Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-02-24
TAXES.
From a speech, delivered in the House,
February 9th, by Hon. }. 5. Morrill,, Of Yer
mont. on the Tax bill

From speech, delivered in the House,
February 9th, by Hon. ) 5. Morrill,, Of Yer
mont. ou the Tax bill
/ The leading object Of the legislation nov pre-
p0sel is % make q considerable increase Of rev
enue. aud thereby reinforce The Treasury at the
I same time we are adding % our forces in the
field
10 is NOT 90 be disguised that our requirements
+ have been Gn s0 vast 81 scale, aud must continue
+ 90 be for set a time longer that il requires the
coolest saglcity and greatest skin 10 successfully
conduct our financial affairs.
. Ii B. nut necessary 10 moot the question Theth-
/ er the adoption Of tue legal tender paper cur
reucy was wise OF not, though my own opinion
sdll iuciue- 90 she negative. 80 on al sides Il
will now be generally conceded that the time has
l arrived when the further sinking Of ;he value OF
+ the tutei States securities aul evidence of deb,
must be- promptly arrested
E The only mode of certainly accomplishing this
object is iy Increasing the resenueS Of the eOuu-
trv, even if We have 90 q So Tar rs % equallze
revenues and expenditures. 10 not think this
will be necessary. but i IL were necessary feel
certain ne might p1y as lre ~. Yet j; might
[ be uuwisa J1 push taxation 90 that extent We
are eugazeI iu Q war for which p0sterity can
pr--em.ucufl- sfori 20 bear ts fair share OF the
cost
Nr Ui4i-lon-. tht financial minister Of Eng
[ land. male . futile attempt 90 place the whole
burden of the CrimeIn WAT 10 once upon the
British re0r'e Commencing 0mparatiyely out
0f debt with uustaiuei resources, and backed
up IS su al'-lervaliHg patriotism Of the people.
We might DO better; but It is NOT now proposed
I fo trr the experiment The tive per cent war
income tax viii have produced about thirty-hye
million dollars. whieh shows the income OF the
/ whole country on incomes exceeding 5000 60
have been --U1.000.0l0; and If 90 this we aid
. the ur5tlhlslm0uut which escaped tins tax, fle
whole annual income ofthe country could not Doe
/ computed a. less than : .OOD 900 Uuu, and this
+ is muel more than our annual rate Of expell-
ture has been thus far during the rebellion. Be
ydul this 7 hold that for every dollar We raise
uuw.We shall lessen more than pro rata amount
, ul future iui-teincss- We lessen it hrSt bY the
actual payment ofiolllr for dollar, and next ty
the tIiisnanic power exertei upon values. where
uv the cost 1f l.l the immense war outfits QI the
/ Government win be- greatly reduced AMI its mag
l-tIie rendered less urwielily ana placed with
/ IN .sier limits % viii also tend o. riiss the
. value Of -hlt currency paid out TO the o.-cer-
llI men belonging 90 the military, naval, ami
E civil Establishments Of the Government, and re-
ieyr u- from the pressure for au Increase of pay
and saiarie--
Who sin maintain chat this IS not the more
excellent way than 10 would be- 90 take steps Ia
the opposite direction, ty Increasing the rominal
amount OF pay and salaries twenty per cent,
UrIvt. fui when We return at the next session
at Congress that We hat imposed urOu the
Treasury Department the iuexorlble necessity 0t
a Ereeula.k expausi o. Instead ot a currai.meut
and that officers and men were AS much straiten-
eI 90 live upon their twenty per cent advance
ls t.Uv we're the wear before without .t Our
-r.a- likes of paper currency viii become q
.l.se.. s> and 0ott0miess sea, unless We can con-
tHe i- here and nov within izei bounds, never
O. be- changed. ezoeut 10y gradual compression
sflu narrower limits
THE s--renlous improvements iu modern war
fare. .ts costly scientific re4 g.rements- VIII here
.ter uase al wars far more expensive than IN
Che past history Of the word This vas ezh.b-
. .rsi ,ery prominently r. the late struggle of the
lr-. So sui French with the Russians. and our
..u example points st.l more strongly u tue
,Ire direction More than ever money enters
.lt. tle calculation lt success. The -.ulas lt
u-u uly u0t fall dlt they must BE- t-i ani
.otr-i. transported, paid, aud peusi1nei. aud
iron. -l.', and ssItpe'er. must be- had iu aluu-
lance
shot or shell that once answered the
. purpose SO cost OF iew cents. as nlw fashion
rl costs a many dollars a cannon chat iu
. 1870. would have been dear enough ~ 800, IS
nov cheap. nerhsp-. ct 5000. The skill Of
whole lllol's cunning w-rsmel is brought
ilt. action, whether In the small Ttleu, fuse. or
I tine most ponieraus engine. and all the opera-
4 d0us ty land OF sea, are on a Titanic scale.
