Tremendous Burden

$3,013,919.52. That is a big suin of money for these bard times. It is the amount the State of Michigan has to pay in state taxes this year. For the flrst time iu the history of the state, the apportionmeut is over f3,000,000. Bnt that is not all. For the first time in the history of the state, the apportionment is over $2,000,000. The highest it has ever been before was in 1893 when the amount was $1,931,214.69. It is a tremendons increase in the burden cf the people at this time. It is $1,324,783.63 in excess of 1894, and f1,082,704.83 higher than ever before. The amount is 78 per cent higher than last year. And Washtenaw ootinty's share of tliis great burden is $81,940.77. This is $35,601.64 more than was the apportionment of last year. The increase has been over 75 per cent. How long would it take at this rate of extravagance, to ruin the county, to bankrupt every farmer, laboring man and even the capitalists? The highest state tax that Washtenaw has ever had topay before was in 1889, when the apportionment was $61,878.00, including the county's previous indebtedness. This year exceeds that record by $20, 062.77. This is an increase over the highest state tax ever paid before of almost forty per cent. To put the matter in an easy, graphic way, here are the amounts apportioned to this county for a period of ten years : 1886 $38,145.70 1887.. 61,878.00 1888 ' 46,278.47 1889 57,798.54 1890 40,099.76 1891 39,624.97 1892 38,933.84 1893 52,980.22 1894 46,339.13 1895 81,940.77 THE COUEIER'S WEAK EXCUSE The Ann Arbor Ccrarier, seeing the resnlt of republican extravagance and poor legislation, natnrally looks for an excuse, and here it is : "WAS WASHTENAW SALTED?" "She Pays More Taxes Than Counties That are Much Richer. ' ' "Washtenaw county's share of the state taxes this year willbe $81,940.77, out of the three mülion dollars appropriated. Last year it was $46,339.13. "Accordirig to the list Washtenaw is the sixth ootinty in the state in point of wealth, being excelled only by Wayne, Kent, Houghton, Sagiuaw aud Jnckson counties. The latter couaty is oaly one hundred dollars more than onr county. Bay, with Bay City, is $72,333. Ingham, with Lansing, is' $55, 929. Kalamazoo, with its big manufactures, is i71,539. Lenawee, witb Adrián, is 179,562. St. Clair, with Port Huron, s $53,947. It looks as though Washenaw got salted on the last valuation, nd will have to pay more than her hare." Yes, Washtenaw was salted, badly alted! And so was every other county n the state. Salted by a unanimo-s republicaa legislatura that legislated, not for the people of Michigan, but for bosses and United States senators. The Courier seeks to turn the publio's eye from the apparent faot that taxes are enormously increased under republican rule, by a weak attempt to show that Washtenaw has been treated uufairly by the state board of equalization. Pretty time to discover such a state of affairs ! The last equalizaticn was in 1891, and then Wayne county's valuation was increased $40,000,000; Saginaw's, $4,000,000; Kent's,$5,000,000; Houghton's, $33,500,000. Jackson county's valnation was left as it was and Washteuaw's inoreased only $1,000,000. The Courier's comparison with the othsr counties is weak, for it must be remembered that Washtenaw oontains two good sized cities and several of the most flourishing villages in the state. If Washtenaw were "salted," it would have been in order for the Courier to discover that condition some ten years or more ago. If any county got salted by the last tion, Honghton oertainly has a chance to protest, for her increase was over 600 per cent., for which there were, of course, good reasons. Here are the facts, and the Courier shonld chew them well. Under the present eqnalization, Washtenaw county pays less state taxes than she would ander the oíd, for the reason that the total valuation was raised proportionately more than was the equalization of this oonnty. Bef ore 1891 the tax rate in Washtenaw was g% per cent, of the total staíe tax; since then it has been only frwo aud threefourths per cent. And this was done by a democratie board of eqnalization. At the same time Wasbtenaw's valuation was increased,that of theurrounding oounties was also inoreased, from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000. Washtenaw has no cause to compiain of the laat eqnalization It will do tax payers good to take a look at the increase in their bnrden, as cotupared with other years. Here is the state apportioument of taxes for the past ten years: 1886 $1,202,161.67 1887 1,860,085.16 1888. 1,458,466.04 1889 1,821,521.10 1890 1,263,744.00 1891 1.443,849.61 1HQS! 1.4 19. 210.fi! XJït V 11I'W' 1893 1,931,214.69 1894 1,689,135,89 1895 3,013,919.52 Here are more astounding facts. The taxes for tbis year exceed thosc of 1891 and 1892 put together, the two years under which taxes were levied by a democratie legislature.by $259, 859. 30. And comparing the past two years of republioan extravagauce with the two democratie years, it is apparent that the republicans have forced from the people the enormons and unjnstiflable snm of 11,839,995. 19. This is only the excess over democratie taxes. The lump snm that the republicans have manded dnring the past two yeare has been $4,703,055.41. And the appropriations for worthy state institutions have not been increased. The great increase has been in the "general fnnd. " The latter is a oonvenient phrase for concealing f rom the people the real petty ext) a agances that their money helps to pay for. To come down to county figures, the total taxes levied in 1891-2, the two years of Winans' administraron, amonut to $78,558.81, considerably less than the amount of this one year's levy, and in round nuinbers, $50,000 less than in the past two years. Every farmer should pause to refleot that he will pay over twice the state taxes this year that he did under either year of democratio rule. Bepublioan legislatures are expensive lúxuries and it is doubtful if the people ■will want to try one again.