Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1891 — HOW WE ARE TAXED. [ARTICLE]

HOW WE ARE TAXED.

No people ever addedto their wealth by taxing themselves. Individuals may be made wealthy when taxes are diverted to their benefit, but to the people as a whole, taxation is a drain. Inequalities of taxation creates inequalities of condition.— The smaller the tax, the better off are the people. In this country we are getting to think little about taxation. Few comprehend what vast sums we pay for our government. The Washington Post makes some comparisons that may aid in realizing the extent of our enormous burden:

All the gold, silver, copper, iron coal, petroleum and lead produced in this country last year could not pay the expenses of the government for the length of time. All the cotton, all the wool or all the rye, barley, wine, potatoes and tobacco produced in this country in a year co’d not do it. The national banks of this country have a combined capitalization of $599,000,000. One year’s expenses of the government would all but swallow up this sum. These are figures on government taxation alone. Add to this city, county and State taxation and something of the enormity of the burden may be comprehended. The United States has no great standing army, no government railroads, no immense navy, no profligate court of kings and princes. Yet its annual expenditures are greater than those of Austria or the German empire, greater than Great Britain and than British India and China, as great as those of the Russian empire. The revenue for this enormous expenditure is acquired but in one way, by taxation, by levy in one form or another, mainly in an indirect form, on the substances of the people. And yet the above does not embrace it all. It simply states what the government requires and receives with which to meet the expenditures demanded by the billion-doliar-Congress. It makes no reference tolthe far greater amount of tax—no less a tax because not collected by our custom house officials—paid into th. coffers of the monopolists. Our neighbor of the Republican hot long since unintentionally, but correctly described the Republican policy and system of taxation thusly: That which insures revenue to the government he designates a revenue duty; thatjwhich the monopolies collectjby virtue of republican legislation he designates a protective duty. And so it is, and the amount derived from the protective duty is three times greaterlthan is derived from the revenue duty. The National debt increased $922,915 during the month of May. Republican policy. The G. Hammond Co’s-plant is now assessed at $400,000, and yet this is about $265,000 more than former valuation.--This is how the new tax law grinds farmers and favors corporations. —Hammond News.