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Show unlimited iippropriiUion. Of this I am u firm advocate, and I would say to all of these people who are crying out in the wilderness for help, that the first ihiug for you to do is to create a tax commission and endow it -with omnipotence, omnipo-tence, omnipresence and opulence, und then all those other things will be added unto you." Modest and considerate, wasn't it, in view of the fact that the Arizona-legislature had' presumed to pass a tax law. and tried to pass another when that one expired? The new law was not passed, however, how-ever, and he told" his. audience why. Ho said the legislature gave up its cntiro time to endeavors to revivify that tax law, but ho did not let it revive. There wTas likelihood that a tax law would pass the last day of the session, he said, but he stationed himself behind the leader of tho house and commanded him to move an. adjournment. There was the usual confusion of an expiring legislature, and the speaker did not put. the house leader's motion to adjourn until, at the command of the tax commission's com-mission's chairman, tup house leader walked down the ijisle and said: "Mr. Speaker, you will put this motion immediately imme-diately or you will go out of that window,"' win-dow,"' whereupon the speaker declared the house adjourned and Arizona had no tax law. Thus do the people speak on taxation matters in Arizona. Touching on the subject of mine taxation taxa-tion in Arizona, the chairman of the commission said in the same address: "Of course, they sometimes say that the tax commission of Arizona is a little lit-tle prejudiced against the mines, but they have got over that by this time; and now tho mining companies are supporting sup-porting the tax commission and all those things are forgotten." The Arizona mining companies had better "support the tax commission." With no restraint whatever on its activities ac-tivities and with the legislature prohibited pro-hibited from passing a tax law, every taxpayer hatT better be good if he expects ex-pects to stay in Arizona. Occasionally they forget caution and say what they really think about it. Thus one publicly expressed himself: "I m sorry to have to say that during dur-ing the past few years the radical political politi-cal epidemic that has been so hurtful throughout the I'nitcd States fastened itself on Arizona in the most destructive destruc-tive way imaginable. Scheming politicians, politi-cians, never constructive, living off of what has boon created, taxing everything every-thing now existing and prospective to the limit, and mischievously working hardships on those who have been conspicuous con-spicuous in the development of the resources re-sources of tho state, have been able to deceive the wage earner and thoughtless thought-less business man to an alarming extent. ex-tent. I think the time has arrived for the politicians of the country to get bufcy and use such brains and intelligence intelli-gence as they possess in at least trying to create something to tax instead of throwing all kinds of obstacles and objections ob-jections around the people who are doing do-ing business and producing tho wealth of the country, maintaining payrolls and trying to create a healthy and prosperous pros-perous condition throughout the country." coun-try." Of course, there is a "Htate Tnxpay-ern' Tnxpay-ern' association" in Arizona. It is the only voice the taxpayers have, and not very much of a voice at that, because all it can do is to "suggest" and deplore. de-plore. It publishes a monthly periodical, periodi-cal, a recent issue of which gloomily noted that state expenditures had recently re-cently increased more than 100 per cent. Yes, Arizona is the tux-gatherer's paradise; ho docs not even have to bother with a "multiple or suhrnulti pie, as he has a system equally aa efficacious for his purpose. And it is not altogether astonishing to find that statistics show Arizona, on the basis .it population, has 174 per cent more paupers, 19S per cent more convicts, ftO per cent more insane and 49li per cent more illiterates of voting age than Utah. Arizona acts like that. ARIZONA TAX LAW. Our local advocates of unrestricted taxation powera to be nested in- a ?mall eentral body allude now and then to the delightful conditions In Arizona. Wall they may, for there is a condition approaching their ideal -a tax comrniii-aion, comrniii-aion, nntfammalod by constitution or law, and free to run riot amid rtroperty owners, which it does. The chairman of the Arizona tax commission, in a recent public address, spoke gleefully of tho commission 'h . complishmentu and general activities. The legislature pasted a tat law, he said, "over the strenuous opposition of the tax cornmi ".ion, and tho only satis iaetlon the commission got in the pan-sage pan-sage of the law vas to insert, in a mora Or less surreptitious mapner, a provision that It was to expire pome time or other, namely, within two years. After the explratjon of that lav the commission commis-sion proceeded, under th provision! of Its general powers, which, so far mi the lax commission of Arizona is concerned, are unlimited. If there are nny restric Hani xnywhero ii any ot 'ho itatoi upon the functions ot the tnv lOUtmil nion, they have been removed in , rl zona. Wo looked for all of them in order to eliminate nil of them. In addition ad-dition lo that, the tux coinmimiuii bus |
