South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-04

/ wolves a people. constantly shoulder
ing more and more of the burdens Of
life upon the government, while they
at the same time shout from their
voice-tops, as if TO shake the eternal
hills, against the necessity of con-
tributing a trife more TO defray the
expense.
The cry against the inequality OF
taxation is as old as the pyramids. 1t
ought not TO have been necessary for
the conference 70 have wasted any
time at rehashing that fact at ALL 1t
is a remedy that the people want. but
AYE. there's the rub" When it
comes 10 proposing remedies, that is
when tax conferences get into the
water. 1t is easy enough to discover
defects. but please let US have some
thing to take their place. The trouble
is that there are a lot of people who
prefer 10 be unequally taxed-eQual
taxation would make their burden
even greater. and these are the men
Of influence.
If We could have equal taxation.
however; that is. if a basis of taxation
could be established that is equitable,
and the trend maintained that the
poor in proportion 10 their possessions
would be called upon for no more than
their just share Of government sup
port. we doubt if the popular cry
against taxation would become so
hideous. A careful analysis of gov
eminent functions. and the increase
OF taxation. will convince any man,
willing TO be fair-minded. that the
pace has been reasonably close.
You cannot consistently compare in
crease of taxation with increase Of
population or increase of property
valuation. A party in local politics
this past fall undertook to use that
basis as an argument, but it fell fiat
as a pancake. even upon the ears of
the uninitiated. The increased func-
tons of government is what has
caused the expense of government.
Men are just as honest as they ever
were, if not a trifle more so. and we
believe. are doing the best they can,
on a general average, with the ma
chinery at their command.
You can't build concrete cement
bridges. designed for all eternity, for
the same money that our fathers built
wooden bridges, forty. twenty, or even
ten years ago. One of the cries of
the present age is substantially.
There was a popular demand two
years ago. for a public service COM
mission in Indiana. The legislature
provided for one. 1t takes money to
finance it's work.
The demands upon the state for
educational, penal and charitable in
stitutions, are constantly on the in
crease. and the mama that falls from
heaven has never proven quite equal
TO the satisfaction Of those demands
scores of other examples of the in
creasing demands upon government
might be given. but let these suffice.
Ii is probable that some revision OF
the machinery of government, and a
revised process of taxation, would
tighten the burden OF the taxpayer to
a considerable extent. it might also
have a tendency TO assist the state in
dustrially. and in other ways. We
need to study other systems of taxa
ton. as we'll as our own. The pres
ence at the state conference of num-
Der Of tax experts from other states
ought 20 afford some assistance.
But after all it is a job for the
legislature. and beyond that. no doubt,
Job for the people who will have to
take the virtual initiative in the mat
ter through a constitutional amend
ment. We are merely tied hand and
foot TO a system of taxation that was
laid down for our grandfathers, and
we will have TO get a short distance
from that before any number of tax
conferences will be able 10 do much
other than keep our taxation defects
before the people to the increase of
their dissatisfaction.