Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-04-20

Governor Lowden has proved that
the thing can be done. He is one of the
few men who has fulfilled his promise
TO reduce taxation.
Here is how he did ~
The government of Illinois was ad =
ministercd by l25 departments and
commissions when Lowden took Office.
. They were cumbersome and expensive.
Each commission sought appropria
tions from the state Legislature and the
commissioners and heads of depart
ments log rolled their budgets through.
Indifferent to the total so long as they
got what they were after.
The governor called upon the legis- =
lature to consolidate all the 12J com E
missions aud departments into nine.
and TO provide for a state budget con
structpd on scientific principles. He
succeeded in persuading the Legislator,
/ to adopt the plan.
! The result has been a reduction oi
nearly Is per cent In the amount OF
money needed TO run the state govern
ment. The actual reduction in the
Dluptl lflC tue lOT
1915 is S3,576.OO0.
The state tax rate has been reduced
from eighty cents on every 500 to
forty cents. This sounds we'll when
heralded from the stump. But the
thinking man will want to know how il
was possible to reduce the tax rate 90
per cent and the total appropriations
only Is per cent. The answer is found
in the fact that the rate of assessment
on real estate was raised from the pre-
vailing one-t third of It's value to one
half Of its market price. A piece OF
/ property worth $50, 900. which was
formerly assessed at $50 900. is nov
assessed at $T5, 900, and the state tax
paid on this property. which used to be
$500. is now only $500 And an equal =
ization Of assessments has benefited
tho little man. who had been assessed
the full one third of the value of his
property at the expense of the big man
whose property had been assessed al
one quarter of its value.
The plan worked in securing greater
efficiency in the state government anC
in the more important matter Of de,
tTPdSlus lIlt 'DSl vi
Governor Smith, Of New York. find:
that he is at the head OK, ,1S7 depart
ments, commissions, Offices and boards
each of which is supported by a sepa
rate appropriation. Many Of them over
lap, duplicating functions; and eacf
asks for all the money it thinks it car
7. has l.,
consolidated into eighteen departments
each headed by q single officer, excep
where a board is required by the char
acter OF the duties to be performed
| These officers are to be appointed By
| the governor and are to serve as al
advisory cabinet. He would have only
| two elected state officers, namely, th'
governor, himself, and the controller
who is to be an independent financia
auditor with power TO audit in fact a.
well aa in name. And he would hav'
these two elected officers serve fou,
years instead of two.
II Governor Smith were TO remain il
Office long enough to make the eighteer
appointments which he wishes the gov
prnor to control, it might be argued
that this is a plan for political patron
age as we'll as for economy. But tn
governors term will expire before tn
necessary changes in the law can b.
made. and the disposal Of the patron
age may be in the hands of Republi
can instead of member Of the gov
ernor's party. 1t deserves consideration
on its merits and it may get it. Bu
there is no telling what New York viii
do.
There are tens of thousands o
houspholders in this city who would b.
delighted if the present administration
in the City Hall would do for the tax
payers here what Governor Lowdel
has done for the taxpayers in Illinois
They know that hundreds of thousand
of dollars, if not millions, are wasted
every year to pay the costs Of gov
ernment administered in the past as tn
treasury for a political machine an,
they are aware that if this money wer
used properly a fair-wage could be paiC
to the police and fremen and to tn,
school teachers without any further in
crease in the tax rae, and that none,
would also be available for keeping thu
streets in repair.
! But there is no hope that govern