Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-03-17

erty taxes, death duties, both on what
is inherited and what is movable.
Then in addition there is a graded in
come tax on rents, mortgages, indus
tries, professional incomes, and
clerks salaries. And besides all
these there is family tax on horses,
carriages, etc, which is graded ac-
cording to the style in which a man
lives. With all this squeezing the
government keeps its place in the So
called Triple Alliance, with Germany
and Austria, and in time of peace
maintains an army of $50 600 men and
u navy of about 300 battleships, small
and great: and at present is not run
ming behind in its yearly accounts.
The war strength of the army, that
is, the entire humber of men who are
drilled either a part or the whole of
the year, Is two and a half million
men. Soldiers on duty get two cents
day, besides board, lodging and
clothes. Such taxes and such an
army seem very heavy to us, but | do
not think they compare unfav orably
with other European nations. Indeed
an authority on taxation says France
is at present taxed about double per
capita what Italy is. do not think
this is by any means the sole cause of
the poverty of the people. Money is
deprecated. 1t is supposed to be a
silver currency, but the only piece of
silver | have seen was u worn piece
passed off on me the first day | was in
the country, and which was SO bad |
had difficulty in getting rid of it. The
paper money reminds me of the "shin-
plasters" which were common during
our civil war, and the "change' is in
four cent nickel pieces, and copper
coins worth from one fifth of "a cent to
two cents in our money. A pound in
English money changes here for 1923
of Italian money; SO it is cheap
place for n foreigner to live. 1t
would make you smile to see people
doing their marketing. ] know about
it from experience. 1t will interest
our M. T.. friends to know that we are
excepting house. in u small suite of
rooms which CHANGED to be unoccu-
pied in our Methodist building here.
Under this roof are u boys school, a
theological school, an Italian and
English NJ r. church, and four
preachers and teachers, with their
families. Washington's birthday we
had "Old Glory" over us. But | be-
gan to tell about our marketing. Ev-
erybody here buys only one days
supply at u time of most things; so we
have fallen in with the idea and get
our food as the Jews did their mamma,
II daily supply for the Sabbath. I'M
agine me buying two cents worth of
flour Ono one bakes bread or cakes
but the bakers J, four cents worth of
coffee, three cents worth of potatoes,
and hvo cents worth of meat. Sugar
and kerosene are way up, but the
other things are cheap. waited for
n woman to do her marketing the
other day, and this was her order,
each article wrapped carefully by
# Al
cents worth of sausage, two cents
worth of lard, and three cents worth
of salt pork. IT | had dared | would
have asked her how large II family
that seven cents worth of provisions
would feed. You tan buy u breast of
n chicken, or II leg of u turkey.
never spent so much money in my life,
and then had SO much left, and some
times feel like the boy ut the old fash
toned ''mustern who boosted to his
companion that he had been there half
II day, and bought Il heap of things,
and yet had spent only seven cents.
Secondly, the people are immoral.
| use the word in the broad sense, and
mean that the standard of morality,
MS of cleanliness, is away behind the
age. stores are open on Sunday al
most universally, except when the
proprietors close to go and have n
good time. In the great square of
San Marco, in Venice. whose three
sides of more than 300 yards are com
plctely filled with little stores and
offices, Cooks Tourist Office was the
only place closed on Sunday fore
noon, and Cook is an Englishman.
In the afternoon | noticed good
many shutters up, but it was not SO
the clerk's could go to church, for
nearly all the churches were closed at
noon All the elections are held on
Sunday, and if the legislature has
much business on hand, Sunday SEES
sious are In order. To show the rcpu-