Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-10-22
What we PAY for Scccssnrfes
rsrrau-c ct Taxes.

The question Of tsxstio, is very natu ANY
exciting public attention. We are pressed
:, Nc sar,h BIZ taxation and the working
man begins T. see that ruin Is inevitable,
,nloss there is relief. In this extremity lie
looks around FOR help. Fortunately the
means u reief are in his own hand Let
him change his rulers. No change can be
for TIC worse. Hon. 5. s Cox, 10 a recent
speech, said
You are the victims Of cunning sys.em
Of tax, which demands reform. Nothing
Ike IT existed SO long 10 snr land.
lou say taxes are needful 10 pay tie
expenses of the Government This grant,
but am not speaking Of the taxes that go
to the Government. am speaking Of those
which 60 into the pockets OF the rich. |
will show you what taxes these are. The
word taxes includes custom house duties as
well rs intornal revenue taxes. Now, OBJ
serve this thai as things exist 10 day, Of
every 800 paid by the people Of this coun
try IN the shape Of taxes, not over $40 go
to support the Government.
Let me give you en- example. There
was entered for consumption into this coun.
try during the year ending June -, 1860,
according to the official report published by
the director Of the bureau of statistics, J74,
9u9, gC3 pounds Of bronn sugar. The aver.
age cost Of all this sugar was, according to
the sworn declarations OF the importers,
less than three cents n pound goli-say,
three cents, or altogether fl7. $40, 299, go q.
| The cost Of brown sugar 10 the working
4 L. ha rl4,.ls an a
cargo price, throughout the year. was. on
| the average, about eisrca cents per pound.
gold. SO that he actually paid tar cf
tg Il cents a pound, gold. on all the sugar
he consumed. In the aggregate this amount
ed in ,hat year alone to tn sum Of $40, 1907
7gs, gold. Now. il you will look over
the accounts OF the receipts Of the United
states Government Of taxes on sugar, you
will find that there was received but 3l7,-
696, $40, gold. And yet the people of this
country paid taxes on this article, as | have
shown, To the extent Of $40, l6o, 79S, gold.
What become Of the enormous difference,
amounting, in this instance alone, 10 $751;
5JJ .l1S, god!
Need ans~cry Need tell you that il
vent into the pockets Of rich capitalists p
Need tell you that it was part Of the re
ward Of treaohery and cunning, Of false pa
,rio,ism. of false politics, aud chicanery. and
robbery? Need ! tell you that it was one
Of the fruits OF one Of the thousands OF dc
vices which, under the guse Of war meas,
ures, and necessary measures are prac'
tced upon you before your very eyes =
You will observe that have been careful
70 obtain the exact number Of pounds con
| sumed Cthat is, paid duties aud withdraw
from bond for consumption in the United
S,atcs) the cost Price in gold T; the exac
amount PAID for duties aud received by th,
Government, in gold the wholesale mar.
kct price Mt New York during tho sam,
period, also in gold, and tbs. total sum PAID
by the people, in god. Had quoted th,
latter sum in currency, as had right TO
| for the peoples wages were paid in curren'
| ~, and at no higher rate than before tins
heavy tax was lad, and bad stated tn,
| actual, the retail price, about twenty-five
ccnts. my illustration would have been
| stronger.
| The dtlcteuce between the total first cos
| II al this n ~ anA rs tstal cost TO the
4ceple Is Whit The i.lies pays as tax lot
see. also, how much %, THIS tax found it.
/
elurmous sum ~ wrnlth which. in a sincl,
year aud on single nrticle, ~. by The pro-
| tess | have Il scribrd. sucked oui from sub
stance. ! would illustrate the same VIII
tegiri 20 sal', ton, cotton goods, etc. Their,
~ over ten tlouia d different articles tx,
| d with custom duties ia tbs country, AN,
The total anou1t ylel led in 1864 IN
lsij Was $si,9lq.,"S. Sncs that tine Il,
aamter 81. articles taxed with customs du,
| L has been dol,eaaed and the rates OF dat,
| have hrC't ials.d. - that for the fiscal year
ending July 30, lsi6. the yisld was SlTo,
| 6,6,l and for the fiscal year ending Ju
| v 80, 1867. Il was, rs estimated a year be,
| fore hy tie Secretary Of the Treasury, s loo
sl3, al The product OF these taxes for
| thrce years was, in gold, $ilT,S39, 933 i
| the people were iieeced as much on other
| ,rticles and the tariff on others ia heavier
the entire sum o. which they were rob-
| bed ing the last thr,e wears amountec
10 no less than s613,0Oo 900, or, enough ie
| any and ow3 al IN capital stock Of the
four great trunl. lines OF railroad from I'll,
Atlantic u the Mississippi, and to enab,,
| you to draw and POSSESS The dividend.
| ey,sy ycar II or owu teastit, or n sum
| eqnAi e. oar lvursl &C ,no pIbl,' debt
iarn TO the other branch 81 the revenue
and You viii perceive pr cisely tpe same
results. Step by ,cpuniateIinr, hy unles,
ie.lng.S TIC taxes On mpoits have gradn-
! ally raised. Gutl they arc uominally fit,
| per - :, AMI really thre, hnnivcl. Step
| ~ s'ep, aud With tie same selfish motive
| flc inic iual taxes have been altern ate +,
| raised and lowered Now, prices can onl,
| &c effected through two ageats orc is tax,
| etlon, the other Is currency | have showr
| goa how the taxation device at every sieu
mas swestcd prodisious results in the po-li
eiS Of the hsrples that are prey ing upon ~
before affected by legislation.
| There IS another and equ4lly poten,
means hy which the earnng, Of the indus.
trial classes msy he pfeyei upon withou
| Their knowlo = and converted to the use
| aud benefit ., the INDECENT and the rich =
This is 10y at, ct n : the price OF merchand
Ise through change in tho currency
When your rulers LETT the Constitution an,
made legal tender Of paper, they left IN,
currency OF God and Democracy -
| You are tie sufferers. Let me illustrate. -
Recollect always hat the value of all thing,
depends upon their relative supply aud de-
nsnd. For instance, if there are tw ice a.
many sums of ten cents seeking to DC sol,
Tor coffee rs there are pounds OF coffee see K,
lng to be sold Tor ten cents, then the price
| si coffee would be twenty cents per pound
II on the contrary there are twice rs man,
pounds of coffee, seeking to be sold for ten
| cents, rs there were sums Of ten cents seek
ing TO be sold for coffee. then the price Of
coffee will be five cents a pound. This il
what we call the natural price. OF the rela
ton between supply and demand.
BEN. Waae's Opinion OF she der
DMMme.
Cincinnati paper, speaking Of . recen
speech delivered by Senator " adc, in tina
| cstv, says:
His point was to persuade the Germans t.
vote to put the negroes on a political arc
social equality with themselves. lie though
they should SO vote. lie thinks the ne.
groes arc Infinitely moro intelligent thar