The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-16
VINO PAYS THE COsT or GOV.
ERNNENT?
surprising Calculations About the Tax
Payers and the Tax Escapcrs


names 1876 cities which have popula-
tions OF 10000 and upward. with a total
Of 29,320,579, or 80 per cent. of the
whole population of continental United
States. This bulletin gives the financial
statistics of lac OF these cities, making
the total cost of municipal government
s9O6.997,327, or $33.0S per capita. At
the same per capita rate the cost of
government for the 1876 cities would
have been s969,92i,7 1892 The total
cost of the Federal Government In the
same year was s965,273,67S. or a per
capita cost Of $10.l0. The cost OF mu-
nicipal government for 1856 cities was
therefore nearly 100000 more than
the total cost of the Federal Govern
ment. The total Indebtedness of the
! United States in 1912 is given as ST.
O27,574,69I, or Si0.77 per capita. and the
| total debt Of the LAG cities $685., 547,-
| 533, or S70F per capita. At the same
per capita rate the 1875 cities debt would
have been s2,066.221,202i3 The debt
of the Federal Government and those
OF the cities OF more than 10000 popu-
lation together amounted to more than
! $4,000, 000, 900, which at an average rate
of per cent. called for 5000, 900 a
year in interest on Indebtedness
! The figures In detail for the income
| tax are not available but taken by
States the Treasury Department re-
turns show that six-sevenths OF the in
come tax and four-fifths of the corpo-
ration tax was paid in the twelve
States Of Massachusetts, New York.
New Jersey. Pennsylvania. Ohio. lndi-
ana, Illinois. Michigan, Wisconsin,
Minnesota. Missouri and California
! These twelve States had 1874 Of the 1876
| cities of more than 10000 population,
and 1t is not far fetched assumption
: from the returns from the larger cities
that nine-tenths Of the income and cor
/ pOration taxes in those twelve States
was paid in these 124 cities Nor
would 1t be a far fetched thA4ry that
nine-tenths Of both these taxes was
paid In the 1876 cities of the country.
Since the temperance agitation has
placed the great part OF the rural dis
trcts under prohibition regulations. IL
must also he true that these cities pay
AL but a very small part of the internal
revenue on beer. wine and spirits which
amounts to about 100000. 900 "a year
/ What part of the customs taxes these
city people pay would he mere guess
work, but under tho theory OF the pres
ent tarin schedules, that the consumer
pays the tax. IL is difficult to figure up
any considerable part of the nearly
S3OO.OOO.OOO collected on imports paid
/ 10y the farmers, as comparatively few
OF the heavily taxed imported articles
find their way to rural districts
What part of the burden of Federal
taxation does this one third of the peo-
pie that lives in cities bear In addition
to the cost of its own municipal gov
eminent and large part of the cost
Of State government? II would be
| worth while for some statistiCian to get
10 work on this problem and find out
what part Of the people Is paying the
cost of government. which now amounts
to nearly $4,000, 100000 a year. and has
debts OF more than $4,000. 900. 900 hang
ing over It, II one-third of the
American people who are living in cit
les Of 10000 population and greater are
paying nine-tenths Of the cost OF the
Federal Government. in addition to the
total cost Of their own municipal gov
ernments, while Congress IL legislatinE
largely for the rural districts, appro-
priating millions for stamping out hog
cholera. the boil wcevll and other agri-
cultural pests. building good roads. aid
ing agricultural schools. paying deficits
for rural free delivery and parcel post
10 aid the farmer, we have reached n
system OF taxation in this country
which discrimnates in favor OF a class
AT the same time II would appear that
Congress Is under the impression that
the class which pays least for the
support of the Government Is still the
ruling class, whose demands should be
more needed than that Of the people
who pay the bills Fifty years ago the
people who lived in the cities were only
10 per cent. of the total population. and
even only twenty years ago they were
less than 20 per cent, but now there
are one-third OF the people living I'm
cities of 10000 and greater. 40 per cent
in cities of more than 5000 and so per
cent. in cities and towns Of $500 and
greater. In the northern section Of the
country the urban population predomi-
mates. but in the South the rural popula-
ton IL to the urban as three to one,
and the South dominates the legisla
ton of tho present Congress.
The rural districts are everywhere
more fruitful Of reform movements
than are the cities. and a good many oi
these reform movements have for then
purpose placing greater burdens on tho
cities. The suggestion of the income
thN thHfe 1rDln tHe country, dplta-
ton was in the rural districts of tn,
South and West; and the city people
are paying the tax on incomes. The
demand for n reduction of tariff take.
originated in the country, and the heav.
lest reductions have been on importa
lions which were demanded by IN,
, farmers.
5 The prohibition movement has il.
/ stronghold in the rural districts and 4
is aimed at the cities. This agitation &
D now for national prohibition by amend
-, ment to the Federal Constitution, anC
! IL successful would strike down s2i0
, 100000 OF internal revenue now col
, lected by the Federal Government OF
beer and whiskey, s4l.000,000 which
these 1875 cities now receive in the wa,
OF license fees, and probably a lik,
amount which they pay into the Stat,
treasures. Here is more than $500,
000, 900 which would have to he raise,
, by some other form of taxation. bu
. since the people in the rural district
1 now contribute so small part of tn
= revenues Of the Federal Governmen
5 and even the State governments. they
I are not concerned as To how the cit,