The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1912-01-26
MILWAUKEE, SOCIALISTS AND
THE TAX RATE.

From AN over The country comrades
are writing ms and sending clippings
from their capitalistic sheets relative to
the tax rate in Milwaukee Socialists
of Milwaukee Boost the Tax Rate
Again occurcs over and over again in
these press dispatches. by Direct Wire
to the -Capitolistic Scream so that
it must be so, of course. Or perhaps
the wall is enlrcncd with an editorial
or a press dispatch direct from the very
heart of the city of Milwaukee with the
flaming announcement, Paying Dear
for Socialism"
Now, as a matter of fact, the tax rate
in Milwaukee is not higher mt all. II is
lower
The tax rate in Milwaukee is 3.S1
cents in the $1,000 lower this year than
it was last year.
Perhaps We ought to be charitable
enough to our eapitolistic editors to as
sumo that they haven't got brains
enough to understand the rather diff
cult problem of taxation. II would be
more charitable to assume that than it
would be to assume that they We're
knaves and deliberately trying to mis-
represent the administration.
1t is true that the tax rate in Milwau-
kee last year 1910 was higher than
before. But with this the socialists had
absolutely nothing whatever to do. The
expenditures which caused the increase
had been determined by the previous ad
minstration. And the assessment was
made by an old Rose regime holdoyer,
And besides, the city is growing rap
idly and naturally the public eXpendi
lures are increasing. But it is interest
ing to note that by far the greatest
amount of increase of expenditures in
Milwaukee is in the departments over
which the council has had little or no
control
This growth of the city of Milwaukee
is a thing that the capitalist sheets do
not seem to be able to comprehend In
fact, it has surprised even the socialists
themselves Milwaukee has been grow
ing more rapidly during the last two
years than ever before in its history So
in way the city has been compelled to
tear down its barns and build bigger be
cause of this remarkable development.
This increased the public expenditures
and is to the credit of the city.
But the tax rate has not been increased
by the socialists
1t has been lowered
And yet we do not parade this as any
achievement. Democracy must always
spend more. When the city owns it's
gas plant, its electric lighting plant, it's
street car system, its slaughter houses,
and all the rest of the public utilities
then the expenditures of the city will
be ten times what they are now. Maybe
they will be fifty times what they are
now.
But what of it? The returns to the
people will be a hundred or a thousand
times what they are now Wages will
be increased, hours of labor will be short
ened, the cost of living reduced-and this
is what we are after.
The main point is that the expendi-
lures shall be wise and economically
made. That this is being done under
the present administration can be proven
beyond the peradventre of a doubt.
The capitalist papers make quite a
point of the fact that the rate of 1911
is more than the rate of 1903. But
this comparison is unfair since the rate
OF 1903 had been kept low for political
purposes and the old administration was
compelled, in spite of ITSELF in 1910 to
lay additional burdens upon the tax rate
So the 1910 tax rate represents the real
work of the former administration.
while the 1911 rate represents so much
as the present administration could do.
And even at that the present administra-
ton has not yet control of the tax com
missioners's department. And this de-
partment makes the assessments.
We can look for some sensational dis
closures within the next few weeks with
reference to the determinations and fail
ures of this department. This month
the socialists will appoint a new tax
commissioner, and taX assessors. Then
we shall have an honest assessment in
Milwaukee, and for the first time we
will be able to know just what the so
cialists can do with reference to the tax
alton problem.