Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-04-08
senator Edmunds OH the Errors of
Taxation

IdhdtiOH
During the recent discussion ON the tax
bill Senator Edmunds spoke as follows against
what he calls - the simple proposition of the
House of Representatives to so adjust the
taxation Of the country for the year to come
as knowingly to leave us at the end of the
year with a deficit of 500, 100000 or up
ward "
gree that taxes ought to be reduced as
low as they possibly can be; but as one citi-
gen of this country | oppose far as | hum
hlv ctn taking any off which shall reduce
taxation below the necessary annual expendi
ture Of the government. Such course once
entered upon is very difficult to recover from.
You viii hear cries a year hence louder than
vou hear them now that taxation must not
he increased and the first step taken in the
direction Of deficiency, and therefore ulti-
matelv of rcpudiation-Id do not say it in any
offensive sense | viii say ultimate total ina
hilirv to meet your expenses-is the worst
auI most fatal step of all because the process
ID rcrracing such a step as that is much more
difficult than it is to avoid taking it in the
first place.
Where Is the necessity for this action 4?
WEI not the people be satisfied? VIII not
industry revive, are told it is now re-
yIviu- u some degree, and | believe it is, if
uuuu aIl these articles of manufacture that
lrc mentioned in the bill to which this section
refers we Immediately strike off one-half of
tlr taxaton2 That is exactly the proposition
that the Senator from West Virginia endeav-
.rri % demonstrate would be reasonable and
satisfactory for his constituents all that he
Thought it fair and right to ask and he OBJ
rlincl it: and it was right that he should
New. if YOU apply the same rule TO other ar
-r..la Vyfr a no of
tlcm much less necessary, than the article
which is manufactured from crude petroleum,
tlc oils that the poor use, you Will then come
.ut even. you Will have no great excess you
viii have no deficiency and the people will
Lc satisfied.
But how are we To meet objections that
viii be made t. our conduct when we relieve
from taxation entirely numerous articles of
luxury relieve all musical instruments and
pianos relieve all manufactures of gold
plate ana silver plate relieve diamonds and
eweiry and everything of that kind | am
surprised that the House of Representatives
have not put in gold watches and every other
article of luxury that can be imagined-bil
ilard tables, for cXample-as not the ubIect
of taxation. They might do so Just well
as To exempt diamonds or silver plate, and
those articles of luxury that everybody knows
IN this country are not found in one house in
-rituents OF to meet any just and reasonable
opposition to our legislation if we say, 1" In
stead Of reducing taxation upon all articles
equally We have totally exempted many arti-
cics of luxury, and yet still upon the light
that the poor man burns in his home all over
the country. the product of petroleum, we
insist upon having two and half per cent? =
1t is uniust it is wrong
Mr. President, | insist upon it that the
auIv way to cqualize this burden upon the
people Is not 70 take the tax off entirely from
l --rcat number Of articles and leave it upon
others that are Just as necessary but it is
t1 take it for granted that the existing law
has e4ualizcd taxation as much as possible,
and then reduce the whole pro rata to point
where we can reach an even relation
The salt Of the salt works of New York is
used in every family. The tax upon that is
distributed among all classes of the commu-
nitv- This bill proposes TO take it off entire
lv That is a. we'll able to bear this tax as
many other articles that the people consume.
4 man can almost az well in these days of
Intelligence 20 without his light in his par
Isr OF sitting room kitchen at night as he
cau without the salt that seasons his food
perhaps not quite SO well-but especially, as
INV friend from Iowa suggests, when salt is
~u largely protected as it is already. But
both Of them am willing to treat neces-
sities necessary to the use of the great body
nf the community: and the tax, therefore,
upon that description of article is distributed
upon the great body Of the community, and
hence it is much more lightly felt than the
taxes imposed otherwise 50 it is with boots
and shoes Everybody wears boots and shoes
and vet you take off the tax entirely. And
Vet still. 10 use again this illustration as to
petroleum, which is just as great a necessity,
You insist upon keeping very heavy tax
upon that
-. Mr. President, | am again reminded
hv NV friend. who is familiar with all these
details, for only proceed upon general prin
ciples Photographs are now entirely ex-
empted. which are an article of luxury, GER
tanly-a pleasant thing to have, but a thing
that poor man can do without, and to a
large degree does do without. They are
made entirely free. while his light is taxed
and while tue country is to be poorer at tho
ond of the year than it is now, so far as the
state of it, public debt is concerned.
Ii appears to me that the only true process;
that We can adopt il to keep our expenditures
and our receipts in a relation TO each Other
where they will touch and in order TO dc
that must impose taxation as equally az
possible. because so far taxation is necessary
and 80 far the safety and honor and credit
and prosperity of the country require it
The country, in my judgment, will be mucf
more deeply injured by reducing taxation Il
that point where we find ourselves growing
poorer and poorer a nation and govern
ncnt. find ourselves owing more at the enc
uc the year than we did at the beginning
than it will he by imposing a wholesome bur
den upon the people every year, requiring
them to contribute to keep themselves ant
their country out of debt and so out of an
further dishonor.
And again, Mr.. President, speaking of tn
details which this amendment will cover IN
friend from Missouri (Mr. Henderson, re
minds that we have taken the tax off al
sorts of ages-common carriages wcr
not the subject Of taxation bcfore--farn
wagons. and believe some other species O
vehicles. but the tax carriages is now en-
tIrclv removed by this bill as it stands an
the man who rides on PENNSYLVANIA avenu
IN his Goa eh-and- four, or his coach h-and two
or whatever it may be, pays nothing upo
that although we all know that the tax upo
good carriages comes out of the consumer.
Mr.. President, Is this a safe course of les
i-lation u enter upon? No. Mr.. President
It may be useful to those who wish to appes
To what are called the Democratic instinct
of the country to reduce taxation to nothing
regardless Of what your necessities are
may be cxpedient possibly, for those VIII
believe that the only way to meet Democrat
doctrine is by adopting it, to enter upon sue
course of Legislation as this. But it is on
which, in my Judgment, is so injurious
the interest and prosperity of the countr
that | cannot, for one, let it pass withou
saying so, and without proposing what az
pears to me Will be a just mean between th
evil to which we are likely to come and tn
present high rate of taxation that seems