The daily star-mirror., 1923-11-16
THE TAXPAYERS BURDEN


There are now 2, 100000 public
servants upon the national state
county and municipal payrolls of thl
country, according to the latest cen
sus bureau figures. The salary bill
for this army totals $3,500,000,000 {
year. In addition to this host of Of
ficials, our various subdivisions Of
government support an additional
$4,000 men and women, pensioners
or other inactive beneficiaries, who
draw $320,000,000 more each year
from public treasures. Thus we have
a grand total of 3,400,000 taking near
1y $4,0O0,00O,000 a year from the
pockets of the taxpayers of the ma
tion, an average cost of $34 a year
for every man woman and child in
the United States.
Furthermore, this number of pub
lie servants is constantly growing.
The army is being augmented con-
tinually by politicians, whose con-
stant effort is to make two jobs grow
where one grew before. The ques-
tion of service, of necessity, does not
enter into the matter at all. There is
employees, with constant duplication
in every direction, save that politi-
clans have found that jobs financed
by the public purse is the best way
situation such as this has developed
as result of but one thing-the lack
of close interest and attention on the
part Of the people in their govern
ment. The taxpayers, the backbone
of this vicious system of political pat
ronage, have virtually surrendered
government to the professional pol
iticians. These worthless make gov
ernment serve their own ends, for
value received politically is the bas-
is on which they operate. The re-
suit cannot help but be an ever-in-
creasing amount of patronage and |
evergrowing number of political
plums.
The taxpayers foot the bill, some
times better than $3.50 a year for ev-
cry family in the United States. But
why shouldn't they? If they don't
lake interest enough in their own
government to insist on economy, to
demand service rather than politics,
It is fitting that they should pay. The
taxpayer needs no
he needs swift kick be-
ween his hip pockats.-Centrali ia,
Wash. Triune.
"a E "a
That 'stinguished Britisher, Is
ael zangwill, last Wednesday, told
New York audience that, "There
re more cranks to the square mile in
he United States than in any other
ountry in the world" 1t isn't sur
rising that this should be true since
or generations that breed has been
5caping from European restrictions
nd coming here to find free vent for
heir vaporings. The surprising
hing is that the fault-finding Zang-
i'll should voluntarily contribute
is mite to swell our already great
lrplus of the Objectionable mater
Mountaineer
"a - "a
In these days when men are TAX
g money at the point of gun rath-
r than to earn it, the job of a bank
essenger seems to be extra hazard
is. 1t used to be that they were
st tapped on the bean sufficiently
put them out of business tempor-
lily and the money taken. Recent
:, however, Jhe thugs have been
ding to the thrills in the game by
ooting the messengers. The coun-
Y has never seen robbery and mur-
+ carried on in such a wholesale
amer as now.
- "a "a
AS the plans for the relief of the
leat farmer grow more numerous
fear the chances for results grow
nmer There should be a central
ng of effort on some practical
n and that plan carried through.
the meantime the farmers are
letting loose Of their big
g crop at prices considerably be-
those of a few weSks ago.
"a "a IA
q connection with the annual