Smyrna times., 1857-04-15
Taxation in England and America.

Taxation III England and AueGiCa
The freedom we enjoy in this country over
the lands Of despotism, has ever been e fruitful
theme OF harapgue withihe youthful declaimer,
the politician and the patriot of every grade
Nor has it been over estimated, In this ooun.
try we have no titled Nobility, no State Church,
no National Army 70 prop up the Government.
nothing by way of taxation to support but
our own local or State matters, when, by such
laying out, we are benefited an hundred fold.
Apprepos of this subject, we find the following
statistical coinparison in the Philadelphia Led
ain England, at this time, the sum total of
rates and taxes paid by the people am"unts an
nually to about S22 head for every man, wo'
man and child throughout the kingdom. The
expenses of the government of Great Britain
are from Eve to seven times those of our Gen.
eral Government, according as England hap
pens to be at peace or war. Ir may indeed be
said that in this calculation our seperate State
Governmeuts are not included. But even with
these all told, it will begin to equalize the ex-
penses which the masses of the people of the
two nations have TO bear. Z >'..t
Our annual expenses for the maintenance of
religious worship are about $l5,0OO.O00, upon
the voluntary system. If to what we pay for
religion were added all that is paid in our sew
eral States for common school education Ii. e.
about $4,000, ,OOO,) these two objects would
make but $3O,OOO.OOO in this county, against
SIS, ,O00, 900 in England, which sum is enforced
by her Government as religious taxation, and
there being no common school system.
This wastefnl expenditure of money, collect
ed nominally for religious purposes, arises chief
ly from uncorrected abuses, growing up by de-
grees. ln the course of centuries, livings quiz
etly accumulate, in value, though not being di-
vided as the inhabitants increase, while bishop
RIGS and deaneres rise by the augmentation Of
the lands attached, so that from small incomes
they have grown in one or two cases to about
$5OO,OO0 year.
In New York the vestry of Trinity church
collect the whole income, and agree to give
out of it to the rector and assistant ministers
certain specified salaries; but in England the
rector takes the whole for himself simply pay
ing a curate, is he pleases, some small stipend,
to do, probably, also. nearly all the work. More
than a third of the clergy do not live in their
parishes, but simply pocket the proceeds and
farm out the work.
To France Bishops income is $3, ,l25, and
tina: of a Cardinal in Rome is $4,000. 1t is
probable that the Church of Eng land alone has
| at this moment, larger revenue than suffices
to support the whole of Protestanism in the
rest of the world, and some have made it out
very nearly as much as is paid for the worship
of all Christendom. Yet this does not at all
supply England with the gospel, and but fol
the iabors of the Dissenters half of England
would now be without suitable religious in.
strnction.
The whole tares amount to about SO pei
annum for each laboring man at the head of 1
family in England. If it were in this country
where labor is we'll paid, and where an indus
triOus mechanic can earn two or three dollar
per day. this might be endurable; but in Eng
land the hire ofa working man is not above
third, on the average, of what it is in this coun
try
The condition of the people is gradually i'm
proving, and Macsuley has shown that thre
; or four centuries ago it was nothing to CON
pare to what it is now. The example Of thi
country must operate upon England with ir
creasing power. as that country falls benin
ours in the march ofProgress; as the rich ther
grow yearly richer, and the poor, poorer. Im
mense numbers will and do emigrate. Irelan
is already SO depleted Of her laborIng popua
ton. as to bring up wages again to fair star
: dard, and make labor respected. In Englan
this result must inevitably come, or the poore
classes, down-trOdden by the wealthy few, wi
sink, until the country falls into the same kin
of quiet insignifcsnce that prevails iD Spain G
Italy.