Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1921-10-27
----1S3o,lts.37
10000

Total --Ss3o.i<s37 10000
Irwin thus bs seen that Il costs yop
II does to run the state; four times as
much TO run the city as II does TO run
tho state: nearly twice ~ much 70 .,a
the rshooi $, ,htss sos tim 20 rs s much 10
the state. While II takes more money
10 run the state than II used 70. tne
r.. SS:, S, :. so09s
Instance Il used to take an average ~
Der cent Of ali tax money to run the
state. Now the average from s1ch
oS Gov y,n :, enly . PsS51 e pss cent. oftsn
the state Il blamed for Increased taxes.
The legislature or the state admins
tration 10 abused.
Facts are stubborn. however. and the
fact that even townsnp rGsUwent n =
stsrtiinx fact: Every taxp.yer Eiii b
money Is Si.trisutsd ~, The ~ 81 coo cent st,
out out Of ~ every tax dollar q for The pur.
pose Of maintenance Of ths Svpresmn ne
Court. and al the Di.tr is SS. .fs N sns
ne T:i' A 3 a%inS1sii coiisss:
iai Hospital; SIX state hospitals; All the
penal Institutions: the various depart
nients, boards, commissions. ana al the
state officers.
The statement, strangely, IL not
given rs of this year but goes back
to 1920. The governors secretary
fails to state that IL the past year
the state taxes Of this county have
increased $49,788 which increase
alone exceeds the total state taxes OF
the county eight or ten years ago.
This year instead Of paying to the
state 1884, O8 as given above. Dick
inson county will pay $134,176. an
increase Of SIS per cent In one year.
This should have been given In the
statement to be fair. But the princi-
pie of taxation is not affected by the
misleading statement OF the tax paid
the argument IL that because the
state tax Is less than the local tax no
one should object to Its size.
This argument IL the most subtle
and clever that can be made on taxes.
Given a large political unit, a small
tax scattered over 1t raises an i'm
mense amount Of money while 1t can
be pointed out that each minor Sec
ton pays little Of the total. But tnat
does not touch the matter of extrav-
agance. TO be sure, 1t gives the
anagement Of the large unit
chance to spend money freely, to
waste 1t on hordes Of political APP
pointees, needless boards, inspec-
tors by the score and all sorts Of
trips and extrayagances. All the
time the people may be lulled by the
tact that 1t is not heavy on any one
If them. A small unit must maintain
is own schools, roads, etc, which
calls for heavier tax be-
,ause there are fewer to tax.
The smaller tax for the state Is no
'eason for increasing expenses. The
'tate Of Kansas has thus increased
Is expenses with practically station
,ry population In the past few years
Faxes under Bailey's 2 yrs.-$5.2ls.s42.33
Faxes under Hoch's 2 yrs.--36.071,602'7l
faxes under Stubbs' last
years -$S.4Vo,lAf41
faxes under Hodges 2 yrs.-&s,s76.ss4o7
axes under Capper's last m
years -----$AS'oo0'o0''|V
axes under Aliens last
years, over 20.00V,0VV.oo
What the managers of the large
nit fail to realize as they pour out
he money il that the average man,
e he farmer, clerk, businessman or
aborer, has only SO many dollars to
pend. The farmer Of Kansas has
his year about 40 cents where last
ear lie had 100 cents. Out Of that
cents he must meet his taxes, pay
lterest on his debts, feed his FAM
y until another crop, clothe his fam
Y, keep up his farm and IL he has
ny left, pay Off some o fhis debts.
! Ia easy to say that the state tax
only a little comparatively but
then $134,178 comes out of the
ecreased income Of the people Of
dickinson county compared with $45,-
90 few years ago it IS likely to
reate a demand for some sort of
no amount Of clever
of figures is going to change
hat idea.
On the same basis as given It
would be easy to show that the state
ak would be small on the county
with others II twice as
many boards were created, twice as
many inspectors sent roaming around,
vice as many useless employees and
boards at the state house, twice as
much appropriated as gifts to the
legislators for postage" and gener-,
lily spend $4O,OOO,O 900 a year instead
Il half that sum.
Other states have demonstrated
hat business administration can be
and that state expenses
an be reduced. Kansas will some
lay do II and the administration that
eads the way is going to see the
,eople rise up and call 1t blessed.