The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-18
A Problem in Taxation.


Secretary Bryan. address, in Philadelphia
said that the sale OF liquors in this country
amounts to So per capita. and then he exclaimed:
III any political party attempted to increase the
taxes upon the people one-hiticth OF that II
would be turned out OF power by indignant
public" Ii Mr.. Bryan will read Chairman Fitz-
gcrslds speech and some OF the census bulletins
ISSUED since he became part OF the adninIstra-
ton he. will discover that the people always
paying more than s; per capita : a government
cost and that this cost has increased per cent
in the last ten years. The appropriations made
by the Fiity-oighth Congress. which adjourned
March !! zoos. amounted to S1-49775I,475, and a
part OF that Tor paying expenses of war in
tho Philippines. The total appropriations made
10y tho Sixty-third Congress. which has just ad-
journed. amounted to S2.23I.oooooo or an in
crease OF more than 50 per cent in ten years.
Ii Nj Bryan will then turn 10 the States and
municipalities he will discover that they have
been even moro daring in boosting the cost OF
government. The census bulletin on wealth.
debt and taxation says: "Of the forty-cight
States whole. the population increased 20
per cent. the receipts from revenues o43 per cent
and the government cost payments 1859 per
cent" between 1903 and 1913. In other words,
the cost OF the State governments more than
doubled in that tcn-ycar period. The cost OF
municipal government has been the same
scale and the per capita cost in 1913 was S27.2o
Tor municipal government $40 for county gov
crnmcnt. S3.O5 for State government and So.SI
for national government. There is one other
step in government costs not given IN this report
That is for township government and for village
and municipal government in places with less than
, 500 inhabitants. What this government cost
amounts TO VIC have no of knowing. but
a. lr,,,.
the grand total OF government cost considerably
above $3,ooo.oooooo year and something more
than $50 per capita We also have per capita of
S35.Sr in national, State and municipal indebted
ness. So We have been taxing the future as well
as the present.
Mr. Bryans party is not alone responsible for
doubling the cost OF government in the last decade.
but it has its share OF responsibility and it is now
in control OF the Federal government on the
promise of economy. While the people everywhere
have becn like Mr.. Bryan talking economy. they
have. like him, been demanding new government
machinery, new commissions. new boards and new
official stations which have produced this heavy
government cost. The chief occupation of great
many men and women who trying to reform
the world has been in advocating plans for
more government, new ways to raise more reve-
nue. and new subjects for taxation They
have reformed and performed much OF our gov
crnmcnt and the people are paying the bills.
The city OF Des Moines is now engaged in try
ing 10 find new revenues to prevent the city from
going bankrupt. This is due to the fact that the
State legislature recently repealed the Mulct law
and thereby deprived the city OF revenues from
licensing saloons The city council is now raking
the place with fine tooth comb to find some
property to tax that hasn't been taxed or that
can bear an increase of taxation without sending
the citizens into bankruptcy. There is the same
trouble in prospect in Chicago where the prohibi-
tonists want to abolish the saloons. although one
OF their leaders admits that it will close half the
public schools in the city unless some new sub
jects OF taxation can be found Under the cir
cumstances it might be good idea to assess a
prohibitive tax professional political econo-
mists for few years at least. until the people can
find out where they at.