With these inevitable conditions, any nation
involved iu war must nov husband It's resources,
. 1r .t may De forced Co conclude an inslorous
peace. auj., must call forth Its resource, OF It
/ viii be mrrei 10 the hrs, ditch
But need not waste the time of the commit
Gee ou this point The souniness Of the policy
. of increased revenues Is obvious 10 the merest
t.rl iu finance. ! viii not therefore, anticipate
auv objection on this s-9re 60 the general pur-
pose oft1e hIl. but suppose 10 vii arse as % its
details ii 10 shall arse az al.
!, wiz De asked, why make So many snd SO
. FREQUENT changes The frankest answer can
. make 90 this Is, thst besides seekinga larger
sum Of money. We md il necessary, as the law
comes tl be practically administered 20 atd new
or amend old provisions, so that the unwilling
shall be- made 20 pay equally with the wiling,
and that the honest portion % the community
may not bear an the burdens while the others
rev 90 number. TO he sure-escape- The honest
aud honorable need very little law, but those 0f
the other sort are prolific in unrighteous inge-
uuity, and need great deal Of law, and very
good law also.
The income tax. intrinsicslly the most Just oI
all taxes, Is yet one extremely difficult Of ADJUST
ment and collection The fault found With OUT
present law IL that TOO many large incomes par
talycscape which ought 20 contribute more fully
Every man would be content, provided bis neigh
Dor paid his Just proportion. This We have a.
tempted TO remedy by providing thas IN All cases
returns shall be made under oath, and that even
tins shall not be final, unless the assessor shall
De satisfied Of their correctness We alsJ
propose that all incomes over $1,000 shall h'
assessed at 10 per cent some other motIhca-
tons viii also appear.
, Notwithstanding the recent enactment Of on
law and the sudden repetition the tax last year
less complaint, 10 Is believed, has been mad
about II than is constantly made about the incom
, tax in Great Britain. though they have had lonl
years Of experience and their law has receives
b / numberless notifications. An able British write
e upon the subject Of taxation, Sir Morton Peto. a
late As lS63, asserts Of the income tax, that eth
tax has carried with It every sort Of grievance
trouble, yexati0u, annoyance, hesrt-burning an
STRIFE Our income tax l., doubtless, regarde
as a heavy burden. but no such sweeping charge
have been made against IT, There Will always b
difficulty in ascertaining the actual income 4
reluctant taxpayers. and these will be sutheier
in number 20 form a respectable company
GROWERS. I 10 not argue that cur law Is perte,
bv any means IfIt were 10 remain a permaner
feature among our statutes, | should urge, as Il
basis OF the ascertainment Of every persons Il
come the adoption Of plan BY which to get
theactua! amount ofproperty held by such persc
over and above all Indebtedness. This WAS q
principle arrived at by Mr.. Hume, in ls5l,
the chairman Of parliamentary committee OF Il
,r after very elaborate investigation Of the subjeC
None other appears to me either theoretically
ri, practically more Just. BY such a plan We shou
not tax accumul4tions until they were made.
person may hold vast amount Of property yiel
ing no present income, but which may he We
profitable to hold. or a privilege to hold, wheth
il be merchandise or stocks, lands or houses, min
!" or ships horses plate, cattle or any thing eii
-H should be snbject 70 thi same rule. This wou
DC be essentially property tax, and the facts cou
Is be obtained with more absolute certainty. II q
2, we're the rule, the man with large fortune
n rho lives a drone, without making his proper
n productive. would not escape paying les
hn -wfsh