Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1923-09-05
TAXES CAUSE
HIGH LIVING
COST IN US.
Federal Aid Pernicious
Doctrine According
to Reports

WASHINGTON. Government now
is costing 500 year for each man,
woman and child in the United States
Compilations being made by the CEN
sus bureau as to federal, state, munj-
cipal and county taxes have progress
ed sufficiently to warrant that broad
statement.
If this cost were spread evenly over
the 110,000,000 inhabitants of the
United States, many families entire
earnings would be taken for govern
ment alone, leaving nothing for food,
clothing, housing, and the other ne
cessities of life. Many families of five
do not have an income of $500 year.
All Taxes Higher.
Figures now in the hands Of the
census bureau show enormous in
creases in local, state and municipal
taxation during the last decade The
figures for 1922 show that in the last
10 years state taxes have doubled,
while taxes of many cities have ire
bled. The federal government costs
$40 year for each person; state gov
eminent from $7.71 in Kentucky to
$2407 in Michigan; city government
from $2395 in Birmingham, Ala, to
$75.63 in Rochester, N. Y. Most cities
approach $50 a year, but a lower cost
of county government tends to cut
down the average annual tax. per
capita throughout the nation
Senator Reed Smoot Republican,
Utah, known as ''the watchdog of the
treasury" and the Statistical wizard
of congress-" because he has special
lied on money problems of the United
States, says the people have several
weapons which may be used in beat
ing down the ever-mOunting costs of
government. He suggests:
United support of the budget sys-
tenn, even though it means the loss Of
an appropriation for some particular
thing the community is interested in.
The budget has accomplished great
economies in the few years it has
been in use.
Adoption of a constitutional amend
ment to prohibit further issuance of
tax exempt securities. Senator Smoot
holds that the present system not
only permits the wealthy to escape
their share of the financial burden by
putting their money into tax exempt
securities, but the favorable market
afforded such securities is a constant
incentive to states and federal gov
ernments to spend.
Any new proposal for joint federal
and state aid should be rejected out
of hand, no matter how meritorious it
may seem. The plan whereby the
dollar appropriations made by states
federal government matches dollar
for dollar for good roads and similar
improvements is already costing the
United States tens of millions of dol
lars annually, but its worst evil, as
Mr.. SmOOt sees it, lies in the fact it
encourages states to make eXpendi-
lures they cannot afford on the false
promise that it costs them only half
price.
When new propositions for expen-
ditures are advanced, Mr.. Smoot
would have the fact emphasized to
the taxpayer that in the last analysis
it is he who pays the bill. He says:
"Let the taxpayer ask himself not
just whether it is worthy object but
whether it is worth the cost"
Affects Cost of Living.
While the tax burden is not dis
tributed upon per capita basis, the
fact that 800 year goes to govern
ment for every person in the United
States means it enters into the cost
of living in some form or another for
rich and poor alike. The present high
cost of living rs attributable in no
small degree to the high cost of gov
eminent.
The analyses of costs of govern
ment showing increases since 1914 or
1915 have been completed for Wiscon-
sin, Rhode Island New Jersey, Min
nesota, Michigan, Kentucky and Hi
nois Wisconsin, 1892 in 1922, $6.41
in 1915; Rhode Island, $11.S4 in 1922,
S612 in 1914 New Jersey, 1851 in
1922, 1888 in 1915; Minnesota, $1706
in 1922, 1854 in 1915; Michigan, $24.07
in 1922, $3.50 in 1914; Kentucky, $771
in 1922, $3.50 in 1914; Illinois, S7.S3
in 1922, $3.16 in 1915.
The cost of government in cities
shows even greater increase from
1915 to 1921 than that of the state
governments: San Francisco, from
1928 to $63.08; Jersey City, 1924 to
S68.41; Rochester, n. T., S33.49 to
$75.63; Grand Rapids, Mich, $26.S3 to
S51.49; Birmingham, Ala, $17.06 to
$685.; Dubuque, Iowa, $24.61 to
$46.63; Providence, r. l., $34.80 to
$6O.44; New York, $47.61 to $66.66;
Louisville, $26.81 to 1888.