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About The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip. (Portland, Or.) 1923-1927 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1922)
October, 1922 THE WESTERN AMERICAN 13 liiiiiiiiiHiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiniinniiHiiniiiiininiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiniiiiniiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiHuiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHnM Taxes and the Governor When a candidate for the high office of governor bases his candidacy on certain claims and promises as to what he will do if elected, the public is entitled to have his claims ana lyzed and examined. In this campaign, Walter Pierce has gone about the country melo-dramatically tearing tax bills in two by way of illustrating what he will do to taxes if elected. The voter, then, should analyze the tax matter to the extent of becoming informed as to just what part the governor plays in imposing or reduc ing taxes. In the first place, the voter should know that the total tax levy in Oregon for 1922 is $40,473,906. This is a reduction of over $1,500,000 from last- year, so that it will be seen the high cost of gov ernment following the war is already receding. Of this 1922 levy of 40 million, over 31 million was for county, city and school district purposes, over which the governor could have no possible control whatever. Of the remaining 9 million for state purposes, only 3% million are taxes over which the legisla ture has any discretion, and of this amount, only 2% million are for the actual expenses of state government and might, therefore, in even the re motest degree, be charged to the methods employed by the governor in administering the state’s affairs. In passing, it should be noted that this state levy is an increase of 41 per cent, since 1916, and not several hundred per cent, as stated on various oc casions by the democratic candidate. It should also be noted that less than half of this 41 per cent occurred during Mr. Olcott’s administration. This ability to keep down the cost of the state govern ment to so small an increase, when living expenses in the ordinary home in the same period increased over 100 per cent, is a most creditable showing. MR. PIERCE’S TAX RECORD It is proper at this point to examine Mr. Pierce’s own record on taxes and see if past actions as a legislator square with his words. Of the $9,376,289 of state taxes for 1922, which include the millage taxes, MR. PIERCE SPECIFI CALLY HAS APPROVED OF $8,564,039, or 92 per cent. He had no chance at most of the other 8 per cent. Of the 1922 state taxes, Pierce introduced bills accounting for $1,429,126, or 15 per cent. In addition to this, he voted for tax bills intro duced by others to the amount of $6,114,109, and he has given his public approval on numberless occasions of measures passed since he was returned from the legislature causing taxes amounting to $1,020,804, making a total of state taxes approved by Pierce of $8,564,038, or 92 per cent of the total 1922. There is no telling how much of the remain der he might have approved if he had had a chance, and it might 'be significant that the state taxes have decreased over 11 per cent since Mr. Pierce was retired from the State Senate. Mr. Pierce has always been a consistent tax booster. He voted against only three per cent of all the appropriations of the 1919 session of the legislature and voted for all the appropriations of the 1920 special session. In 1917 Mr. Pierce introduced a bill- to. exempt money, notes, mortgages and accounts from taxa tion. Yet he poses as being anxious to take the burden off real estate! He voted for submission of $400,000 bond issue to build a new penitentiary. Mr. Olcott, at no TAX expense and with prison labor, has fixed up the old penitentiary in excellent shape for another 25 years. Mr. Pierce voted against accepting road machin ery from the government. That machinery now amounts in value to $1,800,000. GOVERNOR OLCOTT’S RECORD The above are but a few of the extravagances of Pierce. Mr. Olcott, on the other hand, has con ducted the business of the state in an economical, sane and business-like manner. He has saved the state thousands of dollars because of his level headedness and his intimate knowledge of state affairs. He has built a new Boys’ Industrial School Building by diversion of a millage fund and there fore, without a single cent additional tax. He has insisted upon development of the various state farms connected with the state institutions until the present year shows the unprecedented' income from this source of $491,511. He is no talker, no politician, no idle promiser and is not seeking re election under false pretenses nor catering to preju dice, but is going to the people on his own splendid record, confident that if he can but get that rec ord and Mr. Pierce’s record before the voters of Oregon that he will be vindicated on election day, Tuesday, November 7th. VOTE for OLCOTT FOR GOVERNOR REPUBLICAN STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE WALTER L. TOOZE, Chairman. (Paid advertisement) C. E. INGALLS, Secretary. Place Your Orders With The Western American Advertisers—.and Tell Them Why