Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1847-06-02
per annun. In favor of well-regulated duty of
this character, the writer very justly says:


this character, the writer very justly says:
"There can be no more legitimate object of taxa
ton than property, which, under the protection of
the government having gone on to accumulate from
year to year in the hands of individual passes at
his decease into the possession of another, who has
done nothing to it and into whose hands it falls
by the death of the testator and the operation of law
Without good government, stable laws, and just adj
minstration, property would be very precarious in
its descent, and it is therefore just that property
should pay It's proportion of the cost of the govern
ment. We may take an eminent individual exam
pie. Mr. Astor, of NeW"York, by great enterprise,
perseverance and skill through long life, has amas
sed fortune estimated at say S25,000,000. That
fortune has been attained by foreigner by birth,
under the protection Of the United States laws and
the action of Congress has more than once been So
lcted 10 shield him from injuries TO which his vast
and praseworthy commercial operations have, from
time to r'me, been exposed Yet under our system
of indirect taxes Mr.. Aston has contributed no more
to the support of the federal government than the
laboring man, whose utmost eXertions have net en-
abled him to accumulate dollar When the latter
dies he leaves nothing and has occasion for the
protection of law When, in course of nature, the
vast property alluded to- descends to heirs the ope
ration OF law and the protective influences Of go
vemment are required to ensure the passage of the
properyto its proper destination, and to secure to
the heirs the full enjoyment thereof Hence 1t
arises that the property in its passage should be
charged with reasonable duty or tax for the ben
eft OF the government, in order to relieve the
shoulders of those without property from taxes,
to remove obstacles in the way of trade tits also
reasonable that fortunes accumulated in commerce,
for the protection of which navy is supported at
a vast expense, should pay their proportion.
An ;,,oo,,o ODD ,,orror,J or nor o,,,,,,,
upon each family offve having income of $1,000,
instead of S25 that they now pay indirectly for the
support of government, and a per capita tax of 20
cents per annum, would, in connection with the
sum derived from legaces and public landssgiye TO
the government S25000,0OO annually, based on da-
ia as they now exist.
"Bntwhen once in operation they would Increase
largely year by year. according to the number and
wealth Of the people, until in short time through
the operation OF these causes the tax to each family
would be reduced to So per head per annum and
less
when the burden of taxation is thus fixed in
compound ratio OF numbers and wealth, its con-
slant tendency is TO Tighten in the progress of the
country. AS wealth increases, the ratio per cent
OF the tax required from twill diminish the wants
OF the government remaining the same. As mum
bers increase the tax per head will diminish as
thus il there are are fifteen persons of whom ten
have taxable incomes OF $1,000 each, and it is re-
quired to raise S25, then the fifteen pay 81 per
head and the ten pay one per cent. tax. Ii, now,
the number increase to thirty, and ten incomes
rise to $1,000 and ten more to $1,000 then the
whole tax is reduced to fifty cents per head, and
one third OF one per cent on the incomes, still Civ
ing the required amount BY this operation, few
years O. peace "o2!d Place the country compara-
lively free from taxation"
There is no good reason, however, why, in time
of peace the annual expenditures of the government
should reach $4,000 OO0-the sum estimated; and
under system of free trade and direct taxation,
there would be very little probability of war. Free
trade, by closely Intervening the commercial and
social relations Of the civilized nations Of the world
rendering them to a great extent dependent upon
each other would create the strongest possible
tive of interest for the cultivation OF feelings of
amity and the preservation of peace. Direct taxa
ton would create another strong motive of interest
to operate in the same direction Appeals to prin-
ciple not half effective appeals to the pock-
ct and nothing would have so much of an influence
to render the people of any country particularly shy
of all schemes involving heavy expenditures of mo-
ney, as a system of revenue calling upon them di-
recty to sustain these expenditures The proprie
! ty and necessity of any such scheme would have
to be very apparent to meet the public sanction and
have It's cooperation In this way, war would not
only be avoided but the strictest economy intro
duced into every department of government. And
following the abolition of custom houses, the reyen
ue service, and all the vast Executive patronage
with the prodigious evil influences that spring from
the present SYSTEM would be the reduction of oul
army and navy establishments "he annual expen
ses Of our Government then instead of being S25y
| 100000, need not exceed half of this sum-
! Finding that our extracts and remarks are ex
ceeding the limits at first intended, COMPEL
ed to leave for our next that branch of the subiec
! which may be supposed to possess the most inter
est for our rcaders-viz the depressing effect of
restrictive system upon the prices of agriculture
products.