The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1867-09-13
Revenue Frauds.

| 1t is surprising how thoucbtless
men generally are. Day in and day
out we hear and read of Internal
Revenue Frauds, and, as long as
there is no conviction, nobody pays
any attention to it. Men who make
thousands and thousands in fraudu.
lent revenue transactions arc receiv-
ed in society; they buy country
seats, turnouts. etc., and everybody
knows that they make these pur-
chases with such illicit profits; but
nobody cares-'it is the Government
which is cheated. The Government!
Who is the Government Is it not
the people of the United States ?
And as it is, such men do nothing
less than cheat the people. TO put
it in plain English; A man, wheth-
er he is a banker, a broker, a man.
ufacturcr, a dealer, or whatever,
who commits fraud on the Intern
al Revenue, is a more contemplate
rogue than the burgler or thief WHO
steals from a man in Fifth Avenue.
This burglar and thief steals from a
rich man; the man who cheats the
Revenue department steals from the
poor as well as the rich. BY his
fraudulent transactions the poor
people of the United States suffer
most, and he is, therefore, a more
miserable thing than any thief, burg
lar, or robher. The mistake of con-
sidering the Government treasury
as something different from the
treasury of the peole, has, to a great
extent assisted in the commission Of
Internal Revenue frauds"
We reprint the above pertinent
remarks from the TOBACCO LEAF, as
indicating the line of citation which
the press and public speakers of the
country should pursue in treating of
revenue frauds. 1t is only by edu-
cutting the voting public-the feder-
al tax -paycrs-to true understand
ing of the matter at issue, that
more efficient execution Of the rev.
cnue laws can be secured.
The Treasury of the United States
is the Treasury Of the taxpayers.
Any person defrauding or escaping
the revenue by collusion or other
wise. takes money from his tax-pay-
ing rival and nci ghbor as virtually
as if he had picked his pocket. All
who pay taxes, according to our
Government system, retain aoUAs1
prop erty therein, which the Gov
crnment holds in trust, and those
who swindlc the Government swindle
each and every one of the Taxpayers
shat has contributed. How prompt
is the merchant in securing his dues
from debtors. Hc pays his thou
sands in taxes to the Government,
however, and is needless of the rob-
berry of those thousands virtually
committed upon him by the fraud
on the revenue 10y his less scrupu-
lous nci ehhor. 1t is marvellous how
wilfully blind American taxpayers
continue to their real interests
They will fraternizc with and have
a :good time'' with men who roll
in wealth, accumulated by robbing
their trustee, the Governments
They drink the champaign of those
public enemies, cat their dinners,
and drive behind their fast horses,
all paid for out of the trust money
of the people, lost to the revenue,
and which has been manipulated
from the public income.
Officers who are remiss in secur-
ing from all alike the taxes which
the laws equally impose, may seri-
ously ask themselves to what extent
the sin of omission likens them to
the avowed enemy Of the public
treasury in the eyes of the people
Internal Revenue Record and Gus