The daily morning Alaskan., 1900-01-01
WHAT IS DUE TJ US

VAYE open the New Year with a NV balance that ought to stand to our credit on the national ledger Of about s3OO, ,OOO. This is the sum we have paid into the national treasury since the opening of the fiscal year on July lst last, and therefore does not repre- sent the whole income of year under our present system of taxation. The official figures forwarded to the DAILY ALASKAN by Albert D. Elliot, clerk of the United States court, is only from July list to Noy. 25th, and th.s shows the number of liquor licenses issued to be lO9, and of miscellaneous licenses 3S6. The first of these items netted the sum of s95,375, and the latter s27, 9la .O5; a total of sl23, ,3ls.O5. This does not include money paid into court and held pending suits as to the constitu' tionality cf the law. At the date above given this amounted to s29, ,957.35, mak- ing q total of the taxation actually paid in of sI53 .267. 40. In Skagway several new licenses were applied for to date from December, and no doubt there have beon similar applications from othOr parts or Alaska.
 This total will be surprise to our fellow citizens of the states, who are under the belief that Alaska has no taxes whatever to pay except that Of liquor license, which was made unduly high in order to prevent handful of Indians from being demoralized by any beverage save the native brew of irenzy-producing hootchinoo. It is hard to make other citizens of free America believe that in this what is termed "in- hospitable climate" an energetic, en- terp.ising man, instead of being given a bounty is actually taxed if he has the courage to engage in any busi- ness. It is hard to believe because no such tax has ever before been levied on the people of any of the states or territories, and has never before been attempted. The constitutionality of this license law has therefore very properly been called into question.
 But We pay all the federal taxes in addition to these local ones. There is collected at this port alone in customs duties about s5O.OOO, per annum, in ad- dition to which there is the indirect tax on all the imported goods we con- sume. Then come the revenue stamps on every receipted bill, check, draft or other document. the inland revenue H. censes md SO on; so that it will be seen that the sum of s3OO,OOO which should be to the credit of Alaska as the result of her taxation, is a modest approxima- tion.
 We have been assured by men of po- litical influence that large portion of our local taxes will be expended in Alaska, But we insist that all of 1t should be expended here. Also, and more important still, that 1t is expended only in such Improvements as ordinar- fly fall to the charge of the community rather than the government. Not In court houses or post offices or other public buildings, for these are erected at the cost of the federal government, for the federal governments own use, in every plrt of the United States; nor in the education of the Indians, for the Indians are wards of the government. When, therefore, we ask for the whole of this large sum contributed by us un- der the head of local taxation to be devoted to strictly local purposes, we are we'll within our just rights. Also. we are not without reasonable hopes that our friends in congress will see the justice of this demand, and that being so, the New Year will open most auspiciously for neglected Alaska and for her great port and metropolis,