Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1862-03-11


Tuesday, March N, IS62.
A Wrong System of Taxation.
1t is evident from the system of taxation
adopted by Congress since the commence
ment of the war, that our rulers have so
little faith in the virtue and intelligence
and loyalty Of the people. that they dare
not put them TO the test of asking them.
openly and boldly. to contribute, euch ac-
cording to his means, to pay the interest on
our national debt and to defray the neces-
sary expences of the Government The
Morrill, tariff bill, adopted at the last ses-
sion of Congress, and the tax bill reported
in the House of Representatives, at the
present session, are conclusive on this point
Tho former is already the law of the land !;
and the poor man who is com PEELED to pay
twice as much money for pound Ct coffee.
or sugar, or tea, or any other article Of
prime necessity, as was his custom before
the adoption Of the measure, can realize the
effects of its operation. But as enough
money cannot be raised by system Of du-
ties on imports however exc rbitant, Con
sress is now considering bill for taxing
all articles Of home production and manu-.
faciure. This bill proposes to tax all arti-
Giles os necessity as well as supe,fuity al a
high rate of per centage
Now, we regard these measures OBJ
jectional alike. They are founded on err
rOneous principles. They compel the poor
man to bear the burdens of Government
equally with the rich. Under their opera-
ton the poorest man amongst us may be
compelled to pay just as much as John Jacob
Aston FOR the support Of Government end
carrying on the war. Is this sound states
manship? Is itjust2
No rejecting mind can say that it is so.
The fact is, the whole system of indirect
taxation is in violation of the fundamental
principles upon which our institutions are
based. Our plan Of government supposes
that the mass of people are honest, capable
and intelligent enough to govern them-
selves, while this indirect and complicated
system of taxation for deriving the expen-
ces of Government without letting the peo~
PIE know how, when or in what manner the
tax comes upon them denies the great axi-
ON Of Democracy,
Lat ha tay H.
pass Congress, end no citizen, however in
telligent he may. be, can tell how much be
is taxed. He will be compelled to pay on
every article of clothing he wears, on every
morsel Of food he eats, on the fuel that
warns him 10 winter, on the light that
cheers his home in the evening, and on the
implements of indastry Indeed, there is
scarcely an article produced by human la
Dor Or Ingenuity which will not bear a
heavy tax. No man however proficient n
arithmetician he may be can calculate what
his portion of the tax will amount to-
The thing will be utterly impossible, as it is
intended it shall be by the dominant party
IN our national Legislature.
While our primary objection to this com
plicated system of indirect taxation, is that
1t falls unequally upon the people and is
antagonistIc to our plan of government,
there are other objections of weight which
must be apparent to every intelligent mind.
The principa! one of which is, it gives rise
to the creation Of vast hest CT useless off,
GERS, who must be fed and pampered at the
public expense. Surely the people will
have all they can do TO pay and support an
army of six hundred thousand men and
furnish the money to carry on the Govern
ment, without being taxed with countless
swarm of Republican tax-gatherers, inspeo
tors, measurers, gagers, &C., who. will be
necessary ifthe tax bill now up becomes a
law.
We have always commended against in
direct taxation in whatever form proposed.
We believe in sustaining the Government
IN carrying on the war. and the honest and
open system Of direct taxation should be
resorted to 10 order that the burden rest as
lightly upon the people as possible.
1t Is only by the system of direct taxa
ton that the people can know how much
their government costs them. IF it was
once adopted, the thieves and curmorapts
who now swarm about the treasury would
be driven Of, aud economy would be en-
forced.
Therefore, we hope to see the day when
the funds actually necessary for the sub
sistence Of government and the defence of
its laws, shall be derived from 4 direct tax
on property.