The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-15

of cutting down the state appropriation
to the public schools has led to move
ment for an increase in the state revenues.
Three bills providing for emergency taxes
have been introduced in the house of rep
resentatives by Ward r. Bliss, of Della
ware. They are founded on the principles
OF existing revenue laws and do not re-
quire legal mind to interpret them. The
bills will be taken up for discussion at the
next meeting of the ways and means com
mittec.
THE governors message and the re-
port of the state treasurer for 1885, Mr..
Bliss said, 'show that the revenues of
the state are about $2,00O0OO year less
than enough to pay the ordinary expenses
of the state government. To scale the eX-
penses down below the present figure
would be disgraceful parsimony. Even
now the condition of the insane asylums
and prisons is disgrace to state as
rich as Pennsylvania. Necessarily these
expenses will increase from year to year
Now comes the sudden necessity of build
ing new capitol, involving of at least
million dollars year for the next three
years.
where is the necessary money to he
found? on the one hand it is suggested
that we get it by reducing the state ap-
preparation to the public schools and by
cutting off all the appropriations to char
suggestion 1t is, in effect, a proposition
to put upon the unfortunate victims of
accident and disease, and upon the real
estate of the school Districts the cost of
building the new capitol and of making
| up the present deficiency of revenue The
| people will not endorse 1t and | am salts
| fled that the proposition cannot command
| the votes of one-third of the present
house of representatives. The Repupli-
| can party cannot afford to put forth such
| proposition as expressive of its high2st
wisdom and ability to meet great
| emergency.
"On the other hand there have been
made certain suggestions that have been
| embodied in my three revenue bills. They
| propose emergency taxes only, continuing
| for three years which is the utmost limit
| of time that should be allowed for the
| entire completion of the new capitol
| building. If they should all be enacted
into law they will produce a revenue of
not less than $35cO,0OO a year tor TIN ee
| years and would do it by a kind Of taxa
| ton that the people would not feel.
| "One of these bills proposes a horizon
| tai increase of one mill in most os the
| taxes now paid by corporations, one mill
on the money at interest, per cent. on
| the premiums of foreign insurance COM
panes and l per cent. on collateral in
| heritances. 1t adds nothing to the tax
| on municipal loans, because that would
involve an additional burden on local
| real estate, which the state ought to
| avoid. The most Objectionable feature of
| the bill Is the increase of the collateral in
| heritance tax, much of which falls upon
| charitable beauests.
| "It has been suggested by one of the
| best posted men in Pennsylvania on the
| subject of taxation that instead of this
we should follow the example of New
York and impose a tax of per cent. on
all direct inheritance exceeding $4,000.
| Such a tax would raise very large rev.
enue and would make 1t possible to reduce
| some of the corporation taxes imposed by
this bill. In Its present form the bill will
produce revenue of about So, 100000 year
and will not be at all burdensome upon
| the corporations.
Corporation taxes are not now nearly
as great as the taxes on real estate. 1t is
not good policy to tax corporate property
very heavily, for it is easily removed
| from one state to another. But as these
are emergency taxes, imposed for three
years only, there is no danger that tny
corporation will go out of business in
Pennsylvania if the bill be passed, and
there is no injustice in asking that since
their property is taxed so much less than
| real estate they and not the real property
| of the state shall pay for the building of
the new capitol. If, however the COR
porations object to this increased taxa
ton they can avoid much of ii by helping
us pass the bills which impose a tax on
malt liquors, for if they become laws. a
tax upon direct inheritances exceeding
$4,000 and a loan of 81, 100000 will produce
nearly all the revenue that the state will
need.
1T is proposed by two of the bills to i'm
pose tax of a half cent gallon on malt
liquors brewed in Pennsylvania and one
cent gallon on those brewed outside tie
tn tn 10 i'm
the rate of tax will compensate the do
mestc brewers for the disadvantage to
which they will be put when competing
for outside markets for untaXed beer, hut
if they prefer 1t the taxes can be made
equal and beer exported from the state
can be exempt 1t has been calculated
that these two bills will produce n rev
enue of nearly Sl,5O0,0OO a year, and YET
| the tax will be not more than one cent or
fifteen glasses of beer. BY reason Of the
competition among the brewers, they, and
not the retailers, will have to pay the tax
II believe a tax on malt liquors will be
the most popular method of raising the
revenue now needed. Two years ago &
bill of this kind passed the house by 6
| large majority and passed two readings
| in the senate. 1t was then recommitteC
| and smothered. Whether that can be
done again will depend upon the extent tC
which public sentiment can be aroused
|
but If these bills cannot be passed the
corporation bill can be and that, with {
loan of 81 900, 600, will raise all the revenue
needed to build the capitol and properly
care for the public schools, the prisons
the insane asylums and the charitable in
stitutions
For years Pennsylvania has been fol
lowing a penny-wise, poundfoolish poll
cy, squandering enough money to builC
new capitol in endless repairs to anti
quated Undertook buildings that ought T.
have been torn down long ago, and crowd
ing into asylums and penitentiaries TIVE
and three times many inmates as car
be properly and economically cared for
and all for fear Of offending somebody /!
increasing his taxes. Now the issue viii
have to be met and it is not altogethe
unfortunate to the state that this is so
The present legislature can provide tn
revenue needed without imposing ta
slightest burden upon the people"
-;I:-
Two other bills of general inter st hav,
been presented in the house, by Benjamin
X. Focht of Union. One - Of specia
interest to the sporting fraternity l
prohibits the killing for sale. of phoas
ants, quail or woodcoctl un1er pcLaIi
of So bird. Transporta ION cMnpanle
are subject to a similar penalty for th
shipment of these birls Flulters are LA
: BILE to a fine of s. for killing more than
five pheasants or quail and eight wood
= cock on a single day. The bill allow
transportation companies to carry g"m
killed outside the state, and anybody ma!
carry on a train less than eight birds a
one time, The act is modelled after IN
= New York state law. 1t strikes at III
paid pot-hunter and experts sent out b.
/ the cold storage trust. They quickly eX
= terminate the birds, leaving nothInG 70
. the average country hunter who goes ou
for recreation and pleasure.
, Iba Ath ,,l.. fE a tyN,,,r %