Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1846-10-09
From the Baltimore american.
DIRECT TAXES INSTEAD OF A TARIFF

The idea of abolishing custom houses entire
ly and of substituting Direct Taxes in place of
import duties, as means OF supplying revenue
to the General Government, is advanced Just
now with peculiar prominence and in manner
which shows that it is seriously contemplated
by the dominant party. There have been inti-
nations of late in the New York administration
iournals-intimations enforced by the emphatic
appreciation Of the official paper-that if any
change in the new Tariff is TO be made it will be
change in the way of further rcdUctiOn.-
"There is disposition among Democrats" says
the New York Globe, "to give the new tariff
fair trial, so that capital invested under it may
have a fair chance 10 prepare for change, sill
further reducing the duties; for, rest assured,
there will be no change but one of still further
reduction! A system of direct taxation would
benefit ninety y-nine men out Of every hundred.-
Therefore we are willing to appeal to the inter-
ests of the people in settling this questisn."
This is not an isolated paragraph. The paper
! from which it is quoted has been repeating
the same thing with variety of arguments and
! illustrations for some time past. The New
Journal ofCommerce says:
"There is one idea which all the papers who
talk in this way seem not TO have thought of,
viz: that there are various ways raising reve-
nue. by what is ordinarily termed taxation. Ex-
cises and stamps are not tariffs on imports and
do not imply any especial burthen on the South.
If such a tax were proposed as the constitution
directs shall be apportoned, according to repre-
sentation, our impression is that the South would
vote for it. But if we must threaten, we should
| like to ask these defers what they would think
of adopting the system, so successful in England,
of an income taxa tax, say on all incomes
greater than five hundred dollars annually; tax
on gold watches, coaches, notes of hand, &c.
Would such plan displease the masses, and up
set the democracy?"
When it is remembered that a system Of d-
rect taxation would fall upon the holders of pro-
perty exclusively it will be seen that the PROPOSE
ton may prove not unacceptable to the mass Of
those who hold no property or but little, andwho
of course would bear no part Of the BURDEN
Doubtless, too, the system, if adopted, will be
devised so as to fall with its chief pressure upon
the wealthy. The Democratic Review for this
present month has taken up the sub ject, to which
it devotes an elaborate article. Speaking of the
Inconvenience of the Tariff system, it says:
"The evil has become SO great as to lead to
the consideration, whether it should not be coun-
teracted by an entire abandonment of indirect
taxes, and an abandonment Of indirect taxes, and
an abolition of the Custom House. By such a
course patronage Of some 200 offices will
be taken out Of the hands of the Federal Govern
ment, and source of vast corruption dried up.
The wants of the Federal Government may be
% millions per annum, besides the land revenues.
This could easily be raised by tax apportioned
among the States.
AS, for instance, the mill tax of New York
yielded $655O67, Two mill tax would give at
least. 81 100000 which would be..colected with
out any increase of fmachinery by the Comptrol-