Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1868-04-30
From the Rochester Union.
.ny GrOcCy's Way Of Doing
Business.


Business.
Furnishing n simple rule whereby any
person may estimate the amount Of nom
ey annually paid 10 account OF taxes un-
der our Internal Revenue system.
MEssRs. EDIToRs - Calling Mt n
grocery store the other day, asked,
"Have you any kerosene oil for saleY"
"Yes sir, a first rate article at 20 cents
per gallon" was the grooers reply
Being surprised at the low price of
the article, | asked permission to ex-
anime it, which being granted, / was
perfectly satisfied it was the genuine
article, and ordered my gallon can
filed, with assurance from the grocer
that / should have all that ! wanted
at those figures "IIave you fno cut
chewing tobacco p Inquired. "Yes,"
was the reply, "a fine article at 80
cents per pound" ] examined the ar
ticle, and finding it as good as recon-
mehded, ordered pound. "Anything
more y said the grocer-"No," said
| /, handing him 90 cents fractional cur
rency-iust tho sum charged for the
two articles-started for the door
"Hold on p says the grocer, "you
have forgot that you have paid mo in
deprecated money" "Very well" :"
said | returning, all the time thinking
my articles cheap at that, chow much
more will it require to mako my mon
ey good p After figuring a moment
he says, at will take just 20 cents
more to make it good'-gold being
worth 81 40 Cat which price it will be
considered in all calculations in this
article,) SO l paid 20 cents more, ma
king the price Of the two articles 70
cents in legal tender. Cheap enough
/ thought, and set out for the door
again. "Hold on r says tho grocer
again; "you are going off without
paying your taxes on the tobacco and
kerosene" "Taxes," said /, "what
taxesP Why, there is government
direct tax Of 90 cents and an indirect
tax of s cents on pound Of tobacco,
and q direct tax of 30 cents and an
indirect tax of 2 cents on a gallon of
kerosene oil. Some grocers sell these
taxes with their goods, but / sell my
goods at their specie value, and if de-
preciated money is offered as paw,
the charges on that become separ
ate item by itself, as also do the tax
es, which | collect instead Of selling.
Your account stands thus:
To ] pound tobacco and gallon kerosene
OH epeaie prlee'.'.... 90
10 deprecated money on the same............ 70
10 direct tax on one pound tobacco 30 ctsi
on gallon oil, 30 so
To indirect tax on pound tobacco, ots;
on gallon oil, ets......................... 10
-
............sl 40
"Eyey customer can now see don't
cheat" says the grocer. IIe said he
took especial pains TO inform every
customer that the direct taxes arose
from tax on incomes and business Ii !
ccnses-the farmer who raised the TO.
bacco paid an income on it, and the
man who bought it, he who stored IL.
carted it, transported it, manufactured |
it, the jobber who buys il after il is
manufactured, the carter, the carrier,
the wholesale merchant, tho carter,
tho carrier, the carrier again, tho car
ter again, the retail merchant. tho
peddler--in fact, every man who han.
dies il from the time It is planted un-
I'll il is consumed, pays business IL |
conse upon it, / saw the grocer's
head was level, and j saw another
thing; l saw tho key that unlocked
the mystery Of high prices. To say |
that deprecated money is the source
of high prices, is to talk nonsense. |
For both articles in specie, | was
charged cut 30; for deprecated mon.
ey 20 cents, and for taxes on those
two articles 80 cents, which is inst
four and onc-half times tho amount
charged on the same article TO account
Of deprociatd money. One pound ofl
tobacco bought with legal tenders.
would only cost ~ conts; and with
taxes added would cost lust 81. So
If we returned to a specie basis,
would only pay l2 cents less for a
pound of tobacco than now, and only
eight conts less on a gallon of lxero.
sene oil than now. From the above |
adduce the following general rule for
estimating the amount Of money paid
on account of taxes First, obtain the
specie value of the articles before tho
war from that obtain its legal tender
value, and from the price now charged
for the article deduct its legal tender
value, aud tho remainder will be tho
amount paid on account of taxes.
Thus, the specie price Of one gallon
OF Kerosene is 20 cents, the legal ten
der value is found to be 2S cents por
gallon, which deducted from 60 cents
the prico charged, would leave 32 cents
the amount paid to account of taxes
on ono gallon of kerosene oil. The
specie price Of one pound of tobacco
is 30 contsj legal tender value AZ
cents, which deducted from 81, the
price paid for the tobacco, leaves 2S
cents as the amount paid to account
)t taxes on one pound of tobacco, so {
,ents of which is direct and 8 cents {
Indirect tax Now, | use IL pounds
IF tobacco year, and on each pound /
pay 5S cents tax; consequently | ,
,ay 5000 annual tax on tobacco. | :
my two pairs of boots every yoar, q
no specie value OF which is s8 per
legal tender value s420. S
which deducted from Sc, the price [ a
'ay now for each pair, leaves sISO
'or pair or $500 annually paid to &c.
ount Of tax for two pairs of boots. ,
'pocio price for tapping each pair /