Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-02
l THE POOR TAX
Y

ana by the WORD taxpayer we NEAR
the whole public that consumes
goods or services, for these in the
last analysis truly do pay SO per
cent of all our taxes. We say the
taxpayers are FESTIVE. Well. may
they be so for taxes have been
mounting and mounting year by
year until from being one of the
lightest taxed peoples in the whole
world, we have become n of the
heaviest taxed peoples. A friend
of The Tribune editor brought him
a copy of the Liberty Tribune, pub
lished in Clay county. Missouri.
1t seems that they have recently
been celebrating the centennial an
niversary Of the county and some
old documents were produced by
the citizens bearing on taxation Of
early days. Here is one of them:
Received of Woodward Jesse
o9A cents, in full for his state and
county tax for the year 1855.
Searey. c. Ct"
Mr.. Woodward Jesse was a sub
stantial citizen Of those days and
a farmer. He was the grandfather
of a we'll knewn Great Falls citi-
zen, Mr.. P. M. Martin. But even
in those early days of light taxes
the tendency was upward, or per-
haps Mr.. Jesse was growing richer,
for two years later we find him in
possession of this tax receipt:
Received of Woodward Jesse
the sum Of $l.oo in full for his
state and county tax for the year
ls3o.-Merit Tillery, Collector"
Except for light excise taxes on
intoxicating liquors and tobacco
and customs tax there were no fed
eral taxes at all in those happy
days. Indeed, we are not quite
sure that there was any liquor tax,
for we find that whisky passed
current for money and Mr.. Mar
tins great grandfather preserved
this rather singular promissory
note. We do not know whether it
was marked paid" OF not.
ION or before the first day of
March next, l promise and oblige
myself t o pay to Handle Vance. or
his heirs, one hundred and fifty
gallons of good dependable whisky,
it being for value received. So
witness my hand on the sixth day
of June, 1s27.-Nichols Crutch-
field.
"P. S.-The whisky is to be de-
livered in good tight casks at the
mouth of Tickmans.-Nick Crutch-
field. Witness-Henry Buford."
If that good dependable"
whisky had been delivered and
safely kept to this day, multi-mil-
lionaires would be flocking to Clay
county to try and secure the pro-
eeeds of that note at any price.
What changes time hath wrought
in other things besides taxes! Then
our government was a simple and
inexpensive affair. People did not
expect the government to do much
for them except to preserve the
peace and let them attend to their
own affairs. The congressman of
those days was expected to make
laws and not to bring home the
bacon" for his constituents. To
make the comparison of then and
now more striking. just look up
Fridays copy of the local repub-
lican organ. the Great Falls Even
ing Leader. Here we are informed
that four land offices maintained
by the United States taxpayers, one
at Great Falls, n at Helena. one
at Kalispell, and one at Billings,
would have been closed and con-
solidated with other offices under
the operation of the law. because
the amount of business they did no
longer justified the expense. These
offices pay the register and re-
ceiver $4,000, that is, $4,000 each.
Probably their other expenses in
GLIDING clerk hire bring the total
ND to $4,000 year. But we are
told. by The Leader that owing to
the extraordinary activity and influ-
nee of Congressman Carl Riddick
most of this $4,000 expense has
been continued on the backs Of the
taxpayer. He got the offices men
toned excepted from the operation
Of the law and the only saving
made will be the sum Of $4,000
4 wear through the consolidation OF
the office of register and receiver.
49, .>,,s~~ - "a hA xnAAA