October, 1922
THE WESTERN AMERICAN
13
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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.
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C. E. INGALLS, Secretary.
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