Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-10-21
National Taxes,

The best recommendation of govern
ment, perhaps, is that it rests easily upon the
subiect--that it neither draws too heavily
upon his anxieties nor upon his pocket. Its
best qualities are, therefore, stability and
economy. If men have no feelings Of conf
dence in the continuance of their Govern
ment, they are full of solicitude. If they
find it squanderipg and drawing too heavily
upon their finances, they are full Of discon-
tent.
One of the qualities which we, the people
of the United States have insisted upon as
belonging to our form Of government, is its
economy but it is questionable whether the
economy-if there has, in reality, been any
of our Government heretofore has not been
rather accidental than incidental. A rigid
examination of the past would probably de-
velop the fact that we pay nearly or quite as
high prices for what we receive as the gov
ernments of other civilized countries of the
world.
One reason for the idea that our Govern
ment is an economical one is in the fact that
the citizen does not know how much he pays
toward its support. Our taxation for the
support of the National Government is in
direct. We pay it in the form of enhanced
prices upon articles of necessity or OF luxury;
but it is nevertheless paid; and is just as
much burden upon the industry of the peo-
pie, and drawback upon their means Of
enjoyment, as if it were drawn directly from
their pockets.
In England, the annual taxes for the sup.
port of the National Government are about
$l2 per head; in the United States heretofore
about So. But we must remember that in
England the National Government perfoHm:
the service that in the United States is di-
vided between two or more Governments;
and that we must therefore calculate the cost
of the State, and perhaps portion of that
of the county governments under the ma
tional head in order to a comparison. Still
our Government has hitherto doubtless been
less burdensome upon the subject than that
of Great Britain.
But this difference is in part attributable
to the geographical position of Great Britain
requiring it to sustain numerous army ant
a costly navy, which heretofore the United
States has not been required to do. The in
terest on its national debt is also one of the
heaviest items of expenditures thing tC
which we have been, only to very moder,
ate extent, subjected. But it is the tendency
of all modern governments to expend TO tht
full amount of their revenues in times o
peace, leaving the extra expenses incurred
in war to accumulate in the form of debts o
greater or less permanency; and there is nC
reason to suppose that our Government will
form an exception TO a rule so general. Ia
deed we have in the United States tendency
unusually strong in all our grades Of govern
ment to accumulate debts, relying upon the
future for their removal and if we were Il
have placed before us the number of politi
cal corporations in the United States whiel
are loading themselves with obligations Il
foreign and domestic creditors, and the ag
gregate of these obligations, we should be
good deal startled by the exhibition.
There are, doubtless, forms of expenditur
into which aristocratic governments ar
liable to fall that do not come in the way c
the democratic; but it does not follow tina
there are not others, fully their equivalent
that are peculiar to the latter. There ar
avenues enough for the dispensation
money under all governments and as tho'
which are once opened seldom close agai
and as the tendency is constantly to Il
opening of new ones, it would seem as
nothing but time is necessary to bring Il
cost of any government fully up to the C
pacity Of the people.
The London Post, in an article upo
American AFFAIRS says that when this war
which we are engaged sis over, if indeed,
is ever over, 'he States of America will /
the heaviest taxed of all the countries
which the Anglc-Saxon race has taken root
and there is at least some reason to fear tn
this prediction will prove correct.