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Show NO DECREASE IN TAXES. Tho rata of taxation upon tho people of this city will probably bo on tho wholo a littlo abovo that of last year. All tho levies havo been fixed now except ex-cept tho State lev-, which last year was 7.5 mills on the dollar. When the Legislature Leg-islature adjourned last March, it was understood that the Stto taxation would have to bo increased one-half mill over last year, to tho constitutional constitu-tional limit, in order to moot tho appropriations ap-propriations of tho Legislature; and even then tho estimated revenues would bo less than tho assured expenditures. If this eight-mill levy should bo imposed, im-posed, as ifc probably will bo, tho tax levies for tho present year will bo as follows, in. mills, as compared with tho rates of lovy last year: 1013 1012 S;nte S. 7.5 Countv 5.2 5.505 Countj' School c 2.5 2.5 City. 13. 13. City School 0.G 3. Total S8.2 3S.185 In view of the fact that the valuation valua-tion of this county (including tho city) on tho assessment roll of the current year is some $0,000,000 abovo the valuation valu-ation of last year, it will bo seeu that tho amount of taxes to bo paid will be considerable in excess of last year's taxation. Tho school district comprising this city decreases its tax levy one-tenth of a mill. But tho amount of school taxes to- bo paid will be considerably in excess ex-cess of tho amount paid last yoar, in spito of this increase, becauso of tho increased assessments. Tho municipal' taxation remains as before, tho City Commissioners holding that tho amount of mouoy which they get will oven thus hardlr suffice to keep public improvements going and to meet the requirements of tho growth of this city. E'ory ono understands that a growing city has to meet additional expenses ex-penses year by year, and so, in a gon-eral gon-eral way, tho claim of tho City Commissioners Com-missioners must be allowed. The county decrease in rato la .305 mill, but by reason of tho great in-creaso in-creaso in tho assessmont valuations of tho county, this lowered rato doos not lower the taxation, but on tho contrary con-trary increases it, for tho county will receive on this account somewhat moTe than it received last 3rear. Last year, on a county assessod valuation of (in round numbers) $S-i,000,000, with a rato of 5.505 mills, tho tax would amount to $407,4G0. This year, with a valuation on tho assessment roll of $90,-000,000, $90,-000,000, in round numbers, and a county coun-ty tax rate of 5.2 mills, the taxation will amount to $408,000. This is an in-creaso in-creaso in tho amount tho taxpayers must put up, of $540. So that tho claim of reduced taxation in this county coun-ty is a mero sham. Tho rale is' ro-duced ro-duced a trifle, to be sure, but tho sum of taxes to be paid is increased, not reduced. re-duced. As we have stated heretofore, tho county is tho only taxing unit which we havo that always has money to spare, so much that it does not know what to do with it. Last year it put up an enormous county hospital, which j was u clear waste of money, tho structure struc-ture being built for no other reason apparently ap-parently than, that tho county had an immense sum of money on hand that the commissioners did not know how otherwise to spend, and so thoy put up this needless building, the upkeep of which will be greater yoarjy.by far than tho whole cost of tho treatment of county patients at hospitals in this cit3'. The State levy will probably bo Increased In-creased one-half mill to meet the appropriations ap-propriations of tho Legislature, as tho revenues of tho Stato on last year's rate will not be sufficient to squaVo tho biennial account. "Wo noto that tho Smoot organ, in a fit. of almost alive alertness, yesterday morning, made itself busy with tho usual railing against Tb,e Tribune, which we don't mind a bit. But whero it makes a hurrah aud foolish boost about tho reduced county taxation aud undertakes to found thereon a malicious and mean partisan political nssault upon the city and the Stato for not reducing taxation, it is cluo to say thero is, in fact, no reduction reduc-tion in taxation on tho part of tho county. Tho tax rato, to bo suro, is lower by a littlo moro than one-third of a mill, but, as stated, by reason of tho increased valuation on tho assessment assess-ment roll, tho taxpayers will pay on thiH account moro money than they paid last year, in county tnxes. And this is hailed by tho Smoot organ as a decrease in taxation! There is no doubt that, speaking gen-erally, gen-erally, in public affairs hero na else-whero, else-whero, and a3 conspicuously brought to publio notico by Senator Aldrich when lie statod that tho publio business of the United States could bo conducted at a cost of $300,000,000 less than it is at present, to say that popular government gov-ernment is costly, is a fair statement. It has frequently been remarked by publicists that popular government fa generally the most expensive in the world, but in tho long run it pays tho people to keep their affairs in their own hands, rather than to surrender the control to dospotic interests for tho mere purpose of saving money in taxation. tax-ation. And so, whilo popular liborty i3 a great thing in and of itself, it al ways, and of seeming necessity, costs a great deal of oxtra money. So far as tho State is concerned, tho appropriations by tho late Legislature will call for all tho monoy that an eight-mill tax, added to the other revenues, reve-nues, will produce. Tho city should show results for the money in growth and in public improvements. im-provements. Tho city schools givo good rolurnn in .training tho young; and besides, the board of education has made a small reduction re-duction in tho tax rate, although it will get moro money than last year from tho levy as mado. There is no surplus of money in tho Stato treasury, but rather that treasury is facing a shortage. Thero is no surplus sur-plus in tho city treasury, because of tho demands mado upon it. Thero is no surplus in the school district treasury, treas-ury, because of tho groat demands made upon it to educato all tho children. chil-dren. It is onlj in tho county treasury that wo soo largo sums of uboIcss money, mon-ey, and waste. The county levy should not have been inoro than -1.5 mills tho presont year at tho most. Tho fixing of that levy at a rato that will produce moro money than last jrear, when the commissioners havo moro monoy than" they know what to do with, is a callous cal-lous imposition upon a tax-burdoncd people. |