Grand Forks daily herald and the evening times., 1914-07-23
WHERE THE MONEY GOES.

In an article in the American mag
azine, Ray Stannard Baker tells some
thing about the disposition Of the
money which is paid into the United
States treasury in the shape Of in
come taxes. Really. he does not dis
tinguIsh between income tax money
and other received by the
government, but Jumps it all together,
but it is a fair assumption that the in
come taxes are distributed in the same
manner and in the same proportion
as are other And, because
for the first time the people Of the
United States are paying a part Of
their federal taxes direct to the gov
eminent for purposes of ordinary rev.
enue, it may be a little more interest
ing than usual just now to know
what becomes OF some Of his money.
When the dollar which the citizen
pay as his share Of the income tax
gets to Washington. SO cents of It is
paid for war. That seems to be a
large proportion of the revenues Of
a peaceful country to go for this pur-
pose. The proportion, we believe. is
larger than the proportion Of the rev.
nue. Of n other country expended
for this purpose. OF course there is
an explanation which makes h sum
ook smaller than it might appear a
first glance. We are not spending
two-thirds of our income for the pur-
pose Of getting into a fight. We are
paying for cake that we ave eaten,
as it were. The Mexican war is a
long way back. but we are still paying
bills incurred during that war. In
addition to other expenses we are pay
ing pensions to a good many thou
sand people on account of that war.
Then came the civil war, with it's
enormous pension roll, and his was
followed by the Spanish and Philip
pine wars, and each rolled UP a bill
of costs which we are not paying. We
have no reason to grumble at much
OF this pension expense. The wars
occurred. and we must not be mig
gardly in our treatment Of those who
fought in them. Doubtless a good
many cents could be saved out Of that
dollar II all the illegitimate pension
claims were weeded out. We are pay
Ing out some millions Of dollars a year
to- sprightly young widows who mar
ried the veterans Of q war which was
fought and ended before they were
born. Clearly the nation owes no
debt to them. In addition to our pay
M4nt for old wars we are building
ffteen million dollar batfIesb,bs ev-
cry little while. as a preparation for
the war which, let US hope, will never
Come, n those ships will in a few
years bes crapped, because they will
be obsolete.
Of,the remaining 81 cents, Ave cents
out Of every dollar goes for rivers
and harbors. Some Of this-nobody
knows how much-H spent, no TO i'm
prove rivers and harbors, but to en-
able congressman to show theis con-
stituents that they are accomplished
IA the first duty Of q congressman, to
.'get something for his district" Four
1870 q thu citisSn,s dollar goes FOR
parpoSeS related to agriculture, and
st16s4 y The largest expenditure we
kAvS aAid4 from the war cost and
inst of rivers and harbors. The PAN
ans IN takes three cents, and the
gmqnAyShas been wsllfspSnt. The care
off sths lE6f6ne rs4ufrss 1 cent ana
1a11. 80 congrsss Itself uses up 4
1e1t ont nkSyssy dollar.
Gne 81 ~ Mst1ts Of direct taxa
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