Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-02-13
Taxes And Good Roads.

U0ACS 11IO VOOU sNOsUS'
People Vote for Road Improve.
ment and Then Squeal Because
Taxes Are High.
From every section of the State petit
lions are circulated for road improve
ment, and the State and county officials,
in many cases. come across and the i'm
provements asked for are granted. Even
candidates seeking Office boast that they
are in favor of lowering taxes and yet
at the same time are very much interest
ed in having public roads built according
to up-to-date methods. The good roads
subject is very important in several
ways, but the following article, "Starv-
ing the States" taken from the Sun
paper should be seriously studied by ev-
cry taxpayer:
Starving the States.
'In the Senate last Wednesday, Feb
ruary 9Th, there was thoughtful dis
cussion of Mr.. Bank head's amendment
to the Postal Appropriation bill extending
aid to the States in road making. The
amendment provides an appropriation of
$500, 900, 900 to be distributed among
those States which will spend dollar for
dollar upon their roads. This appr )pria-
ton will be in addition to the SIS. 900. 600
already made.
"Senator Wadsworth, in discussing the
amendment, called attention to the in.
crease in the funded debts of various
States brought about largely by money
borrowed for road making. New York
has spent $50, 600, 900 on roads and her
annual budget has increased from $685.
600, 900 in 1905 to 1900. 900 in 1918.
The State debts of New York and Mas
sachusetts incurred for road making are
now $226, 600, 900. To maintain the State
governments and provide for road funds
which this largess from the Federal
Treasury would require will necessitate
heavy State taxation. And Senator
Wadsworth declares. and justly, that at
the present rate of expenditures by the
Congress the States will starve.
"'The Federal Government, he said,
''has the last opportunity to do the tax
ing. and it can supersede the taxing pow
ers of the State by one method or anoth-
err The States are gradually topping
under this continual increase of Federal
appropriations. and one of the signs of
the topping is that more and more as the
years 60 by the people of the States ask
Federal Government to their aid and
spend money out of the Federal Treas
ury. which incidentally, according to my
view of the matter, means the atrophy
of local ambition, spirit and civic pride.
$50 far as to State pride as to reciv-
ing largess from the Federal Treasury is
concerned, that disappeared long ago.
The Federal Treasury is regarded as
big COW which all the States are to milk
to the utmost. And that member of the
Congress who can get the most from the
Treasury is the one who commends him
self most to his constituents. Economy
is no longer a virtue that commends it.
self.
1.-The people of the States do not pause
to remember that whether the money
comes from the State Treasury or the
Federal Treasury, it must first come from
the pockets of the taxpayers. MIR. Wads-
worth's complaint is that in order to pay
the extravagant and needless appropria-
tions made by the Congress the Federal
Government has seized every source of
revenue from which the States have de-
rived their chief support. and 80 the States
are rapidly being starved. Hundreds of
millions of dollars used to 60 into the
Federal Treasury from the excise tax on
spirituous and fermented liquors. That
revenue is destroyed and must be made
up by the taxpayers. Many States tax
inheritances, but now the United States
has seized that tax and the States can
only continue to collect it by making it
oppressive. Maryland hassderived her main
income from tax on corporations. But
the Federal Government has now taxed
corporations to the limit. In many other
lines the sources of State revenues have
been seized. More than that an impor-
tant tax has been destroyed. Maryland
and the city of Baltimore have derived
large revenue from liquor licenses, taxes
on whiskey in bond and direct taxes on
breweries, distilleries and other property
devoted to the liquor traffic. This great
revenue has been destroyed and increased
homes to make it good. And the end is
not yet.