The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-16
PUT TAX UPON
 THE OLO MAIDS
Writer ResentS Placing Burden
 on Poor Bachelors
MARRIAGE RATE DECLINES
Only Class That Will Listen to Offers of Matrimony Are Widows Who Are Willing to Try
 Again.

From the Baltimore American.
 A great controversy is raging again over the ancient question of taxing bach elors. But why should bachelors be tax ed any more than old maids?
 People grow hysterical over the declin- ing marriage rate and rail violently against men who will not take upon their shoulders the yoke of matrimony. But Is there not something wrong here? Are not the women more at fault than the men?
 Why, I have known young woman to receive seven offers of marriage be- tween the ages of twenty and thirty, and she is. spinster today.
 She had chances of marrying-one or two of them very good-yet she refused every offer. For all that her spinster- hood will be set down as a result of man being tardy in coming forward-man. who prefers his freedom, his luxuries, and his full liberty.
 That is the hardship. Man is blamed for not coming forward, when the blame should rest on the woman.
 They Refuse to Marry.
 Hc pldlI tIulH IS tulS. NOmen these times of ours-or, at any rate, a large majority of them-wont accept of fers of marriage; they rather spurn them and the idea of being in any way tied down is utterly repugnant to your ordi- nary woman of today.
 Every man when he reaches a certain age and is in receipt of a certain salary, proposes to some woman and I do not believe there are exceptions or ever have been.
 Men are only too anxious to marry. and all this shrieking about men being back ward and refusing to wed, and so forth, is the veriest humbug.
 But what on earth can a man do? Ob- viously, he cannot drag woman to the alter; so, perforce he is compelled to settle down to enjoy as best he may a bachelors existence And remember, that 1t Is not one woman only whom your average man proposes to; in many cases he tries a dozen ere he retires, con- fused and dsgusted at womans reluc- tanee to marry.
 It Is the merest claptrap to say that Q woman in these times is ready to jump at any offer of marriage. She Is not. Usually she Is extremely particular, and will not think of marriage unless she clearly sees that 1t will benefit and better her in every way.
 Seek Wives in Vain.
 Men cannot get wives in these days. For one young woman who is ready and willing to marry there are half a dozen men ready to snap her up, so keen is the competition for the marrying girl.
 Still the critics say that men won't marry, that they prefer bachelorhood. Stuff and nonsense! Not one man In a hundred does that for. frankly, every man wants to get married, but usually cannot.
 How people can support any movement which aims at the taxation of bachelors puzzles me. They cannot have examined the facts Had they done so they would understand that the bachelor is usually a bachelor against his own inclination.
 Certainly, tax men who won't make an effort to get married: that is different thing, but precious few would there be to tax. And, most certainly, tax any wo- man who, having received offers of mar riage. has refused them all, granted that all else is equal. In that event a good sum would come to the public coffers an- nually.
 Bachelors Not to Blame.
 Undoubtedly, every bachelor Is the handiwork of some woman or women, and doubtless there are plenty of bache- lors from forty years upward who would willingly pay taxation rather than marry after sthe rebuffs and insults they have received from women to whom they pro- posed.
 Now know the sort of argument like Iv to be brought forward. If a young woman does not fancy any of the men who propose to her, Is she not right to refuse them all?
 Quite right; but in that event don't say that men will not come forward, and don't propose to tax bachelors for the latter reason.
 No wonder widows, especially young ones get married quite easily. The real secret lies in the fact that they are more easily talked around. and, having had a taste of matrimony, they are usually quite ready to try another course. Accordingly they give men trihe Of encouragement. They do not laoie out rebuffs and contemptuous remarks when man comes to ask their hand in mar riage.
 But the ordinary girl of today of from twenty to twenty-six years of age! She won't make much of a move toward the l>altar. She thinks that marriage Is bore and a humbug and condition which holds out no good prospects wnateVer. PIutocratIc Spinsters. Undoubtedly it Is the women who are responsible for our declining marriage rate. They, and not the men. are to blame. and the business woman Is the greatest sinner among the sex. especially she who has attained to salary or per haps S15-a week.
 have found 1t to be fact that the woman who earns a salary of that kind will not wed on any account; and She who earns. say s9O to s35 per week abso- lutely jeers at wedlock In short, the high-salaried lady may be set down as certain spinster. She IS too comfortable to ever think of mar riage Never would such as she consent to be tied down to the routine of ordinary household work.
 If bachelors are to taxed, tax spin sters. too; they are the great offenders, if the truth be told