Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1869 — Taxation. [ARTICLE]

Taxation.

The outcry made by Democrats, against taxes imposed by the General Government, is made without any good cause. Taxation, in some form, is necessary to the maintenance of the government at all times, and the measure must, of course, be much heavier when we have pensions to pay to the wounded heroes of a bloody war, and to the widows and orphans of our fallen braves, and also the principal and interest of a vast war debt to provide for. The war was the last bequest of a long series of Democratic Administrations, and was waged by Democrats exclusively. Republicans were in no degree responsible for their treason or its consequences. To pay off this Democratic debt, however, and they,are taxed in common with others, they bear their part without murmuring. The party charged with the management of the government has lighted the burden of Federal taxation as fast as the condition of our credit would permit. In the first place the General Government has taxed no lands, nor homes of our people. All the taxes paid on them arc for State and municipal purposes. Second, the system of taxes favors the poorer classes, even* to the extent of entirely relieving them. No poor man is made to pay a dollar to the government by way of tax on income, lands, houses, or property. If any man who may be called poor pays anything to the General Government, he does it on the foreign goods, whisky or tobacco he chooses to consume. The Republican Congress has uniformly favored labor and taxed capital. As soon at it was possible to do so it reduced the tax on manufactures and industry general) y, sixty millions per annum. The inoor es and luxuries of the rich are taxed r I labor and poverty almost entirely n'ieved. How could taxation be made easi r? What relief do the Democracy propose ? Their policy, as deduced frxn thespeeches, platforms and letters of their leaders, is, first, to tax the bonds; second, pay them lev’s platform. The people will repudiate, not ice public debt, but the men who have tbs audacity to insult the honor of an honest people by asMni; them to adopt suph