The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1912-02-07
CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON
ON THE TARIFF
Gives out a Lively Interview on the
Great Subject so Important to the
People Mt this Time. -

Washington, Feb. 2.-Representa-
tive Joseph T. Johnson expressed his
satisfaction last night in no uncer-
tain terms over the recent economy
caucus" of the Democrats of the
house, in Which the decision was
reached that no public buildings bill
and no battleship bill would be pass
ed at the present session Of Congress.
This decision, IL 1t Is adhered to, as
1t most probably will be, will result
in a saving OF about $50 1000 900 during
the next fiscal year. 1t is true that
the public buildings bill contemplated
amounted to only $16.000,000, and
the proposed appropriation for bat
tleships to only $2O,000,00O, or to-
tai Of $36,000,000; but public build
ings bill are usually almost doubled
when they reach the senate, SO that
the total appropriations for these two
purposes would have reached very
close to the $50,0O0,OOO mark.
The item of $50,OO0,000 is small,
tai amount of money appropriated by
the federal government each year;
but on the theory that every little
bit helps, even in the saving of the
public funds, Mr.. Johnson was heart
lily in favor of these economies.
Why" said Mr.. Johnson, "if the
American people, who sometimes
complain of the burden of local taxes,
were made to realize the amount of
taxes they pay every year to the fed
eral government and the amount they
pay into the Golfers of the trusts un-
der the guise of protection. there
would be a revolution as soon as the
ballot boxes could be reached, ii not
before
Some Astounding Figures.
Take the state OF South Carolina.
for instance. The appropriations
made annually by the legislature
amounts to about two and one half
million of dollars. There are about
one and one-half millions of people
in the state, so that the taxation per
capita is about $1.GO. Counting five
persons to the average family it is
plain that the per family taxation of
the state is about SIS. This does not
of course, include municipal taxes
which are paid by the people in the
towns and cities, nor special school
taxes, and the like.
Now, take the federal government.
For the past few years, under Re
publican rule, the government has
been appropriating a little more than
billion dollars every year-more
than thousand miliions-can you
conceive of it? Now, how much is
that per capita and per family? 1t
means that for every man, woman
and child of our 9O0O0,00O people,
there is paid to the federal govern
ment every year, in indirect taxes, a
little more than $ll. For the aver
age family of five, the total amount
paid is about $50 per year, or just
seven times the amount paid in state
taxes. How do the people pay it.?
-,
that they are paying it in higher
prices, caused by the highc: duties
imposed upon Imports
There are many people in the
country who do not realize that the
United States has no money except
what it collects out of the pockets of
It's citizens. The national government
is so far away from the average man
that he does not pay much attention
to 1t. But it is not too far away to
lay it's powerful hand upon his purse
and relieve him of his hard earned
cash. The government is thought, by
many people to have unlimited sup
plies of money, which are drawa upon
whenever an appropriation is made
by Congress.
The Source of Funds,
Il wish our people could realize
that practically every dollar that gees
into the United States treasury, and
practically every dollar that is spent
by Congress. comes out of the pockets
OF the people. 1t is collected either
by customs duties or by means OF the
internal revenue laws. The other
sources of revenue open to the gov
ernment are negligible for all practi-
cal purposes. The vast sums of mon
ey collected and disbursed by the
government of the United States are
nothing but taxes. The fact that the