The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-06-15
Copyright, Western Newspaper Union
XNNII.
THIS WAS YOUR MONEY
By EDWARD G.

IF1IS WAS 1OON MONE1
Consider for Il moment, if you will,
some further figures. This is your
money l am talking about.
For every fiscal year from 1866 to
1898, inclusive, there was a surplus Of
receipts over expenditures. During
this period of % years the surplus Of
receipts over expenditures totaled ST.
900 2O5,Ol3.41.
For the fiscal years 1894 to 1890, in
elusive. the expenditures exceeded the
receipts in the aggregate of $2S3O22,-
991.14. For the fiscal years 1900 to
1904. inclusive, the surplus of receipts
over expenditures aggregated $780,
S19165.04. For 1905 the expenditures
exceeded the receipts by $7S,77G,-
622.SO.
For the years 1910 to 1914, inclus-
i've, the receipts exceeded the eXpendi-
lures by $1490244O+27. For 1919
the expenditures exceeded the receipts
by $S3,4SS,931.53. For 1916 the re-
ceipts exceeded the expenditures by
S55,171, 10000, and for 1917 there was
a deficit OF SCOTIA S6473.
From 1866 TO 1917, inclusive. the re-
ceiptS exceeded the expenditures for
each year with the exception of 1894.
1895 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1908, 1908,
1909. 1915 and 1917. The total amount
by which the expenditures exceeded
the receipts for these Il years just
named is $443, 766, 7447O For the %
fiscal years, 1866 to 1917, inclusive,
the receipts exceeded the expenditures
in Al years, the total of such excess
for that period being 1891, 453, 1S4.16
For the fiscal years 1866 to 1910, the
revenues were raised through an in
direct system Of taxation. Beginning
with the fiscal year ending June 80,
1910, the receipts from direct methods
OF taxation have usually grown each
fiscal year, as will be seen by the fol-
lowing table:
is1o-Corporation tax .........s POSI-. 81
Iell-CorpOration tax ......... 33,5l6.g7659
is2-Corporation tax ......... 2S.5S3. 3O3.73
1el3-Corporation tax ......... 5000, 299. 81
lslECorporatiOn excise tax. lO,671.077.22
1el4-COrporation income tax 81, 81
lsl-Individual income tax. 2S,253,534S5
1S15-Emergency reveuue...... 52,069, l26 %
19lE-CorpOration income tax 80 is. 595 II
l9l5-IudividuaI income tax. H,046.16209
1e16-Emergency revenue..... S4,27S, 302.l3
lel6-Corporation income tax $685. J79S
lsi6-IndividuaI income tax. 67,9l3. 5g463
l9I7-Emergency reyenue..... 95.297553S IS
1917-Corporation income tax 1852. NS7 Sc
1917-IndividuaI income tax. lS0,l0S $40 10
l91S-Income and excess prof
its tax Observation-Disclosures ,S3S &c., s94 Is
ls1e-Income and excess prof
its tax ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2,5960QS, O27 70
The number of corporations max
ing income tax returns showing tax
able income, aggregated -, 49S in the
calendar year 1909, and that number
increased to 232, 079 for the calendar
year 1917 The number Of individuals
making personal income tax returns
aggregated 357,59S for the calendar
year 1913, and that number increased
to 3,472, $50 for the calendar year 1917
For the fiscal year 1909 the total
ordinary receipts aggregated 5000, $780,
4s9.84, of which $500, Ill 1885 came
from customs duties, S246,212, 643.59
came from internal revenue, and the
balance was received from the sale Of
public lands and other miscellaneous
items; whereas, for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1919, the total re-
ceipts from customs amounted to 1884,
457, 1867 80 while the internal revenue,
including income taxes and corpora
tion and excess profits taxes, amounted
TO $3,839, 95O,612.05.
So you will see that until 1910 the
money you paid toward the support
Of the government was slipped away
from you so easily that you hardly
knew anything about it. You did not
know that you were paying taxes to
the national government
Indirect taxation Is the most Sc
ductive form of raising public rev.
enue. You never came in contact with
the federal government except when you
bought postage stamp. But now you
know it every time you buy drink at
soda fountain, or a bottle Of medi-
cine, or sand a telegram, or make q
long-distance telephone call, or per-
form any one Of score of other nor
NAL activities of daily life. Some
thing must be put In the kitty for the
government. Its annual rakeoff runs
into the billions. You pay it and the
government spends it.
But all that part Of the party Is
about over now. The oysters have
been eaten and put in the bill. They
must be paid for. 1t Is perfectly clear
that in the future by far the greater
part of the revenue required for CON
Quoting the public business must come
from direct taxes. 1t is also clear
that the ordinary expenses for run
ming the government will in future
probably exceed four billion dollars
year. That Is a lot of money to take
out Of your pockets, and mine. Hadn't
we better see what is done with it, and
whether we can save any Of it2 Con
gress, which is very far-sighted, and
able, when its own skin is concerned,
to distinguish a hawk from q hand
saw at a very great distance, is be-
ginning to take notice.
Brahmins Avoid Friday.
Amopoct tho BRO buoipc oF Tndf. NJ