
nearly one hs!f, sAlariss and fees Of
state, eo1Dty, city and Other cfficizlz
are as high - ever, and where they gei
fses they will become much larger.
Tie valuations In Marion county for
taxati0n are eiocFszssd nearly ODe-third-
In the state st large the iOerezss will
be nearly in that ratio. The ratio Of
taxation by state, county and for school
purposes will be higher than ever, even
on a higher valuation, Illustrating.
what this writer has always claimed.
that Increasing valuations does not re-
suit ia reducing the levy. The spprO-
pgizsiOns BY the last legislature were
higher than ever befOTe- There IL no
apparent limit u the demands Of the
tsx-eater.
What are the farmers going to do
next year TO pay thee iaxez? How
will they raise tie money TO meet all
these big appropriations? They are
selling their products for reduced prices.
Their profits on cattle, grains, fruits,
and wool are cut of on all hands, and
taxes are increasing. A farmer was iD
this ONCE from Polk county and said
be DOUBTED II, after paying their debts,
there would be money enough left in
circulation in that county to pay taxes
with for 1893.
II this state Of things cannot Be
remedied the state government will
simply result in bankTuptiDg the tax
payers. Political insolvency is q mild
name for nIIsgoyeinment and lOOtiDg
OF public taxes by professional class
Of tax eaters who are pTeying of the
Taxpayers Of Oregon. But how to get
adior, how to reach results, is the
problem. What can taxpayers who
are not offiee-seekers and do not profit
by goyegnment do TO protect them
selves?
Some will say, join this party, or that
party, join q new party. Bot this 10
what people have been doing for these
many years. The men who get the
enormous incomes afforded by Success
fol political activity eau manage the
taxpayer very well when they can herd
him in parties and count bis vote before
It IL cast. There must be way by
which those who pay can have a say 20
in the government.
Why should the high salaries Of pub
lie officials and the enormous fees Of
public offices continue in the face OF
hard times? Why should not the ex-
penses OF government be reduced 10
city, county and state to somewhere
near the proportion Of other incomes
and other pecuBiary conditions? II
may be said that the number who
merely pay taxes still outuumber those
who consume taxes. But those who
consume taxes far Out-dO the taxpayers
In political activity. The tax eaters,
not the taxpayers, ran the government.
What Is the remedy? Is il not great
er political activity on the part Of those
who only pay? Is 1t not necessary
that the man who holds no Office, who
seeks no office, who does not profit by
local or state government-in other
words the disinlerested, unrepresented
taEpayer-that he shall protect himself
against the oligarcby Of olfiee-hoiders
who now rule over him2 In other
words must not the taxpayer organize
for selfprOteetiOn?
II will be found upon closer exAnin-
alton that the office seeking class have
very little at stake az 3 rule. They are
not the heavy tax payers as rule.
Neither IL their political activity q
matter OF principle 80 much as IL Is dol.
lars and O. nts. 10 fact the Office seek
log class In any community do no,
much regard party lines. They want
other people TO be partisAns aud vote
the straight ticket, as that very much
sImplIGes their political operations.
What can the tax payers do to reduce
the cost Of state, county and city gov
ernment, which now equals per cent
year on all property? II Is too much
IL will cripple most business enterprises
and render unremuneFative most prop
erty In this state the next four years
unless Il can be reduced. But how To-
reduce IT, Everyone knows that any
oiiice Ia the state eau be had well dlltd |
for from $500 to $1,000 year. Yet the
people are paying from 5000 To $40 900
. year, aud some even more. There IL
not county office that cannot be well
filed from $1,000 TO $500 yet the peO
pie are paying from 5000 TO $4,000. and
even more year. What is the remedy
Is there not enough common sense and
business intelligence among the tax
4 4