The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-07-03
mining and Scientific Press)

the consequence Of high living; it is
the extravaganza of the rich that
makes life difficult for the average
citizen. The Industrial prosperity due
to the war, the fortunes easily made
by profiteering, and the successful
winnings of the stock exchange gam
blers have greatly increased the num-
Der Of those with more money than
sense and with more love for extrava-
gance than for comfort For these
reasons we do not regret to note the
incidence of the new luxury tax, which
\ imposes a federal tax of 10 per cent
on retail prices in excess of the
amounts specified by law. The Retail
Dry Goods association in San Fran
cisco is said to have collected 100000
protests against this sumptuary enact
ment and the reason is obvious. 1t
will restrict the careless spending of
money for high priced articles. When,
however, we read the list of retail
prices in excess of which the tax, is
levied, we find ourselves within the
limit except for a hat on which we
paid war price six months ago, and
or no law. On the other hand the tax
alton of women's hats in excess of SIS
incites no violent objection on our
part; being high minded patriot we
10
luxury tax may well provoke a smile
from the professional man, from those
who work for their living; it is no
terrible imposition, but reasonable
check on those who, like drunken
sailors, spend their money needless
ly Let the CALLED jade vince our
withers are unwrung." 1t is about
time to call a halt on the orgy of ex-
travagance that has disgraced our
larger city communities during the
very time when brave men We're sac
rifcing everything in a great cause.
The spread of education and the gen
eral interest in social economics are
bound to bring about some serious
thinking on the subject of unneces-
sary extravaganza in living; and with
serious thought will come organized
opposition, such as the new law, to
ways of living that make it hard for
those unable to meet the artificial
prices created by spendthrifts. 1t is
commonly said that it is none of our
business how a man spends his money
and it Is also said that such spending
stimulates trade and is therefore
good thing for the community. Such
ideas are mistaken. The acts of a
citizen in an organized community do
concern the community If they in
terfere with the welfare of large
number of other citizens: the lavish
spending of money does affect others
injuriously in that it creates fictitious
prices and thereby renders the cost of
living more burdensome for others.
The man that gives a big tip in a
restaurant renders it difficult for his
fellow, unable or unwilling to pay so
much for servility, to obtain proper
service. The people that buy the most
expensive things without discrimina-
ton are making 1t hard for those
whose purses are not illimitable. To-
day even the cost of most things Is
high largely because we have in this
community, for example, so large a
number Of persons eager to obtain
what they want regardless of its price.
The luxury tax by its levy upon ex-
cessive prices will check the sale of
unnecessarily costly articles, because
no man or woman likes to pay tax,
whether large or small. The drygoods
establishments will soon adapt them
selves to the new conditions and Incl
dentally will be less able to foster a
kind of sumptuary drunkenness that
has been at least as injurious to the
community as excessive alcoholism.
We sympathize with teachers as
class, with the professors in the col
leges and the instructors in tho
schools because they not only are un-
derpaid, having regard to the pre-em-
inently valuable character OF their
work, but because life has been made
harder for them by reason of the
reckless spending Of far less worthy
type of men and women-the idle
rich. The cost of everything. even in
university communities, has bean
pushed to prohibitive prices by the
careless spending Of people without
any serious purpose in life. Moreover
the drunken sailors kind of spending,
such as characterizes the successful
stock broker or the fortunate profiteer,
breeds parasites innumerable, because
every time money is given in excess
of the service rendered it incites men
to hang around the wild spenders In
the hope Of getting something FOR
nothing or next to nothing Every city
contains thousands Of men, many OF
them young and vigorous, that are
idle and vicious simply because they
can pick up fairly good living by
standing where the millionaire's mon
ey is being splashed about. Such ex-
,travagances and stupidity foster So
cial unrest naturally; a hard work
ing carpenter or steady going tailor