The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-07-26

he hss little on much has resource but TO
bay the taxed necessAries or do without-he L. els
thai has FREE Will Is, IN measure, invaded Not SO
the last case-here he has some resort--his free
S remains whoie--he may run to his garden, or ms
farm bis household manufacture, II he chooses or
thlaH& proper La the FIRST case, he may be said TO
cay Involuntary indirect tax and 10 the last case
voluntary ndsrcct tsxa sensitive difference IN the
sentiment n the freemen, be assured Some sngu-
isfi, charitable lbersliss say that those who object
~ p4siaE a tax upon those articles which are UNI
.dayied ~ climate, can substitute rye coffee, sage,
mint aBd other herb tea SPICE wood, and native red
pepp-f &C.
a relerrncs 10 the taxed tea Of the Revolution, and
ths battle Of Bankers Hill, might, perhaps be APP
propAte reply In truth, there Is no indirect tax in
bs whole catalogue 10 unjust TO the working man as
that which y nov 10 be levied products that do
not belong 10 climate, and palpabe too that it
should not be- thought OF for a moment. Let US ex-
pose IL partial operation by illustration or two
We all instssce a capitalist manufacturer, with
Investment u $1,000 o, having family of nine and
himself, and smpo, ing IL families Of ~ each The
iAx ball Of the Committee Of Ways and Means, which
J. before us. ssies teas a du of -, Is, 10, and
cents per pound, and on bobea, species similar to
clover has cents pound on conee 20 per cent; ON
cocoa cen, per pound; chocolate, cents pound;
mace. 80 cent. pound nutmeg., 80 cents pound;
cloves, 5 eerts pound cinnamon, IS cents pound;
piDento or aiispice, cents lundi black pepper,
cents pound ginger, eents pound camphor,
, cents pound. On salt-n this instance | mean
1
bushel. Of So pounds, measured ushe of these
kinds weighing much more. Ga sugar, 2 cents
per pound eisscd sugars, cents pound rehned
snxsrs, 6 eeuis pound moiasses, D cents gallon
The foregoing articles with the exception OF sugar
aud asolasses--snd the duty that exorbant, from
30 10 IS ccntsars either rejected by, not found
.n our climate and should be duty free Now sup
pose that the duty per annum The consumption OF
these accessories should be dollar picce-a mod
crate estnatc--to every about this establish
| u..pf Al exhibits the a "A of
Ia non-capiialisi working families around manuiac-
turing establishment aud each Of such families, COM
prlsing ten Individuals, paying as much tax on i'm
ported accessories towards supporting their Govern
ment, the 100 600 dollar capitalists family, Of ten
persons also, that employs them One specimen,
this, Mr. Chairman, OF taxation on labor to the
lief Of capital" under this tax bill. We will offer
another. Most of US have heard Of the suferings,
and priyatIons and intense wearing labor that the
thousands of destitute females in Of the larger
cities undergo, TO earn the miserable pittance that
will barely sustain life III themselves and their
children. Let Us suppose one OF those ware
houses clothing contractors, with a capital OF
100000, that employs some hundreds Of these
heart-broken females at mere skin-and-bone pay,
each Of the contributing much tax toward the
expenses of the Government, the consumption OF
the articles have numerated, as the one hundred
thousand dollars capitalist that employs them the
| whole of these, suppose three hundred, that
work for HIM, paying, al sixty cents each, one hum
dred and eighty dollars yearly Of t,is kind Of tax
while he, unrestricted indulgence, pays from five
TO ten dollars perhaps according TO The family he may
havc--another sample Of "taxation on labor TO the
| relief Of capital A working in the West,
with wife and ten childreu-nothlng uncommon
there--will have to pay as much tax IN has Govern
ment's support his consumption Of those foreign
| products which his climate Will moi permit him TO
| command from the soil Of his own country, as his
capitalist neighbcrs of extended thousands OF dollars
Srch will be the wide disparity Of the action OF this
kind of tax upon labor and capital all over the Union
il Congress persists in imposing IT, But It will not
| be the tax TO Government alone that the consumer
will have pay for when he Guys the article the du
ties will have been doubled perhaps, from the varl-
Gus per cenages levied the tax itself by the tra
fckers through whose hands il will have passed
Suppose this problem should be submitted to the
tax projectors. Ii working family If ten persons,
with capital at all but til If hands, pay from 10
ten more dollars year OF taxes on their consump-
ton of tea coffee, Spices sugar moasses, and salt,
| towards supporting their Government, what should
an idle family OF ten persons, with capital OF one
hundred thousand dollars, pay on smil r consump-
ton? Would not proportionate solution, applied to
all the capital the Union, pay the deb,s If the
States at once, we'll as the Government expenses!
ask the Peoples representatives TO pause, before
they infict this antclImae product tax upon the la
Dor Of the country, will have the most Of it to
pay, nearly all, from the way / have SHOWN il will
work nothing more plain. do not merely appeal
to the justice and wisdom OF the represen alive, but
I appeal to his humanity, against eXacting duties
from such imports that have become necessaries IN
universal request, although some choose TO call them
| lu ,uries. Will he make tho to-wora laborer and
mechanic, and the widow and orphan contribute as
much towards the expenses Of Government, through
the action of nccessItous consumption as the inde-
pendent and the opulenti
Will he make the destitute heart broken female OF
the city, who has been reduced from prosperous
days perhaps. to distressing indulgence, who has Il
work herself almost blind at her need e, from dayligh
in the morning, to the middle OF the night, and ng.
tna canfs tnyyuF tS hare 10
tanning life her children and hersef} Will he wriug
tax from her scanty piltance OF tea and coffee aid
sugar and SALT 100 TO so per cent. even from the
handful of coal in her ht'le CRATE, that she shVerr
over while plying her Intense labor OF freezing win
ters nlght2 Will he, say, make this poor womaD
assist her Government that has perhaps iegislaled
her into her depressed condition, equally with her rich
neig bors of thousands upon thousands, rounded
by all the luxurIes, and comforts, and enjoy
life If he will do this thing, however he may ye
need her prayers with the recording Angel that the
deed be not traced with her in the book Of fate
where immutabe truthwl appear for and agains all
do not think, MIR. Chairman, that we will be able
to burden The farmers and mechanics, and other work
ers ofthe West with this anii-cinate product tax with
out hearing from them on the occasion The farmers o
Ohio pay their State and county taxes Oh, eriuy
that matter belongs to Themselves; but they vii
not sit very placidy under this Congressional offspring
of special purpose that is gong be imposed OF
them. Let the wives of the Western household enjoy
their tea and coffee in peace, without the indirect tax
accompaniment to remind Them OF the benign "a or
burdeniDg wisdom OF their Govern nent let then
have their nutmegs, and cinnamon, and pepper, ano
ginger, and alspice, which they cannot Iaise in then
garden-free let them have them without the 100 t.
$50 per cent abstraction. Depend upon it, if you
tax this instance, their husbands and sons will make
you untax again.
perceive that according to the report of the Score
tary of the Treasury, accompanying bill to provid,
revenue from imports, &c, that the mpost indirect
tax which would be collected of the anti-cmate pro
ducts of tea, coffee, spices and camphor by the
provisions Of the tax bill of the Committee of Ways
and Means would be about $4 $50 900, and the ind-
rect sugars, molasses and salt, about o. 1872
600, making together millions in round numbers