Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-11-15
a LITTLE SERMON ON TAXATION

food, sound Sense Talked in Plain
English.
The county tax levy is now before the
people, and 1t Is not difficult to guess
what the city levy will be, says the Sc
attic Post-Intelligencer. The state.
county and school tax for Seattle will
be POI mills. and If the city levy should
be IL mills, the total will be about 80
mills. II the proposed plan should be
adopted of issuing more bonds and maxi
ing the taxpayers pay the interest on
the old water bonds, instead of out of
the water receipts, it is probable anoth-
er mills must be added, which will
bring us up almost to the charter limit,
and our levy will be So mills. There
will be one resource left, and that is to
put on a poll tax of 81, as allowed by
the charter. Then some of the voters
VINO want to issue more bonds, but are
not subject to property tax, can be
made to bear part of the burden.
The city charter was framed five
years ago to fit population of 100000:
we haven't the population and we haven't
the property, but we have every cent of
the taxes. The trouble with this city
for the past five or six years is that we
nave been so busy preparing for so
years hence that we haven't had time
TO put ourselves in shape to get some
thing to eat for the present and some
thing to pay the debts we already owe.
The city council will sit up nights
scheming and planning how to save
policeman's salary; they will hold long
sessions and have joint conventions
and appoint committees of both houses
and pass concurrent resolutions to the
effect that deputy's salary shall be
reduced from SIS to $40 a month; but
when 1t comes to plastering on an in
terest debt of $4,000 month and q prin-
cipal debt million and a quarter it
goes whizzing through with fash of
meteor across the startled darkness
of a November night.
While from every growing and pro-
gressive city goes up the cry for cheap
power and lower taxes, our astute pol
icy is to kill off every inducement for
manufacturing capital to invest in Sc
attic, and to keep raising the taxes.
Year by year our load of debt is in
creasing. Slowly but surely the day
is coming when we must begin to pro-
vide sinking fund for several of our
bond issues. Year by year our tax levy
6Sto AA6hCi, Jul PiOpeIly NdludllOH Qe-
creases, and the amount of money sent
out in interest increases. We have
vowed with each new issue of bonds
that this should positively be the last,
yet with undaunted assurance, debt
comes perennially forward with a CHR
ripping cheerfulness, soliciting the favor
of your votes once more and walks off
with another wad of coupons.
There is always good excuse for it.
Every time we are asked to fund an old
debt, create a new one, issue new
bonds or validate old warrants, there
Is always plausible reason. Pressing
necessity has justified it in the past;
there is no such plea for the present.
If we can condemn for a water supply
now, we can certainly do it as well f1f-
teen or twenty years hence, when pub
lie necessity shall be it's justification
and public policy will sweep away all
obstacles on the statute books and In
the courts. All public spirit. sagacity
and courage will not die out with the
present council. We have faith that
future law makers, future councils and
future tribunals will be eminently well
qualified to take care of the interests
of future generation. AS for the pres
emit, sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof.