The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-06-04
Here's
the Point

reaction to his trial balloons He did
not do this with the tax bill. He left
the job of drafting the legislation to
the treasury and the treasury, being
populated with number of men who
have no conception whatsoever of
business practices and care little for
American traditions, produced piece
of legislation that would have forever
prevented any business unit from saw
ing funds to carry it through times of
depression, the proverbial rainy day.
In the discussions around Washing
ton, it is frequently stated that had
Mr.. Roosevelt taken his so-called tax
experts into room and made them
explain the character of the bill they
were presenting, much Of the difficulty
would have been averted. But he did
not use this foresight and the result is
,now history He has alienated con-
siderable amount of congressional sup
port that he ordinarily could have for
the mere asking.
AS the tax legislation stands, it is
nothing more nor less than a make
shift boost in rates. 1t has added moth
ing at all to strengthen the nations
general taxation policies. 1t seems to
me that the time is ripe for general
study Of the tax structure with the
idea in mind that a wholesale revision
should take place and that scientific
methods should be employed. We must
not forget that we have a national
debt Of more than thirty-one billions
and that several other billions in Sc
curities are really to be counted in
since those obligations are guaranteed
by the United States. That debt must
be paid eventually and the revenue
must be raised in the only way that
the federal government can get its
money, namely, by taxation. The con-
clusion, therefore, is inescapable that
we face heavy taxation and we may
as well face the music.
It may be that all of the twenty-one
billions in tax payments and borrowed
money which Mr.. Roosevelt has ex-
pended can be justified in every re-
spect. 1t may be that in future years
the nation will be grateful that this
era of extravaganza is part of our
history, but the fact still remains that
when government or an individual
borrOws money, that money must be
returned to those who hold the evil
dence of the debt The forthcoming
political campaign certainly will de-
velop plenty of discussion on this
point.
The civil service commission lately has
compiled some statistics indicating that
the merit system in
u. 5. Pay the federal govern
Roll GroUs ment is being pushed
aside at an alarming
rate. The commissions figures show
how every President since Arthur in
1883 has expanded the scope of the
classified civil service during his adj
ministration until the administration
of President Roosevelt.
It would be list much too long to
record here how the number of en-
ployees Of the federal government has
increased each year as the government
has expanded but as a matter of his
tory it struck me as interesting to see
how Ais per cent of employees Of the
federal government under President
Mckinley held their jobs under the
civil service system and laws and how
this percentage increased to 615 per
cent under President Taft; to Y per
cent under President Wilson; to 1913
per cent under Presidents Harding and
Coolidge, and to SOL per cent under
President Hoover.
By the end of June, 1885, the num-
Der of civil service employees in the
federal government amounted to only
633 per cent of the total number and,
while the civil service commission has
not tabulated the record for this year,
| understand reliably that the ratio
will be about 81 per cent of the total.
The total number of employees of
the federal government has grown con-
sistently since the turn of the century
when it stood at 256,000. In Taft's adj
ministration, the total was 10000
President Wilson's first administration
employed 43S,0O0 and then with the
| advent of the World war the govern
ment expanded its personnel to it's
| highest point, $4,000.
AS the war agencies were liqudiated,
the number of employees declined OBJ
| viously until during the Harding and
| Coolidge administrations the highest
| point reached was $4,000. The Hoo
yer administration numbered 5S3,000
| on the pay rolls but the election of
President Roosevelt Immediately
brought on greater numbers and by
June 80, 1885, there were $4,000 on
the federal pay roll and this number
was further increased to 100000 at the
end of March this year.
/ g Western Newspaper Union.