The Indianapolis daily herald. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1865-1868, 1865-12-12
O,arc..fxe Unequal Taxation viii
Ruiu - People.

whv are the people. the masses, Of the Asi-
attic and European Monarehie-. 80 poor and
4 de~situtes II comes from the unjas,, unequal
.xercise q power on the part Of the Govern
rnerf; the fayoring q the few al the expcn-.
of the many. The continual exaciion. by the
Government. II a large share Il the earninzs
THE people. IA the shape of taxe~. viii. az
last. bsEgar The people, "a the portion 4 them
thus taxed. IN looking for the eject 81 such
taxation upon the Roman people, under the
EmPer0r., we learn from GIDEON that 20 great
va. the distress 10 which the people were re-
suceti, that father were ; metinc. compelled
- pro-titute their ,lany lsen- T. rai-e their tax
assessment. IL says: Tie Ingenious manu-
aeturer, the diligrnt mechanic. and even the
most obscure retailer Il a scqucstered village,
we're obliged to admit the officers u the reye-
nus into the partnership Of their gains; and
tbs Sovereign Of the Roman Empire who tole-
rated the profession, consentesi 70 -harc the IN
famous salary u public prostitutes. The
Empcrer THEoIosIrs, says GUIzOT, put
end, By a law, % these shameful profits; but
before tepriving himself ~ this source Of
rssenue. ne male surc of what would
make up his delieii. FLoRENsUs, a rich
patrieian, indignant Al this Iegalized Iicen-
u the Emperor. and % induce him TO tolerate
IT no longer. n offered his own property to
supply this dminuti0n Of the revenue. The
Empcror had the has ness 20 accept the offer }
As this general tax on industry first above
mentioned CONTINUES GrBBoxl wa collected
every fourth year, IL was styled the Lustral
Contribution; and the historian ZOsINUs
Iaments that the approach Of the fatal period
a n. -. a
.itizens, who were often compelled by the inn
pending scourge 20 embrace the most abhorred
and unnatural methods q procuring the sum
nj which tacir property had been assessed
ASAsTAsTUs. he says. was economical and re-
ceiyed the gratitude of the people for relieving
them for time, Ia his reign, Of personal
tribute ON the industry Of the poor called by
them " the gold Of aDficfioR.~
GoDsIN, in his History of France, de-
seribes the condition Of the Roman people un-
der the fonr concurrent rulers being two En-
p@rors. Drocl-ErIOS and MaxIML.S, and their
two CEsARs, GALEEIUs aud CHLoRUs, thus
''The internal distresse- were also. in many
respects. rpIieyed. although I'm other respect.
they Wee aggTay aird. Ina securing by mean.
% the four-fold divisions four effective defensl
ers, the people acquired nj the same time fouI
csurfs. four armies. and four fiscal hierarches
afrightful excess, - that a contemporary Chris
tian writer who l. no doubt 10 he suspected
Of some exaggeration) Describes the visitation.
Of the tax -gatherers n worse than plague OF
foeusts. In comparison with the payers OF
the taxes he says. the receivers Of them were
80 numerous. and the weight Of the impOsts 20
enormous, that the labOrers broke down. the
fields were turned into deserts. and wood.
grew up where the plow had lately Travelled
Ia would be impossible h. number the Official,
who were rained upon every town aud pro
vince. COMBINATIONS. prescriptions aud ex-
actions were all they kncw-eXactionS not fire.
quent, but perpetual. accompanied by unen-
durable Outragc-.' but the grand distress
the universal mourning, was when the ccnsu,
came, and the takers Of H. scattering them
selves in every direction. produced general
panic. 10 be compared only 10 the misery OF a
hostile INVASION or Of town abandoned ~ The
soltliery. The fields were measured To the very
eiods, the trees counted, each Ninc-plant num-
bered. Cattle were registered n we'll ~ men.
The crack Of the lash and the cry Of the allie.
ted rent the air The faithful slave tor
fured for evidence against hiS master, the " lie
10 dep0sc against the husband. the son against
his sire. For lack Of evidence the question
applied 60 eNtOTt ones evidence, against
himself, and, when nature gave way, they
wrote down what had never been uttered
Neither oil age nor sickness furnished grounds
foT exemption. Grief and CONSERVATION filed
the land. Not satisfied with the returns Of IN,
FIRST enumeration. they sent other ccu-itor~
who swelied the evaluation proof Of ser
vice rendered. Thus the impo,ts went on in.
ereasing. but the cattle diminished and the peo-
pie died: yet the surviN or< h.ld To- pay Tho lax
e. Of the dead"
Mal lAAitlvn $780, -..lt,ss otlr ncople uI
any part of them. 70 such a fatc'