Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-04-07

deeply interested an the solution OF the
question--for upon them falls the weight
Of the burden. The money to supper.
the Goyernment'---or rathertp pay the
fees and salaries Of its hirelings--cohnes,
mainly, out Of the pockets ofmen Of mod
crate means-the consumers Of the neces-
saries of life
We have no where seen this subject bet.
ter or more truthfully illustrated, than in
the following brief extract from the Gin
cinnati Enquirer. 1t places the whole
matter in light which all intereste can
not fail to comprehend and understand
The Enquirer says:
"The amount Of taxation which ia now
levied upon the peopleis almost inCalculable.
A large portion of it being indirect in its ma.
ture, it requires some knowledge Of figures,
as well as Of laws, to properly estimate it.
Fret there is the State and county tax, which
uuder the war bounties and support OF sold
ers families, hes swolloen to two per cent
upon all property, real and personal II q
man is worth Sl0,0O0, be is taxed $500 under
this law, and so on 10 proport on. II be has
an income Of $780, be has had to pay on it
at least $45, and making his direct taxes
$245 Ii he is a professional man, be has
had to pay $40 year for a license, increas-
| ing the figures S255 On every thing he con.
sumes in the shape of greeeriessnd dry goods,
| there is a tax Of fifty to one hun dred and fifty
| per cent Ii his dry goods, clothing and gro
! r.. ~ i aI hal
| of it, has been paid for taxes These taxes
are swollen in this way; There is, for instance,
duty Of twenty cents pound upon tea, pay.
able in specie For the last year that has
been about fifty cents in paper. The impor
ter pays that, adds it to the original cost OF
| the tea, and then charges profits upon original
cost aud duty both The merchant to whom
be sells also charges profits upon the cost to
him, in which the duty is included, so that BY
the time the article reaches the consumer, the
duty on tea has amounted, in paper, to at
least seventy cents pound. This before the
war would buy a pound of tea. Other gro
Gerry articles pay still higher duty than
tea,
I'm the article Of clothing, for both sexes
the duty will average more than a hundred
per cent. In other words, every thing costs
double on account of the taxes.
"rhe burden of these immense taxes all
fall upon the labor Of the country. The cap,
ital of the country gets part OF it's taxes back
in the shape Of increased interest for money
or increased rents of property, or in enhanced
pro6s for goods but the laborer has no such
chance for relief Upor his head the whole
mass Of taxation falls with crushing effect
ITO some extent, indeed, the capital of thG
country is not taxed. The hundreds of mil
lions OF property in Government stocks are
! exempt from State and local taxation. The
rich ofice-holders in the service of the United
States pay no income tax whatever The
poor and middle classes, however, probably
pay now one-third or one-quarter Of all thel
earn to support the Government How LEM
can they do this p
! That is the state Of the case precisely
The great burden Of taxation falls upoi
the labor of the country. The man VIII,
works for his one or two dollars day, i
called upon to pay at least hundred pc
cent. Of his earnings in the shape Of du
} ties upon what he consumes in the neces
sary supplies for his family, while the mai
of capital can invest his means in Govern
: ment bonds and stocks, which are exemp
from taxation. What matters it to tn
: rich capitalist, whether he pays ten cent
or fifty cents. a pound for coffee, and 70
other things in proportion, so long as h
/ belongs to a privileged class, whose chic
: source of wealth, by special enactment, i
: exempt from taxation?
i With men of this class, patriotism an
, "loyaltyp have become s'staple commc
! dity"-Aand they exhibit their loyalty
/. by small Investments in cheap flags an
/ large Investments in greenbseks. Whe
victory over the rebels is announced the
!. chang out their banners" and deAounc
I all who do not follow their example q
d "Oopperheads' and "traitors." This
the test of loyalty" and the only on
} according to their rule.
But it is time the honest, toiling masst
. . begin to look into this question of ia,
alton. II is in their power to apply Il
remedy, and they ought to do it-not b
violent or revolutionary msans--but b
I. I. return to the good old doctrines and pra'
tices of the Democratic party, In tn
d Legitimate and constitutional way. let Ii
!. work be done, and we may yet hope
see our once happy and prosperous cOuu