Useless Taxation

Amongthe taxes which the farmers pay there are sonie that are unavoid able, and these it is useless to talk about. There are others which farmers impose upon themselres, which they hesitate to share with others, which they submit to without a protest, and even cling to when they are being renioved. These taxes we cannot talk about too much. These are taxes, too, which bring no useful revenue nor even support a taxgatherer. They are burdens as needless as the traditional stone wliich balanced the grist on the way to mili. Through the failure of the government in the original surveys of the public lauda to lay out a scientiflc system of roads and divide the lands accordingly, farmers have been left to lay out the roads for thémselves, and generally they have put thein on farm lines, going over all the hills that come in their way. The result of this is the hill tax in li il ly regiems, and wluitmay be called the square corner tax on the prairies. The amount of hill tax I have estitnated in one county in New Jersey, and found tliat needless liills doublé all the oost of hauling in the county, making practically a mouey tax of $10,000 annually to the town. The people have paid this tax for one hundred years, and yet they wonder why they are poor. In the prairie regious, for want of the diagonal roads which the government should have laid out, the farmer, to reach a point ten miles to the northwest, for instance, travels seven miles north and seven miles west, adding forty per cent. to bis distance, or for the average of all travel, twenty per cent. This is the square corner tax. The mud tax is probably about equal in total to the hill tax, and this, again, doubles the cost of all wagon transportation. Yet many farmers are opposed to stone roads. However, the farmers themselves are doing away in many places with the enormoua burden of the fence tax, and with it will go the snowdrift tax and the waste land on the roadside. They are slowly abandoning uarrow tires and tracking wheels. Moreover, many of thein begin to realize the enormity and absurdity of the hill, mud and square corner taxes, and we inay yet hope in time to see in this country, as we do in France, beautiful hard roads everywliere winding through farms, with crops grovving close to the wagon tracks, and the roads serving perfectly every purpose of public worka and private convenience. , ii On several past occasions Mr. Cleve huid has referred tothe Nicaragua Canal as a praiseworthy American enterprise and oue in wliiuh the patriotism of the country is properly enlisted. The time is apparently near when these words will be tested, as England lias come to regard Mr. Cleveland's foreign po'.icy as her golden opportuuity. One trouble liussia is contending with in Eastern Asia is that the Japanese ïave 40,000,000 people on the ground and could place in the field an immense irmy of good fighting material at short notice. Japau has contracted for several additional hattleships in Europe, and it is in order for Russia to proeeed with caution in Corea, where she cannot possibly collect an army able to cope with that of Japan. The masterly silence of the Japs ahout Russia show that they understand their advantages. A new serial story by Brander Mathews will be published in Ilarper's Weekly, beginning in the flrst number tliat will appear in July and continuing for three inonths. The title of this story is "His Father's Son," and its scène is laid in the city oí New York, with especial emphasis upon that interesting región oí New York which the event of the last twelve inonths have marked as the corcordium of Prosperous America - Wall Street. Illustratious for this story will be by T. DeThulstrup. Rebecca Harding Davis's story, Doet. or Warrick's Daughters, beginning in Harper's Bazar of July fith, will continue daring the rest of tho year. The scène opens in Pennsylvania after the war, hut much of the action takes place in the Southwest, a part of the countrv with which "Urs. Davis is familiar, and which affbrds opportunity for much picturesque description. Full of moveinent, and contrasting several marked types, Doctor Warrick's Daughter will fascínate every reader. It is safe to predict an army of readers for so absorbing a story. Nine illustrations of Edwin A. Abbey for Andrew Lang's comment on Midsunimcr-Night's Dream ; twenty pictures of Chinese life by C. D. Weldon ; ix sketches of Florida cowboys by Fredrick Remington; four drawings by R. Caton Woodville for Poultney Bigelow's Germán Struggle for Liberty ; eleven ketches by AV. T. Smedly illustrating hort stories ;and three paintings for the oan of Are serial by F. V. DuMond- hese are some of the pictorial attractons of the August Harpers Magazine. V spirit of recreation and good humor revades the number, which is one of lie most entertaining as well as artistic ever published.