The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1867-09-06
The Burdens of Taxation

The taxes which grind down the
American people, are the most ter
rible of the evils which affiict
them. 1t is the mischief which
lies at the root Of those distresscs
that cause so much complaint and
outcry among the workingmen. To
begin, there are the national taxes,
upon which a New York paper, The
Journal of Commerce forcibly re-
marks: .','
All accumulation is the product
of labor, and, the workingmen of
this country have the interest of
this enormous debt laid upon them
to produce yearly. They cannot
dodge it by any device; they must
earn it among Them in addition to
all former burdens before they can
begin to accumulate one dollar. 1t
is just 50 much more taken out of
their pay. TO stand as we'll pecu-
niarily now as they did before the
war, all the men who labor must
do enough extra work to produce
the sum needed, or deny themselves
so much in the way Of consumption
as will save this total. 1t is prob
able that, to meet it at all, they
must do both-that is, work harder
and consume less. Increased toll
and great self-denial are the por-
tion allotted to labor for years to
come, and is no he'll forit. Strikes,
associations for mutual defence,
trades union aggression upon the
worlds capital, and all this sort Of
compulsory process to eyade the
natural law, or escape the penalty,
will only aggravate the evil. Here
tofore the poorest laborers in the
United States were exempt, to a
great extent, from the hardships
which the same class were called
to suffer in other countries. They
were enabled with reasonable excr-
tions not only to provide themselves
with comforts. but to enjoy within
bounds the luxuries common to the
wcalthicr classes. Few families
among the laboring population stin-
ted themselves in meats, groceries,
or fruits in their season, and there
was nothing ordinarily used by
those in prosperous circumstances
which was not accessible to the la
borcr and easily obtained as the
reward of his industry. This is at
an end; and although the truth
sounds harshly it may as well be
told. Those who have nothing to
live On but the. earnings of their
daily labor, whether they toll with
weary brain or aching sincws, may
as well know that they cannot con-
tinu1 the plenty they have hereto
lore enjoyed. Not till this is learn
ed (and it is bitter lesson) will
the labor question: be adjusted; and
those who arc tinkcrins d patent
remedy, by which the sad result is
to be avoided, may as well give
over their effort.
The workingmcn are not the sole
sufferers. Business men and capi-
talists share heavily in the loss.
All classes are directly and indi-
rectly called upon to foot the bill.
This heavy taxation is not to be
attributed entirely to the war. The
current expenditures since the war
are imm mensely larger than for the
same time previous to the war.
The schemes of reconstruction
hatched in congress are enough of
themselves to bankrupt any nation
on earth with less resources and re-
cuperativc energy than this. And
no man can estimate the millions
that have been practically squan-
dered, in public lands and other
wise, under the pretensc of encour-
aging internal improvements.
Nor do the burdens Of taxation
pertain to national affairs alone.
The cost of our state governments.
under the pliable and elastic NOR
ality of the times, has expanded to
correspondingly huge proportions.
Wisconsin pays thousands of dol
lars now where before she paid
hundreds. There is no tendency to
economy. Economy has become
unpopular. The license and ex-
travagance which characterized the
conduct of the war have become the
accepted characteristics Of all our
local legislation, and the people are
victimized by our rulers without
limitation or scruple of conscience.