Evening star., 1932-03-27

terms Of annual income, the situation
is worse. It is not extreme to say
though the fact is sensational and men,
acing-that in many cases the State
each year is taking away in taxes the
entire net income of the farmers CROPS
Such a farmer, in short, is paying an
income tax Of 100 per 'cent-not to
Washington, but to his local county
seat and the State capital.
In State after State, county after
county, the new spirit directs itself to
looping off useless functions of govern
ment Cor functions that can be spared :;
to looping off useless Offices and sending
the officeholders back to useful work;
to reducing official salaries. It is q safe
prediction that before the end of this
year the salary or other income of
practically every officeholder in the
United States is going to be reduced.
The taxpayers are determined on it,
and the off1ceholders are too scared to
resist seriously. They are glad to be
left in their Offices at all, and many
of them will not be, for the movement
is a case Of turn the ms out"
Taxpayers, compelled for the first
time to take a good look at govern
ment, suspect that local government
is an institution administered by and
for the interest of a kind of office
holders trust" Local politics consists
chiefly of the officehGlderS keeping
themselves in-against the efforts of
would-be officeholders In the other
party to get them out.
In Indiana there Is a stirring move
ment to get rid of one whole area of
government, the townships. A town
ship is a governmental division about
10 miles square, manned with an
equipment of paid constables, tax COL
| lectors, school directors, justices of the
| peace, election officials and what not.
In frontier days, in horse se-and-buggy
| and dirt-road days the township was
a proper and necessary unit of govern
ment. Since the coming of the auto
mobile and telephone it is as obsolete
as a Wayside watering trough For pur-
pose Of schools, roads. justice and the
like, trip-or a telephone call-to the
county seat, IS or 20 miles away, can
now be made as quickly as, in the old
days, horseback ride to the township
constable's house. The automobile has
actually changed the size of the cell of
organized society.
AS a matter of fact, what is In In
diana movement to get rid of town.
ships is in some States a movement TO
reduce the number of counties. In
! Texas, Georgia and other States are
counties in which the whole population
is less than 5,000-and this population
must bear the expense of a complete
equipment of county officials. 1t takes
about as many county officials to ad-
minister a county of 5000 as one OF
$4,000. There is going to be in prac-
tically every State consultations OF
counties The process will be difficult
The politicians, especially the ones now
in Office, will resent and resist. The
thing must be done by State Legisla-
lures, and Legislatures are made up
as rule, Of county politicians They
will hate to legislate their aides and
workers out of Office. But it win be
done. The taxpayers are too militant
to be resisted successfully.
Common Sense Move.
The anti-tax movement Is not to any
great extent q refusal to pay taxes
though in some sections, including just
row Southern Indiana, refusal to pay
taxes Is adopted as part of the STRAIT
egy of war against excessive expense
Of government. The movement is eS-
sentially a common-sense one; the
leaders Of 1t and participants in it are
the most solid men in every commu-
nifty. These advise earnestly against re-
fusal to pay taxes. When the move.
ment was active in Western KanSa!