The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-10

l New York, Feb 9.--(SpeclaL )--Bills embodying the bachelor tax have been, or will be, introduced this year In the
 Legislatures of ten States and in Wis.,
 consin the Governor is said to favor | such a measure. It is interesting tc
 recall in connection with these efforts
 at legislation against the bachelor that
 gubernatorial campaign was once ' waged in Kansas on the condition thai l the Republican candidate. If elected, would take unto himself wife. The pending measures show good 1 deal of variety. It may be said that l they go from jest to earnest It IS l notable that while the spinsters of Wakefield, Mass, pray to the General Court for 8 graduated tax on bachelors up to forty years, chloroferm to De substituted for assessments after that age, the young women of Charleston, W. Va, respectfully ask the State Leg islature to let the 'celibates alone. Just leave them to us" is, in effect, the plea of these fair young Southern girls. The tax contemplated In the several States ranges from $5 to $50 year. In most cases it is graduated according to age, in some cases 40 and in some 55 years is the headline of matrimonial availability. Equally varied are the uses to which it is proposed to apply Lu6 IunuB- III 1OHG ShO Ra~h vote it to the maintanance of home for fallen women, and in Indiana to paying the salaries of women teachers Missouri would devote it's tax on celt- bacy to good roads, probably taking It for granted that bachelors must neces- sally have hard road to travel.
 Iowa proposes the higher bachelor tax, $25 a year at the age of 40 and tso at the age of 45. Texas folk, who op- pose the scheme to tax bachelors, ad- vance the argument that such a law would drive the single men Into hfi-
 happy marriages. The supporters of the proposed tax retort that there was noAsuch fear in Sparta, where ceiibacy was a punishable crime. nor in Rome under Augustus, when unmarried men under 60 were forbidden to accept lega- cies At the present time Argentina taxes her bachelors s5 a month from the age of 20 to the age of 80. and works the rate up to SEQ Tor the ages of 35 to 50.
 Pubiic and Bachelor.
 It is doubtful, according to persons who have kept up with the attempts In the past to pass leglslation of this kind if anything will come of the measures before the different Legisla- tures, Nevertheless, it may be said, and probably with a good deal Of truth, that the agitation indicates the tenn per of the feeling of the public against the unmarried man. He Is looked upon generally as an unfit sort of per son something of a skulker. At least the spinisters will agree with that view.
 Rut to return to what is being done in the different States toward making the life of the bachelor more miserable, If he Is already miserable. Out In H. Iinois at the begenning of the present session of the Legislature Represen- tatiye Tony Cermak of Chicago, intro duced a bill to put an annual levy of s5 on every male of more than 3O years. He had framed up things with inc speaker to have 1t referred to favorable committee and the prospects Ioolxnd fine when MT. Cermak lost his nerve.
 'It was like this" said he, T got up the bill thinking it would bring lot of additional revenue. told one oi the newspaper men about iti ne gave if away and since then l have been annoyed so much that nave gwen UP The idea, First l had a vigorous Kick from some of my Catholic friends, who declared it would be an outrage to tax the clereymen; others wanted to npit inc tax 10 the priesthood. Men and women with all sorts of schemes re- garding marriage and divorce wanted to amend the bill. Some were i'll earn est and others took the bill as joke On account of the publication of my measure | am getting tons of mail ev- cry day and I wish to goodness l had never heard of the scheme"
 The bill to tax the bachelors Of Mis- souri is being pushed by an anti-race suicide advocate, Senator Kinney. who lives in a 1ensely populated district in St. Louis, where there Is no indica- ton of race suicide. Senator Kinney proposes placing poll tax or $lo year on all unmarried male citizens of sound mind over 25 for the benefit Of the state road fund. The State had such tax for several years after It was admitted to the Union. The levy was then &2 year.
 A Menace to Society.
 In Iowa the women are responsible for the proposed tax bill. An Old Maids and Old Bachelors Convention was held at Forest City last summer and the present measure is result of its deliberations Under the proposed bill bachelors past forty will be assessed s25 A year and over 45 ab $3O Pro vision is made that no bachelor may be taxed whose income is not more than Sl,000 a year. The preamble Of the bill declares that unmarried men are a menace to society and that the morals of the larger cities are degen- erating because of them. Clinton Mer rick, who is called king of bachelors and is President of the National As sociation of Bachelor Men and Maids, is leading the fight on behalf of those who would enjoy blessedness without extra cost He declares that there are too many marriages and too many chill dren for the countrys good.
 In Massachusetts no bill authorizing a tax on bachelors has been introduced in the Legislature. but this petition is on exhibition at tho State House:
 ITO the Great and General Court of Massaohusetts-W the unmarried ia- dies ol the town Of Wakeheld. petition your honorable body for a law levying tax upon bachelors, said tax to De graduated as follows: From 20 to 25