Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-09-21
O;ract Taxation,

The elaborate Report of the Hon. Mr.. Boyce,
of South Carolina, made at the last session OF
Congress, In favor of repeal of all duties on
imports, resort to internal taxation, &C., &C.,
has recently been published. In this Report
Mr.. B. takes the ground .hat the extravagsnt
expenditures Of the National Government are
in largo measure, if not altogether, due to the
manner in which the money is collected. The
income of the Federal Treasury being derived
from duties on imports, the people do not leei
the weight of their paternal government a'
Washington, its burdens
dropping like the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath it is twice bessd;
Itblesseth him that gives, and him that taxes
But this double blessing not according with
with Mr.. Boyce's ideas of what Democratic
government should be, he advocates repeal OF
all duties and resort to direct Internal taxation
From the tenor of his. argument we infer that
he is apprehensive that the people will become
entirely oblivious of the existence of such wise
and patriotic body as the Congress of the United
States. He is, therefore, in favor OF reminding
them of the fact, in the most afectionste man
ner, by periodical domicilary visits from that a
Unable parsonage, who is always welcome to the
homes of the people-the tax-gatherer.
Mr.. Boyce thinks that if the entire income OF
the Government were collected directly from the
pockets of the people, they would exercise a
more careful supervision over public expendl-
turos which would result, he confidently pre-
diets, in 8 frugal administration of affairs
This, by the way, is oonsummahon which the
Democracy have been promising the country
for the last thirty years, without resort to d.
rect taxation; and we have a sure earnest OF
their ultimately bringing it about in the fact that
the present "retrenchment and reform" Admin
istration spends annually only one hundred mil
lions of dollars
Until this new light dawned upon us, we were
under the impression that one of the greatest
blessings enjoyed by the people under the Fed
eral Government, as at present administered,
was the negative one of not feeling the burden
of the enormous and corrupting expenditures Of
their rulers. 1t seems, however, that we were
mistaken, and, according to Mr.. Boyce, the mis-
sion of the Democracy is, not only to govern,
but also to enlighten the people of this great
confederacy. The first lesson they are to be
taught-the zi.gatherer being the schoolmaster
is the amount of money Democratic Admin
istration can squander in year, by having it
drawn directly from their pockets. We had i'm
agined that if there was any case in which it was
''folly to be wise," it was where wisdom could
be learned only by such means and, on the 9TH
or hand, if there was q case where ignorance"
was ''bliss," it was this one of the collection OF
one hundred millions of dollars without the peo-
pie having any feeling knowledge of the process
by which it was accomplished. For our part,
we always congratulated ourselves that we knew
neither when, where, nor how we paid our por-
ton of the large sum.
Mr.. Boyce seems anxious to confer upon the
people of the United States the same insstimable
boon which Governor Wise promised to the PEG
pie of Yirginia-thst of taxing them till they
should 'fairly groan." A system of direct taxa
alton, in order that the people might learn the
amount it costs to carry on the Government
would assuredly be beautiful illustration Of
sthe pursuit of knowledge under difficulties"
We wish, however, TO show the effect of di-
rect taxation in securing faithful and economi-
cal expenditure of public money, as exhibited in
the present condition of the cities Of New York
and-Staunton. The facts in reference to the lat
ter are well known; as to the former we give
the following extract from the New York cor
respondeucs of the National Intelligencer:
The city tax levy for 1858 amounts to $S,47l,-
O9l, or nearly one hundred dollars per head for
every voter. This is collected by direct taxation
and half of it, as 'every body believes" is vast
ed fraudulently.