The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-10-24
The Burden OF Taxation.

Nothing arouses a man quicker than al appeal
TO his pocket Therefore it il, that the Locofoco
slave-worshipers attempt to make the people be-
lieve our State ADMINISTRATORS burdening them
with taxes. Since heavy taxation then, should
move IL to remove the responsible party from
power, let Us see " HON the rule viii first hit.
The average OF our State tax for the past Two
wears, was sl1s, sos, aud 40 more The popu-
lation OF the State is about 75o,O 900. So We see,
the State tax is less than tirenty.re cents TO each
inhabitaut So much for Republican oppression
The expenses Of James Buchanans Govern
ment for the past two years, viii average
about $50, 600, 600. All Of this but an inconsid-
cradle fraction, comes from the pockets of the
people, and is 20 all intents, a. much a tax as
though it were assessed 10y the supervisor and
collected by the town Treasurer. The free pop
ula,ion &C the United States j. supposed 70 be
80, 900, COO. Call the expenses of the Govern
ment, which come directly from our pockets,
s75uao. 0jc-which j. less than the truth-and
We have - 80 for each iriiviIuil-or or ocer ten
times as much A. W. pay to support our State
Government i he Republicans Of Michigan
should he turned ouJ of power for taxing the
people twenty five cents piece, what should be
done with the Democrats Of the Nation, who tax
Is tvyo and one half dollars each? Perhaps the
Board 81 Auditors who voted over fifty thousand
dollars Illegally out of our State Treasury in the
las. month before the power. was taken from
| them, can figure out the answer.
But even this contrast, favorable as it is 10 The
State. is much too light verdict against Demo
cratic taxation, until we take another fact into
view. The State tax is raised upon the value OF
property in the State; so a man worth ten thou
sand dollars paws ten times as much as the man
worth but thousand. Thus the taxes are paid
according 10 mems ability to pay. Far other
wise with tie taxes to support the Adminis,ra'
lion Of Buchanan. This money Is raised princi-
pai,y upon imported goods and merchandise; so
/ that instead o! each mans share OF the burden
being in proportion 10 h. property, 1t is IN pro-
portion 10 HI. consumption OF the foreign pro.
ductions The rich man aud his family viii con-
sumo somewhat more. doubtless, than the poor
man and his family but the difference bears no
| comparison to what it would be, if the money
was raised upon each mans property.
| And certain protested friends Of the people
especially the poor people, and more especially,
the ignorant people whom they can deceive--say
the Republicans o! this State should he turned
out, because the people ara taxed according tc
their property, an average Of not quite twenty
FIVE cents each; while the party which taxes u:
| two and one half dollars each, according to what
we eat and wear, they would have "a keep il
power Observation-Disclosures IS their reason
Ola, Squatter Sovereignty, Douglas, BTec,nridge
Democracy
We say these men love the ignorant people
because they only are the ones to whom the.
can 30 aud make them think all the taxes they
paw are ground out OF them by the State Admin
stratiou Suppose mans entire taxes amount
TO twenty dollars: if he Is very ignorant man
these demagogues will make him believe perhaps
that il is all raised by the State; when if they
were honest. they would tell him that not more
than 81 80 to $500 Of it is for State purposes
and the remainder all for tie pay ment of his owl
County, Town, and School expenses This pro
portion is not everywhere the same, because
while the triflng State tax IS uniform, the other
and bulk of the taxes, depends upon the amour
voted by the Counties, Towns, and School Dis
tricts themselves--with which one can pre-
tend party considerations have any connection
And the deIHsgcgues who make this howl abou
taxation JUS. before election, hope to accomplish
any results only by their absurd sophstries ant
shallow misrepresentation, made to men who
let others DO their thinking for them.