The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1925-06-10
Ray P. Chase
Talks on State
Tax Problems
MINNESOTA RIDING TO A FALL
UNLESS SHE CEASES EXTRA.
VACANT IMPROVEMENTS is
-DICTUM OF STATE AUDITOR.

That future generations should not
be burdened with paying for the pub
lie improvements of the present, that
Minnesota must "stop spending or 60
broke and that we must suppress
the idea that Minnesota taxes are
higher than taxes in other states,
were three of the many points Stress
ed by the State Auditor Ray p. Chase
who spoke Monday evening. Mr..
ChaSe's subject was Minnesota's
Greatest Problem and he gave inter-
esting and intelligent information on
why taxes are high and some of the
possible remedies for this condition.
The meeting was poorly attended, less
than a hundred people being present
to hear a talk that should have pack
ed the auditorium of the grade school
to its fullest capacity. The speaker
was introduced by w. H. Gold. Mr..
Chase came here at the invitation of
the Redwood Falls Commercial Club.
In introducing his talk Mr.. Chase
gave statistics showing that taxes
have increased alarmingly during the
past twenty-five years, the increase
within the last decade being the most
enormous. That Minnesota is young
state, and not among the wealthiest
states of the Union but possessed
of vast amount Of natural wealth
in her mines, her manufacturers, her
timbers and her farms, and that the
public which owns this vast wealth
is the payer of the tax levied upon
it, were statements laying the foun-
dation for his arguments concerning
taxes, their uses and abuses.
Under the head Of Causes of High
Taxes, Mr.. Chase showed the biggest
item is public improvement includ-
ing schools, roads, public parks.
paved streets and public buildings,
Schools is the biggest item in the
list. Suggesting that if taxes must
be cut the knife be applied here,
Mr.. Chase made strong plea for
maintaining the high standards Of
education and leaving the schools un-
On some of the other
things he suggested a decrease in
expenditure. s.,
The second cause spoken of was the
matter Of administration expenses
and the speaker gave some interest
ing figures to show that only very
small proportion of the tax dollar
goes into the business of running the
state government. The third cause
was found in the interest paid on
interest-bearing debts, Mr.. Chase
showing that interest paid on many
public improvements equals or exceeds
the principal itself. The matter Of
taking on debts which the children
and grandchildren of the present
generation will be forced to pay after
long years of interest-paying, was
decried by Mr.. Chase as one of the
big evils of the present-day prac-
tices. Another evil, given as the
fourth cause of high taxes was the
practice of obtaining federal and
state aid. Mr.. Chase showed clearly
that every dollar of Federal Aid and
every dollar of State Aid is paid by
the people themselves-that they ara
only taking from one fund and put
ting it into another. He discredited
this method of raising funds and
gave instances showing that audi
tors and treasurers who have made
a study of tax practices find nothing
but extravaganza resulting from this
system.
Under the possible remedies for the
high tax evil, Mr.. Chase made three
points, all well taken. The first was
that Minnesota must, as her Tax
Commission says "Stop Spending or
Go Broke!" So long as all manner
Or public improvements are insisted
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