Evening star., 1932-04-28
The Cost of Government.

IlC OAtAIl4CN Nl4G ebANSANN
ically perfect approach to the extreme
" complicated national problem of
raising revenue when he proposed to
the Governors assembled yesterday at
Richmond that I'VE should, all of US,
through our financial officers, give re-
newed examination to this subject in
the light of conditions today and by
exc.~uges between them reconsider the
whole problem of better coordination,
greater s.NnIicity, and. above ALL better
adjustment W t.,s burdens (of taxation)
among our peopr
The gross inequalities Of the tax
tition between Federal, State and local
governments to impose heavier and
new forms of taxation, each segment of
government bent upon meeting its own
particular need for revenue without
regard to what others are doing, is
one of the aggravating features of pres
ent conditions. The sane cure would
lie in the acceptance of a national plan
OF taxation, resulting from continued
coordination and cooperation between
the taxing jurisdictions. in which the
field Of taxation would be more evenly
divided between them.
But to accomplish these things"
the President reminded the Governors,
eve must have the intelligent support
of the people themselves, that selfish
vested interests and vested habit do
not, by their organized sectional and
group oppositions or individual action,
defeat the high purposes"
The nub of the problem lies in gain
ing not only the support OF the people,
but their intelligent support. High
taxation everywhere has brought about
an unprecedented revolt against costs
of Government. But, as true in any
revolt. the forces unloosed are apt to
be more blind than intelligent. They
are apt to direct themselves to the ef-
fort of merely tearing down what has
been accomplished through the years,
destroying the good with the bad, in
ctCdO Vi GAdHll44IllE IlIC
causes of the mounting costs of Gov
ernment and correcting those evils that,
In hard times, stand out in bold relief.
The President presented figures to
show the rising cost of government, in
Guiding debt retirement between 1918
and 1880. The totals for Federal State
and local government were 50 900 ,000,0 900
in 1918, sl0,9O0 900 900 in 1924; $l3,-
200, 100000 in 1880. The outstanding
debt increased from $4,000 10000 in
1918 to s3O,4oO, ,O0o,O00 in 1924 and
S30,60o 900 900 in 1880, and this despite
the fact that the Federal Government,
Indebtedness by some $4,000 900 o00 But
one prefers the Presidents more apt
illustration of what these rising costs Of
government have meant. Before the
war, theoretically, every man worked 25
days year for the National, State and
local Governments combined. In 1924
he worked As days a year. Today he
works for the support of all forms of
tinued progress on this road is the way
TO national impoverishment.
When the average man learns that
the vast agencies of Government built
up in the last ten years require for his
support the fruits of practically two
months Of years labor-and he is be-
coming more painfully aware of that
fact every day-his revolt will follow as
a matter of course. The duty of the
responsible officers of the Government
is to give intelligent direction to that
revolt by pointing out the difference
between governmental luxuries bought
on the instaliment plan during fat years.
and the necessities Of government that
must be, even at great cost, retained.