Evening star., 1915-04-01

out doing anything. leaving the gov
ernor to hold the bag" and an empty
bag at that.
The governor is 4 republican. the leg
islature is republican in both branches,
with "A republican majority of ten IN
the senate and twenty-eight in the
lower body. How then, it is asked, was
it not possible to agree upon some
business-like proposition to MAINTAIN
the urkeep of the state?
AS near as the writer could ascertain,
the failure was due to fundamental
difference of opinion as to the basis OIL
the necessitated new system OF tax
alton The governor and some repup-
licans insisted that revenue for state
purposes should be derived entirely
from license. privilege and franchise
taxes.
Other republicans coutendea that the
corporations We're already taxed TO the
limit and that n larger part OF the re
aEired additional revenue Should De
derived from an increased general tax
on property
The democrats sa. tight. taking the
hurdles as they came. riding nrst Win
oue faction OF republicans. aud then
with the other. to prevent anything
being accomplished. and thus causing
the republican administration to come
cropper for the edliicatloE OF tRc
people of the state.
The democrats are looking forward 20
making fabulous political capital our
of the discontinue OF the repuDllcans
in the next national elections. and are
laying plans to recapture the STATE
They take especial delight when they
near the governor denounce the sen
ators Of his own party as workers IN
behalf of the Interests and the cor
porations and inimical to the welfare
of the honest tillers of the soil and
property owners.
Democrats Sit Tight.
You cannot get democrat to open
his mouth on the subject. What's the
useo" they ask. Let Gov. Hatfield ana
the republicans talk and they will do
the work for us. 1t is the hardest
thing in the world to get anything out
Of democrats here. They just smile.
slice off another piece of plug-cut and
assume an expression of physical COM
fort and political satisfaction.
The revenues of the state for the
fiscal year ended June 80. 1914. were
s2,465.447, of which sum s4S6.1l2 was
raised by direct tax, the general prop
erty tax. The remainder came from
corporation taxes and minor sources.
The license tax was SI4O,l20i the IL
cense tax ON charters was S42O.l 70; the
state tax on public service corporations
was $181.924: the tax on insurance and
certificates of authority. s15s,967, while
the inheritance tax was s2S1 $50.
The general property tax was raised
by an assessment of 10 cents on every
$100. The governor does not want
to increase that tax, but to place ad-
dItional burdens on corporations. This
general tax was few years ago
cent on the 500, and has been as high
as 35 cents on the 500.
It is generally admitted that the
present financial difficulties were en-
hanced, if they did not have their in
ception. in the 1-cent tax of 1913. In
brief, that is the situation, the details
and additional causes of which will be
recited in subsequent dispatches.
The burning question of the moment
is. what are they going to do about it?
Nobody here knows certainly the gov
ernor's intention, but the general opin-
ion is that he will insist upon the
legislature coming back and taking up
the burden of relief by adequate legis-
lation.
Plans of the Governor.
The prevailing opinion is that the
governor will let the salariless en-
ployes and the state institutions
stew in their own juice" until public
sentiment is aroused and directed
against the legislature to an extent
which will make that body amenable
to his demands
II is readily understood that the