Bisbee daily review., 1913-09-10
COMMISSIONER HOWE IS INGENIOUS.

iO tNS6NfOSos
 Tax Commissioner Chas. Howe sends an article for publication to the Review which is ingenious iu it's at tempt to shift the responsibility for the enormous amount of money levied this year as state tax to the county governments. Mir. Howe attempts to correct some statements Of the Re view regarding the state tax levy and would make it appear that the bulk of the money required is for expenditure fro the benefit of the schools, roads and state institutions and therefore is not chargeable to the state admin istratfon.
 However. the fact remains. what the Review said is true. The Re view stated that the state tax levy would take out of the pockets of the tax payers, approximately two mil lion dollars. Mir. Howe gives the amount as s1,S5G ,25O.OO, after allowing for exemptions. The people of Ari- roma well understand that the state provides for the state institutions and that charge has always been met by tn the state tax levy. So far as that is concerned there is no difference this year from former ones.
 The people of Arizona understand that in the past as well as now the state tax levy has always provided certain part of the school monies. They are well informed as to the free text book cost and have no regrets on that account, but these books are provided by the state just the same. So with the roads.
 After deducting more than million of the total state levy for items which he says the counties get the benefits Mir. Howe then has balance of ssss.913.6O which he says repre- sents the total cost of the state gov ernmept This amount covers the sal aries being consumed by the army Of commissions, boards, secretaries, clerks. assistants. etc. that swarm in the state house and covers expense accounts the like of which were never before known in Arizona.
 If the tax commissioner had desired to give the people chance to judge as between past years and this he should have included in his figures the amount raised by the state in 1911, in 1912 and in 1913 for school purposes for road purposes and for the erection of additional buildings for the various state institutions. There has not been a state legislature in twenty years which has not appropriated money for additions to our state institutions In recent years new state prison was built at Florence and new pioneer home was created at Prescott and be sides this every two years additional buildings have been provided for at the university and at ;he normal schools.
 If there has been extravagan; amounts provided for the institutions this year it only proves the charge of the Review when it sad that gross evtravagance was apparent in our state government and proved its as sortion by showing that the tax payers are called or for six hundred thousand dollars more for the support of the state government than for last year
 County onclals are not clothed with inc power to fix tax rate for the state school fund, for the state road >und or for providing buildings foi esaie sussitltions That is the bushes. ef the state. So far as cocnise coun ty is concerned the tax payers will of called on to pay less tax money thai last year. but this cannot be said re garding the amount of money tae'