The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-09

VI c, shat arc automatic, and they do not have tc
be demonstrated to anybody except idiots Thcs,
mostly have reference TO the great natural law.
! whose operation i a matter OF general observa
( ton OF people from childhood up. Such arc tn,
iao:s that two and two make four. that an object
VIII t7ii to the ground unless IT is supported and
that water cannot he made to run UP hill Blu,
there other natural laws just as plain and ius,
as compulsory as the foregoing which strangely
enough. not so readily understood And OF
'!rcse others the concerning which there is the
greatest amount of popular delusou is the fact or
the seeming fact that expenditure can be ordered
without the necessity OF some one paying for il.
Those who most deeply affected with this
singular obscssion the members of legislatures
and some editors of newspapers. These two
classes of people are time and again found urc-
ing on some great scheme for the public welfare
or what is declared to be SUCH that involves a
great spending OF money and both of these classes
OF people invariably to think that the expen-
diture be so arranged that nobody will know
or feel that the expense has been incurred. OF
course, all this comes about primarily from the
fact that the larger share OF money provided for
public purposes is derived by indirect taxation.
The tax is. in theory, greatly diffused and lightly
borne 1t is relatively easy TO appropriate millions
of dollars for widows pensions, public buildings
and all sorts of cxtravagances if no one person
has to pay millions of dollars on account of it.
If everybody is taxed only few cents, the lob is
on the face of things simple and the operation of
hitting ones-self by ones bootstraps can be made
matter of legal authorization. But in fact the
operation is not so easily performed and when the
tax rate goes up from $3.50 to S2.5o for every sIoo
assessed valuation, severer burden is imposed
than was thought likely when it was ordered II
causes perceptible advance in rates and in the
general cost OF living. 1t brings about shifting
OF real estate values which works hardship in many
instances and leads to great and justified popular
discomfort. Occasionally certain industries are
destroyed altogether by this cause Eventually
the people revolt against the foolish legislation
that caused the trouble and the political party
responsible for it comes in for thrashing at the
next election.
We have just emerged from condition of DO
litical and social activity where the nonsense
thcory-if we give this name to the general
species of thinking to which we have just alluded
was for the time being uppermost in the public
mind. State legislators municipal boards and
similar government authorities in all parts of the
country have been seized during the last ten
years with a mania for spending public money or
seizing the revenues OF public service corpora
lions, with the idea of benefting the people But
they are beginning to find out that somebody
must contribute the money thus expended and
that somebody has to make up the impairment
IN the revenues of public service corporations, if
the corporations are to continue to be paving |
enterprises. The city of New York during a !
period of time in which its population has barely
doubled has increased its expenditures for r1iu-
licipal purposes so per cent Now that additional
To fNrf he
he people of the city grumble nightly; but they
we're the only to blame. The State of Penn
'yvania thought it would be clever thing to i'm
BOSE large tax in addition to the heavy taxes
already collected, upon sales OF coal in the State
he idea was that this tax would necessarily come
'ut OF the pockets OF the corporations involved
md would only have the effect of reducing their
Profits But it found that the corporations were
lot inclined to sell coal below cost in order to ac
this view and that they promptly
dded the amount of the State tax to the
rice OF their product. Railroad employees think
hat they can ask for endless increases of pay
nd that there is a bottomleSs railway pocketbook
ut OF which the increase in wages can be drawn;
nut they find, and the public which supports the
wage increase demands finds, Also that it is those
Who use the railways, to wit, the public itself
hat must pay the additional charge in higher
reight and passenger tariffs In New York the
PREDECESSOR OF Mr.. Whitman, as governor of the
tate, thought it clever thing to keep down
he high tax rate caused by the expenditures of
is administration by shifting over to another
car the necessity OF raising the money required;
ut in few months the necessity raised its head
nd the makesht character OF the expedient be-
anne obvious. In our national affairs the party
ow in power made an enormous in the tariff {
rom which the major part OF the government a
eytnue> had previously been procured but they /
ave found that the money to pay for the ex- l.
en>c> OF the government must be secured from t
ono source and that there is no practicable and v
efficient source except the time honored one OF
ti<ug money from customs duties: T
Common sense and experience have their in h
rng> in due time after all Occasionally the c
lue time pretty long season: again the time v
waiting is very short But il comes sooner or G
tcr after all