The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1866-05-23
A Well-Taxed Country.

A Well-Taxed Country.
Many Of our readers will remember the
description which Sydney Smith gave Of
his own we'll taxed country (England) at
the time he wrote. Here is the pic.
ture:
"Taxes were piled on taxes until they
reached every article which enters into
the mouth, or covers the back, or is placed
under the foot; taxes upon everything
which it is pleasant TO see, hear, feel,
smell or taste; taxes upon warmth, light
and IocomOtiop; taxes on everything on
earth aud in the water under the earth ::
on everything that comes from abroad, or
is grown at home; taxes on the raw
material; taxes on fresh value that is
added to it by the industry Of man taxes
on tho source which pampess mans ap.
petite, and the drug which restores him
to health on the ,ermine which decora,es
the judge, and the rope which hangs the
criminal; on the poor mans salt and the
rich mans spice; on the brass nails Of
the coffin, and the ribbons Of the bride.
At bed or board, coucbant or lev ant, we
must pay.
"Ths school boy whips his taxed top :;
the bsardlsss youth marriages his taxed
h rss With a taxed bride on a taxed road:
and the dying Englishmsn. pouring his
medicine which has paid seven per cent,
into spoon which has paid fifteen per
cent, filings himself back upon the chn,z
bed which has paid twenty Two per cent
makes his will on an eight-pound stamp,
and expires in the arms Of an apothecary,
who has paid license Of hundred
pounds for the privilege ofpu,ting him TO
teath. His whole property is then i'm
mediatsly taxed from two to ten per cent.
Beside. the probate, large fees are de
mandsd for burying him in the chauc.l
bis virtues are handed down to po,,erity
on taxed marble; and he is then gather.
ed to his fathers to be taxed no more.n
Our own country has been brought to
nearly the same condition by sectional
legislation, and by the immense expendi
lures Of the late war. Everything almos,
is taxsd-from box Of lucifer matches
10 a box Of tobacco, from bed m attress
to bale Of cotton, from a shingling nail
to a bar OF iron, from the killing Of a
diminu,ive roasting pig to the slaughter
ing Of a mammoth OK. n a poor devil Of
an Office. holder gets owe. 5000, he must
pay five per cent. Of it. If man max ss
a written contract, no matter how insig.
ni6cant, be has to pay Eve cents for the
privilege Of doing so; simple receipt for
money must bear the inevitable stamp, or
it is worthless every box or vial of
medicine has to pay a tax; a common
phstograph likeness is taxed; a deed or
conveyancs Of property cannot be legally
recorded unless stamped; and so with
every other written instrument. And
thus it is, from the comm est necessaries
Of life to its most exlrsvagant luxuries :;
evory article is taxed.
II the radicals shall have their way
spending their time and the peoples
money, in months Of diabolical legislation
in appropriating millions for the 20
called Frssdmans Bureau, in granting
uncalled for subsidies to parties for the
accomplishments Of their destructive
schemes, in supporting a standing army,
which is oncsIled for among free people,
and in thousand other ways squanderipg
aud hipginy away the millions extracted
from the hard earned pittsues Of the poor,
as we'll as the Golfers Of the rich-tben
will Sydney Smiths remarks apply TO US,
and the United States will have the honor
to be the best taxed county 10 the world.
Colw~bia Ph1nir.