El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-04-27
TAXES INCREASE
RAPIDLY, SAYS
Director of N. M. Taxpay-
ers, A. E. James, Addresses
Bic Crowd at Lunch.

the country. as fast even as wealth or
/ income, members Of the FL Paso County
/ Taxpayers association and the cham
( be rof commerce Were told by y. Z.
! James. director of the New Mexico
( Taxpayers association. at a noon lun-
| cheon Friday held at the Paso del
! Norte hotel The speaker said the
Z American government was facing a
new era in its national life by reason
: Of the declaration of war against Ger
I many and Of the break with her allies.
Those present were A. l.. James, J.
/ L. Mari. Clarence Harper, Dr. c. +.
! Brown, Dave sullivan, Y r stiles, Il
| u. Slater. 4. T White, &. F. Darby
/ shire, ". y. Ellis. J. F. Williams L. :.
I stewart, 5. II sutherland, R B. Orn-
! dOrff. H. b. Stevens. g. y. Bassett. b.
/ l. Farrar, Walter Kohlberg, J. y
! kraksuer. a. COurchesne, James y.
/ Dick. Robert L. Dorbandt. J. l. cain,
! o. - Coles. Adolph Hoffman. \.
| Schwartz, Il b Harding, John VI.
| Wyatt. D. T. White, H. N. COlvin. W
| II Austin. Thomas Kelly, W III. Z. Eel,
J +. p. Jones, George Look, l. Weiss, ".
/ y Pence. ". VI. James. Z. c. Davis. g.
Lonsnecker. J. H Nations and Adrian
POOL
Mr.. James told OF the Importance of
taxpayers associations and of the ben
+, efits derived from such organizations
by the taxpayers of cities and counties
/ creased in late years at a rate which
has alarmed every thinking person"
said the speaker. They have increased
much faster than population. as fast
even as wealth or income. According
TO the L. =. census the population for
1910. for instance, had increased y per-
cent over that in 1870, and the tax in
crease during the period from 1870 10
1872 was s. percent
"A high official of the census bureau
in iii SCH ii rr ne n
OF real estate from 1900 10 1910, made
the. startling but true statement that il
increased in those ten years more than
il had previously increased from the
date of the landing of Columbus in
1892 10 the end Of the 18th century in
1900. He might have added that our
taxing bodies made a valiant effort 10
keep the pace in taxes.
National Debt Doubles.
Moreover. We are at this time APP
preaching a new era IN our national
life. The debt Of the national govern
ment at the close OF the civil war was
$2,756.431,571. It stood in 1913 al ST.
O2S, ,055- Within two weeks OF our
declaration of war we Lad increased IL
by $1,000. 600, 600. Remember that in 1913
the total debt Of the nation. all the
states and all the counties. cities. vii
lagos and other divisions. was less than
S5,00O.00O,00O. As a mere starter. as
our ante. so to speak, in the world
war. we have doubled our total debt
our total wealth. not assessed but ac-
tual. was estimated by the census for
1912 as Sls7.739, 071,OSO II IL is a round
$500. 000, 000. 900 now We have, at our
first plunge, increased our public mort
gage on that wealth from less than
2 II percent to SIX percent
Means Much 10 Nation.
The increased taxation figures
give you are not increased federal but
increased state and local taxation 1
introduced the federal question because
Il bears directly upon the whole prob
lem with which We have to deal
No one can predict the state Of the
world after the war. But whatever the
outcome that nation which is most eff
ficiently governed. which gets dollar
OF value 70 the public for a dollar
spent by the public, will hardly start
IN the race for trade and prosperity
under = handicap. and just as surely as
this is true. is il true that the nation
which wastes in its government. which
taxes more than ii would be compelled
to do TO get the results. Will be handi-
capped in after the war competition
Even today. manufacturers inquire
about tax rates and valuations before
they locate their enterprises. Il is no
accident that in our great industrial
centers many Of the largest plants are
located outside the city limits to es-
cape the high taxes of the city
Chamber of Commences Duty.
AS the tangible. get together part
Of the commercial life Of our cities our
cham bers Of commerce have the right
and 1t is their duty to take the lead in
this work Formed 10 tell the world
that Minneapolis. or Seattle, or Den
yer. or FL Paso are the greatest spots
on earth, il is their duty 10 make them
so. How indeed can they do more
than lend their support to movement
so TO govern that favored spot that its
natural advantages will stand out in
their true light? What more cOnvinc- {
ing proof Of the public spirit of a town
is there than that il insists not only Z
upon the finest terminals, which COM
mercial assidents may create. upon
great factories. which the strategy of
an industry may bring about naturally. R
upon handsome homes and stores which
follow wealth. but first Of all. upon a
city and county government, modern in
form. efficient in practice which can .
only come of a real community spirit .
working tirelessly and unselfishly for
the good of ALP
We are about through with politics
in railroading. BY that I mean we are
about through with the manipulation OF
railroads as a game played for the ben
eft OF gamblers in stock believe that .
we are approaching the time when
playing the game in government will
be regarded in the same light as play
ing fast and loose with railroad
believe we are approaching a new
standard Of public service, or rather 4
people will insist as earnestly as they
now insist upon the service side of
railroading.
The time is coming when paying the
taxpayers money for personal political
debts. TO finance personal political en-
terprises. viii be as unpopular and held
10 he as dishonest an act as paying the
money to favored manip-
ulators OF stocks is now regarded"
Speaks Movements History
At the meeting this evening at the
chamber of commerce Mr.. James VIII
speak on the history of the movement
for public efficiency bureaus and tax |
payers associations. The movement
for better city administrations prac- !
Jically had its inception in the work
Of the census bureau in publishing
statistics TO cities he claims
The movement received its first prac-
teal application in the city of New
York
Mr.. James will point to the attacks
pm the bureau by Tammany hall The
bureau at that time was widely ad-
yertised as a "defamer" of the city
During two months the attacks and
free advertising called the attention
IF not less than 1 90. 900 people in New
York city to the municipal research
dea-" The idea. Mr.. James viii say.
Mas also carried to every city in the
state, and spread to Pennsylvania. Ohio