Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-02-05
Taxatlan and PatElss..4 !.

The Philadelphia FItSs; II -
taxation. has some pertinent remarks On
the subject which We commend to cur read
a-g The question truly IS, government
- - government, for with this country
3;.n.mbered. and cut up into number
.. di.cordant States, there would be little
s,onritv for either life or property That
paper says:
The first 70 raise outcry against It are
mostly Of . class which can DC made to sut-
fer least By the levy. either because they
have nothing taxable, or because Of the
availability Of their resources, Carefully
ignoring the justice and the necessity Of
the tax. they seize upon the thing PER Sc
and, after distorting it into hideoasness'
s;ng the caricature in the faces Of the Peo-
Me with a great flourish Of indignation
These men care nothing foT the people,
whether they be Eronged or exalted. lhey
care nothing for causes OF principles La
ali that affects the welfare Of humankind
they are essentially vile. Thev have Gun
ming. but Of the lover order their lives
are falsehoods. They are false beacons,
set to lure the too confding upon treacher-
cas- rocks, and their feast day is the season
Of national trouble
But taxation is sometimes just and nee
essarv; indeed, in degree, it Is always nee
essary. What in times Of peace would
Justly arouse popular Indignation, in times
Of trouble may become not only just, bat
benefcent. Such time has now arrived.
The existence of the Government depends
upon measures which call for great ex-
pendituTe of treasure. We are engaged In
a war whose least gtake-and We say it
without fear Of successful contradictions
the wealth, public and private, of the coun-
try. Ay, though the purchase of an hon
orable and enduring peace impoyerish every
man and woman in the Republic, ii would
be cheap. The means to purchase such
peace must be had, and the burden must
be laid upon every shoulder, according to
its ability to bear it. From the possessors
/ of dimes to the holders Of millions, each and
all must be permitted to take his share of
the burden and the responsibility.
There is but one way to adjust the bur
den 50 that it sh-ll bear equally upon ali
I The productive wealth of the country must
be taxed But first, let every sinecure,
whether State or National, whether civil or
military, be instantly abolished. BY cut
ting of as much expenditure NC can abate
so much tax. Let every salary paid By
/ Government for services rendered be taxed,
and so heavily as may be necessary. Or,
/ if it be more feasible to reduce the salaries
+ of public servants, let that be done. If it
be necessary to cut down every salary to
the {tUtnq minimum, do that then COM
mence with the President and heads Of de-
partments, and let the work of retrenah-
ment descend to the humblest employee OF
the Government, excepting no man, OF any
grade whatsoever. This will show the
people that when men speak OF retrench'
ment they mean somthing more than werds
words words. The thin gilt of cheap pa
triotigm-such has been current and plen'
tifuI for the last decade, will not pass with
people made lynx-eyed by taxation. We
want our public men to frame tax-bill, 6
just, and thoroughly competent one; bu
when they take it in their hands and g
. among the people, they must be able t.
. show that they have not avoided sacritlc'
while demanding sacrifice of others. 1t Ii
poor quality of patriotism which canno
cheerfully bow to any necessity that can
not 90 back to the bare floors and homely
fare of the pioneers Of freedom in neces5l
tous times; which cannot banish every lux
ury, and lop off the superfuous branches o
pride, and so increase the number of gooC
citizens, while helping the nation through
J its first days Of actual gloom.
And, if there be single industrial in
; terest in the country which sends up re
} monstrance against taxation in this emer
gency. let The remonstrants be known a
a fair-weather patriots; blind men, who can
not see that unless the Government be sus
tanned, their investments are but dust-ut
terly valueless 1t is the simplest question
whether men shall save half, or any othe
proportion, or lose all weigh it, soun'
: it, discuss it, do with it as you will-tha
is the alternative. Accept it and live
live so that you will not regret the day o