PROHIBITION AND TAXATION.

Evening Post, Volume XLVII, Issue 87, 13 April 1894, Page 4

PROHIBITION AND TAXATION.

TO THK EDITOtt. Sik — Would you kindly allow uio to make 11 fow comments on your leuding article in tlio Port of last evening '< A s to the statemontthat "were Prohibition in foroo all, or uearly all, people would be not only sober bat law-abiding, Bane, and moral," I may say that I do not think Prohibitionists claim !-o much as this— at least I do not — nor do I know any who do, bnt at the same time it is a faot, as I have lately soeii demonstrated to my entire satisfaction, that where the drink habit is abolished the people arc far more law-abiding, more sane, ana especially more moral than when the liqnor traffic held sway As to the question of revenue and taxation, i find on enquiry from the authorities in both Maine and Kansas that the rate of taxation was not only lower in those States under Prohibition than it was under license, but it is now lowor than in the license States adjoining. Where a Prohibition State is I'nvironed by the license infamy, and must constantly defend its position from invasion, the tax rate (without licence revenue) cannot be expected to be materially, lessened. A large revenue derived from the drink traffio has a tendenoy to lead to debauch a. city administration and to lead a profligacy in municipal affairs. The absence of this source of revenue is apt to lead to frugality by city ofßoera. In the city of Topeka, Kansas (40,000 inhabitants), the improvements in the city in the way of drainage, footpaths, paved Btreetß (they are nearly all paved with brick, blocks, and concrete) have been infinitely greater since Prohibition has been adopted, and yet the rate of taxation is a trifle lower. Mr. James A. Troutman, member of the Kansas State Legislature, and Seoretary of the Board of Trade for Topeka, gave me the following table, whinh dafrs from 1867 to 1889. 'I ho figure for the last four or five rears he did not have by him at the time, but lie said they were about the same as the previous five years. lam writing him by this mail to send the complete figures. The Prohibitory Law waß passed in 1880, but was not enforced till 1882. The following is the rate for the timo mentioned : —

v It will be seen that the highest rate ever , reached was in 1872, eight years before Prohibition passed. Property in this State ( ia assessed at about one-fourth its actual value, so that the average rate of taxation ! ainoo 1867 has been about 1 per cent. , It may not be uninteresting to compare | the tax rate for State purposes in Kansas under Prohibition, and Nebraska, right alongside, where they have high license, the fee : being .6200 ( 1000 dollars).

The average rate in Kansas under Prohibition has been 43£ cents on 100 dollars, i while in Nebraska, under high license, it ; has been for the same time 5G 7-10 oonts, or ' 13 ocnts and 2 mils lower in Kansas than in Nebraska. The rate in Nebraska has in- ' creased, while in Kansas it has decreased, and the rate in Nebraska in 1889 was nearly ' GO per cont. higher than in Kansas. The growth of wealth in Kansas sinoe 1880 ' has been more than doable tbat of Nebraska. ' tYhile Nebraska gained in valuation sinoe 1880 at the rate of 9,000,000 dollars per year, Kansas has gained at tho rate of 20,000,000 per year. I clipped the following from a Topeka daily paper when I was there in February last. Topoka and Wichita are both in Kansaß, but Wichita is under the control of the law-breakers, and Prohibition is poorly onforoed. Tn Topeka the traffic is annihilated. But a small portion of Kansas City is in Kansas. Out or a total population of 135,000 150,000 are in Missouri :— CLKARINO HOUSE RKTURNB. Now York. 24th February. — The following table, compiled by Bradstreet's, shows the total clearings at the oities mentioned for the past week, with increase or decrease, as compared with the corresponding week of last year:—

I hare more Sgaees of the nainqe of- th* above, but must not trespass or.yqur values! apace. For this reason also jqust I refrain from going over the quotation you publish from Dr. Haycroft, but I wjll say that I neither heard nor saw aDYthinjj of what he says about the opium hoblf, although I conversed with several aiedical men. This habit, I learned, was. indulged in somewhat in the large oities like New York, but not in the Prohibitioa.States. Tho fact is -that those who hay» weakened their nervous systems throsgh drink in place* <where hqnor is to be, had are the ones that iake to opium rnosi frequently as a panac**. Many of his statements. I am bold to say are warpea and one sided, but I am seadiig the article to, person* in Maine and Kansas who are competent to answer them fully There nf 91 T b ofe m^ a tebl6 °° m P. ile «i t>y& Kelly, of Topeka, Kansas, who is ex-Coiunty At torney. This table gives liste of thi paupers, insane, and inmates of the gaols in the State, which summarised is to -the effect £?L *£* °-«l 0« l 06 ™** ti °* fa Kansas ther* .wore 44 without a pauper, 37 -without a criminal in gaol while there were three w'fth only one la gaol, and of the total of . 159 prisoners, over 200 of them were in dx counties on the border, where Prohibit ion was most laxly enforced. This was in li BO I am, &0., G. M. Y*B*r :.

Cities. Kansas City... Omaha Denver St. Joseph ... Lincoln Wiohita Topoka Clearings. .. $7,714,080 ... 5,529,692 . 2,329,570 ... 1,223,967 330,347 512,81;) 587,275 Inn. De*. 20v7. 4Si7 4^-2 29» 38-2

1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 N Mubraak •391 •615 •67 •781 •769 ■772 •762 •802 •75 '633 la. Kansas. ■55 •SO •45 •43 •45 •39 •40 •40 •38 •40

Year Total Tax 1867 ... 382 i 1868 ... 3-70 1869 ... 3-45 1870 ... 4-15 1871 ... 385 1872 ... 490 1873 ... 4-15 1874 „. 485 1875 ... 4*5 1876 ... 4-32* 1877 ... 385 10*70 A'l'i Yoar Total Tax 1879 445 1880 . . 455 1881 ... 4 72* 1882 ... 3 82£ 1883 ... 3-90 1884 ... 4-30 1885 ... 3*5 1886 . . 3*28 1887 .. 485 ISBB ... 391 1889 ... 402