Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-10-24
A Mountain of a Molehill.

| as 1t comes. me othef-taXeS-
we have in our power to at least
partially control.
Death is law of nature and
therefore does not submit to hui
man control. Taxes are an ar
rangement of our own creation
and should, therefore, conform to
our own regulations and desires.
But do they? The uniform cry
against high taxes answers that
question mo-
A well known Wisconsin politi-
clan, responsible in a degree for
our present high taxes, a few days
ago said that the people who are
crying against high taxes are
making a mountain out of a
molehill.' That is about the way
politicians usually try to smooth
over their mistakes.
Whether it is the peoples
mountain" or the politicians
"molehill'' that is causing this up
roar against high taxes can easily
be determined by few figures
taken from the states official re-
cords. For instance in 1900 the
state expenditure from the gener-
al fund was only S2,635,192. In
1922, it was $36,012,010 or more
than thirteen times as much. From
where we sit, that looks like a
mountain. But let's have a few
more figures.
During that same period from
1900 to 1922, the expenditure ner
Capita in Wisconsin has jumped
from S1.27 to $13.6S. That means
you, Mr. Workman or farmer or
whatever you may be, are paying
on the basis of S1368 today where
you paid only $127 in 1900. Can
you see the mountain" now, or
are you still willing to believe the
politician who says it is only a
"molehill''?
Going into the bowels of this
item we call state expenditure, -
we find the reason for it having
jumped to nearly fourteen times
what it was in 1900. First of all,
we find our statute books loaded
with laws creating nearly hun
dred boards and commissions.
These boards and commissions
start with a modest little appro-
priation. Each succeeding legisla-
ture yields to their demands for
more money until we find most of
them are now getting from 2 to 10
times as much as they got at the
start. All of this money comes
out of the tax payers pockets.
These items, of course, are too
numerous to mention here Just
a few as samples, however, should
be mentioned Take, for instance,
the state department. In 1900, it
did business on S38,396.
In 1922, it required 1928, 653. The
Tax Commission in 1900 cost the
tax payers S16,412 and in 1922 it
cost $317,240. The Industrial Com
mission was not in existence in
1900, but cost 1907, 1856 in1922. The
Conservation Commission came in
to being since 1900 and in 1922
cost the taxpayers S324,650. And
so on through the list.
These are figures taken from the
states official records and cannot
be disputed except by accusing
taxpayers of making a mountain
out of a molehill."
The reason politicians make bold
in dismissing such important bus
mess with such a frivolous argu-
ment is that they know, better
than anyone else, that the people
do not know the details of the
business of the state They know
that the fellow who said every
body's business is nobody's bus
mess" spoke the truth.
We are going on paying higher
and higher taxes until tax payers
take more interest in public af-
fairs. When taxpayers learn more
about how big the states business
is, how the states business is
done and how much it costs, and
when each takes more seriously
the fact that all of us are part
owners of that business, voters
will be more careful in the selec
ton of those elected to run our
public affairs. When they do that,
the day of the professional politi-
clan, the curse of our public bust
ness, will be at an end.-Wisconsin
Mfg. Association.
The worst typhoon since 1906
recently struck the British Crown