, 1923-03-07
(By j. D. Woodbury.

The average taxpayer of Wyom-
ing had a right to expect some relief
by action of the Seventeenth Legis-
%lature, but while not much real eff
fort was made in that direction any
thing that could have been done in
way of curtailment would not make
any ~perceptable difference in our tax
schedules. Our serious troubles are
not all so close at home.
In my estimation the Seventeenth
Legislature did not do any great
amount of damage, but if it did not
meet again for forty years the state
and the people would not be any the
loser.
There was not much new or origin
al legislature attempted; most of the
time was put in repeating and re-en-
acting the old laws, and in looking
over the journals of former legisla-
lures / find this to be the custom.
It's true, we created some new Of
fees which will give a few more
lucky persons a chance to get on the
pay roll and to get their feet in the
trough. We must pay one ent per
gallon more for our gas, which goes
to keeping up our roads.
In looking over the old laws it
was found necessary to change quite
a lot of periods to comas, and some
comas to periods, but in computing
the cost per minute of the legislature
it is easy to figure that those changes
do not stand the taxpayers more than
S7.9S each; no one should kick about
that; it was necessary to give our
laws an air of greater refinement.
We doubled the governors bet for
prohibition and law enforcement, but
probably that would not have hap
pened if it had not been that whis-
kew was so plentiful in the capitol
city that we got broad-minded and
liberal. You know how it goes IN
der those circumstances.
| am not much of a legislator, but
/ will tell now about a few things
that come to my mind in regard TO
taxes and the causes, as | see them
from our present conditions.
In years gone by we seemed to
think that any money we could DOR
row for public affairs was that much
money found, so we went ahead n
borrowed for the state, the counties
the municipalities, the school DIS
tricts, and in every way, to the limit;
NOW the time has come when we can't
harrow any more, but must COM
mence to pay interest, and create a
sinking fund to take care OF the pohus
as they mature.
We have not learned much from
experience, however, but are again
borrowing hundreds of thousands OF
dollars for our public highways and
blowing it in like a drunken sailor,
without any seeming regard as TO
how it is to be paid or who is to pay
II. We do not consider a cent a gal
Ion on gas, or an almost prohibitive
license on a car as a tax, nor do we
stop to think that every move we
make in any direction is taxed. There
Is n tax on picture shows, on dance
tickets. on bills of lading, on shoe
strings and music, cigarettes n not
air and for every thought that m
to our minds there is a tax, So when
our annual tax schedules come
around for state, county and schoo,,'
we have already paid out all we had
SO IL takes only this to break the cam
els back.
But all of this is onl va commence
ment of what we must pay.
Do YOU know what our great FED
oral Reserve banks did to us? Be
sides piling up immense fortunes OF
more than 100 per cent every eight
months, Just at the time when we
-,ooiino for existence, and