Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-09-29

49, ilNts r l. - M &. n, AN - NJ < M
BERG MAKING RECORDS IN GET
TING IT, HIGH TAXES RESULT.
state taxes viii not he reduced in
The future unless there is a marked
and decided change along intelligent
lines from present COnLi ions. Just
now tLeie is a lull owing to the fact
tLit many tax payers who settled up
with Tie treasurer in the spring are
over their crouch, but with The sec
ond half payment due soon vehement
objections to the high taxes demand
cd viii probably be resumed. The
time to protest about high taxes is
not after the levy has been made and
when the taxes are being paid, but
before the money has been spent.
Ard just so long as tax payers and
communities continue to believe that
any state appropriation they can get
for their own community is coming
from same one elses pocket; that the
larger appropriations that can be Sc
cured by their senators and represen-
tative5 the more worthy such legisla-
tors are Of support and encouragement,
just so long viii taxes continue to be
Onerous, oppressive and burdensome.
Careful investigation would proba-
bly, disclose that no county in the
state has received the best Of it nor
worst Of it when it has come to graft
ing from the state treasury. Graft
ing as used in this connection. does
not mean in any way to imply either
on Illegal nor improper use of such
moneys, nor that any person connect
ed with the expenditure thereof per-
sOnally prolited in any way. The
term is used to distinguish such ap
pIopriation bills as might better be
termed eXtraVagant 1t is a positive
fact that there has been in the past
no eNt"aya3ance in the appropriations
fer Tie necessary conduct of state
administration. BY that is meant alb.
sciUtely no Office has been created nor
salary paid to officer or emp.Oye in
excess Ct an extremely reasonable
coWDeusatiOn for the services faith
fully performed; nor have appropria-
tinns been made for repairs and i'm
prOvements at state institutions, eX-
cept such as are necessary to meet
the absolute needs of the institution,
with the sole exception of the apprO-
priatiOn for the new jute mill at
Walla Walla prison. High taxes in
Washington have been due entirely to
the eXtrayagant appropriations, appro-
priatiOns for matter and things meri-
torious i'll themselves but largely and
purely local in their benefits. The
expenditures were perfectly proper if
the state and its taxpayers are finan-
cially able and willing to pay the
piper" The general and widespread
complaints of high taxes would seem
to indicate such is not the condi-
tiOn.
The next legislature will be more
eXtravagant than the last, unless the
announced plans OF popular candi-
dates for election to that body are
changed. In many of the counties of
the state these candidates are making
their campaign chiefly on promise that
they will secure for their district large
appropriations of state money. Such
appropriations never have been secur-
ed, and probably never will be secur-
ed, except as a result of trade. The
only way these appropriations can be
made is for, the man who wants
large appropriation to agree to sup
port equally eXtravagant apprOpria-
districts and communities. Each leg
islature when he finds the pork bar
rel being opened will insist upon
slice for his community irrespective
of whether it is needed or not, and
his community, bear in mind, will be
forced to pay higher taxes to meet the
expense. For instance, if King county
comes down to Olympia pledged to
secure large appropriations for GER
tain improvements in that county,
the King county tax payers will do
well to bear in mind that to secure
such appropriations King county Nom
bers must stand in with Legislators
from other sections for their large
appropriations. so that King courty
tax payers finally will probably be
called upon to pay as much 10 tne
state to meet the entire approprla-
tions as if they had done the work
out of their own county funds. Inc
argument that improvements of Seat
ties waterfront and aids to commerce
will benefit the whole state, Will not
win the votes of the legislators from
other counties unless they can also
secure their own little private appro-
priation bills. And further every spe-
cial appropriation made by the state
is but precedent for future demands
of other communities along the same
or similar lines. The legislators who
are pledged to oppose every eXtraya-
gance. to oppose if need be their own
pet county appropriation scheme, are
the ones who alone can reduce state
taxes, but do the tax payers waht that
kind of legislators? 1t is for them
to decide.-J. II. Brown, in State Cap /
itol Record, Olympia.