The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1868-09-11
HERE you ARE.


Equal Taxation" We accept the
challenge and give it below, Uer5atim.
We have dared the Inquirer, several
times, to answer questions which we
propounded, but it has always evaded
them. Let the public judge which is
the fairer journal, the GAZETTE, or the
Inquirer. The article which we are
"dared" to publish, is as follows:
Equal Taxation.
The Democratic platform was con-
structed with an Equal Taxation"
plank intended as catch-penny for
| the unwary.
Let US see how it would work. The
! Internal Revenue Laws, framed by
Republican Congress, apportiOned the
taxes, absolutely required for the ma
tional support, in such a manner as to
bear heaviest upon those who could
/ best bear them, and lightly, or not at
! all, on the poor. Under that law to-
day no man pays an income tax unless
! his income is over a thousand dollars.
| Under this law scarcely fifty men in
| Bedford county pay an income tax,
and the great majority of the people
| pay no government tax at all. This
! is iudiciOus and stateSmanlike; cX-
empting the poor and middle classes
/ entirely from the burthen of taxation.
| Truly this is not equal taxation, but
! it is the taxation that pays the debt Of
the nation without laying its burthen
upon the poor and the needy, the wild
OW and the orphan and the eday-laborer.
| Under it the poor man and his child
ren have all their rights and liberties
preserved, and are permitted to occupy
their homes in peace unmOlested by
the taXgatherer'S call. What would
the catch, penny Equal Taxation" of
the Copperhead platform do in this
case? Let us see how Equal Taxation
would work. Equal Taxation would
require that every man who owns a
dollars worth Of property should pay
his exact proportion of the amount Of
taxes requisite to pay the debts of the
nation. 1t would carry the taX-gath
erer into the poor mans cabin to filch
| the last dollar of his hard earned Wag-
/ es for taxes and leave his children to
| famish for bread, 1t would toll the
widows basket of meal and tax the
| poor mans pig. 1t would lay the
| heavy hand upon and exact the last
/ penny from high and low, rich and
| poor, alike, never considering whether
| there was left a shelter for the widow
and her orphans or clothing and bread
/ for the starving poor. Such would be
! the result of the Equal IdrdtiOn" con-
cerning which Copperheadism makes
such a hue and cry. True it is that the
10
| equdE tax law, but it is just, fair,
| righteous and liberal one. 1t screens
the poor in their poverty, and lays no
additional burthen upon the shoulders
| already bowed with the cares of pow
erty and want. The Republican party
is the poor mans friend and eXempts
him from taxes of every kind. Cop
perheadism vaunts itself upon "EquaL
TdrdtioR," +" and would lay tax upon
the last dollar of the wayfaring poor.
Let the poor man think upon this,
and consider whether he prefers to be
taxed. If he does let him vote the
COpperhead ticket, and cry out for
Equal Taxation" and he will get it.
But if he wishes to continue free from
taxes, and let those who can afford it
pay them, let him vote the whole Re
| publican ticket. Let the small-farmer
and mechanic, and every man whose
/ income is less than $1,000 consider
whether he prefers to be taxed or not.
If he is ambitious of figuring in the
Internal Revenue tax list, let him by
all means vote for Seymour and Blair ,
but if he prefers to remain free from
taxes, as he now is, let him not only
cast his own, but persuade his neighbor
| to cast his ballot for Grant and ColfaX
and the policy that eXempts the poor
man from taxation.
Doubtless, the Inquirer man imag-
ines that his article has smashed into
splinters the eternal principle of Equal
Taxation. \ few words will unde-
ceive him. 1t is true that but few peO-
pie pay an income tax. It's also true
that the bondholders pay only an in
come tax. But it is not true that those
who have no incomes, pay no taxes.
The poorest man in the country pays
taxes-not an income tax, but an out
come tax. On every pound of tea he
buys, a tax of 25 cents in gold is laid by
the government, and as he has no gold
he pays it in greenbacks and he is
charged the difference between gold
and greenbacks, which makes the tax
on his pound of tea just 81 cents. Or
every pound of coffee the poor man
buys, he is charged by the government
tax of ) cents IN gold, which he is
compelled to pay in greenbacks, which
makes the tax on his pound of coffee
just II cents. On every pound of i'm
ported sugar the poor man buys, the
government charges him a tax of
cents IN gold, or cents in greenbacks
The poor man, the consumer, pays
these taxes to the retail merchant, tht
/ retailer pays them to the wholesale
dealer, the wholesale dealer pays then
: to the importer, and the importer pay
them to the government. The poo
man and the middle classes are ais
taxed, in the same way, upon article
i Of clothing, meat (they must help pa.
t their butchers lieense) medicine
? fthey must pay stamp duties on man,