The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-05-23
[From Hunts Merchants Magazine.1
Our Method OF Collecting Taxes.

/, against them, judging from our own ex.
perience, that they are wanting in patience
The ready acquIescence OF our people in
a system of onerous taxation, after an im.
memorial exemption from such burthens
is more than We presumed TO expect from
ourselves, to say nothing of the restive.
ness predicted by our foreign ccnsors -
and still more remarkable is the good
grace with which we take to the arbitra
ry and inquisitorial methods in which our
taxes arc collected. The Government in.
vests its tax gathcrers with almost unlinl.
tied powers over our taxable property -
and we submit to seizures, confscations
and exactions as passively as If we had
no rights Of property and Of privacy
which even the law is bound 10 respect.
THAT lack Of regard for the rights Of the
individual which is ever apt TO character
ise legislation following civil war has
crept into our revenue system, and gives
to the administration Of this branch OF
public affairs strong dash of official tyr.
amy.
The principle upon which our Internal
Revenue system is constructed is that the
people are essentially dishonest. Oaths,
seizures, fines, confscations and imprison.
ment are invented TO compel them to act
with fairness toward the Government
To limited extent, and under proper
checks something Of this kind il necessa-
ry; but il is clearly unwise and unneccs.
sary to assume that the average honesty
which induces the people to act Justly rs
between man and man is not TO be relied
upon as between the citizen and Govern.
ment. Because experience has shown
that there is always an exceptional few
who will cheat the State Of It's revenues,
il does not follow that our revenue system
must be framed aud administered so as to
cypress aud insult the large majority of
honest people by dealing with them on
the suprosilion that they are actuated by
fraudulent intentions.
! This system we conceive to be wholly
wrong II implies that the Government
relies less upon the justice OF It's claims
than its power 10 collect them, and so far
tends to suggest to the taxpayer the idea
of evasion. Ii holds good in every case
that 10 treat an upright man as dishonest,
Is to discourage every sentiment of justice,
and to place him, at least in feeling, in
hostility TO your equitable demand. And
to dca. thus with whole community, in
cluding many in whom the sense of right
has been but partially educated, is Ger
tainly an indirect method Of training
tiem 10 justice. The employer who keeps
hired spy over his hands il the first TO
be cheated. And the State which gov.
erns the most By the sword can least re-
| Is upon its people. Nor. Is il less true
that the Governments most rigorous in
their revenue system have always been
subject to the largest frauds in taxa
ton Frederick the Great had the sa-
gacity to appreciate this principle; and
hence his reign was distinguished by the
confidence he reposed in the honesty Of
his people and the consequent amplitude
of his revenues.
Moreover, the law gives to the revenue
officers powers susceptible of the grossest
abuse. Backed By the government. par.
taking of the spirit of the law, and know
ing that his superiors always sympathise
with him as against the tax payer, the
tax collector becomes intrusive, inquisito-
rial, overbearing, insulting and abusive.
He is bound by no consideration to OBJ
serve the rules. of common respect be-
tween men Of business he suspects all
with whom he has to deal, and soon learns
to parade his authority in the most often.
sive manner. If tax payer has the
courage to resent these uncouth manners
he is very likely to suffer for his temerity
in being subjected to some of the many
forms of annoyance which revenue off.
Ger has IN his power to infict. This,
however, is the mildest form Of abuse oi
the powers Of the revenue official He
is empowered to seize goods, take posses.
sion Of books and papers, and to close the
, place of business of the tax payer at his
discretion. He institutes proceedings un-
der such seizures at his pleasure, and eau
keep the cases in court almost as long as
he desires; and all this he can do upon
bare suspicion. If it should prove that
the tax payer thus dealt with is innocent
he has no redress for the losses attending
the suspension of his business III he il
guilty, it is very generally found possible
to escape the penalty of fraud by dou
J ceur to the officers. There are few mer
who, in the event Of a seizure of their pa
pers and property, even though entirely
innocent, would not sooner, and who can
] not better afford to pay handsome sun
: rather than have their business indefinite
. ly interrupted. The officers understand
: this and therefore make seizures for the
! purpose of effecting private compromises
0 the proceeds of which go into their owr
pockets. 1t is notorious that these exac
tions upon the innocent and guilty alik,
are of daily occurrence. The officers ar,
v banded together in this business of mulct
t ing, and are to we'll cognizant of eacl
2 others sins for the wronged tax payer t,
: hope for any redress from an appeal t,
higher authority.
This system is also productive of tn
most gigantic frauds upon the Treasury
! The collector having the prerogative Q
J taking the initiative in proceedings agains
f evasioDs Of tho law, has the power to per
! NIT frauds. In the whisky trade, for in
4 stance, the distiller finds it easy to max
& arrangements for the manufacture 0
whisky to any exteut without the pay
ment of duty The Government is annu
ally defrauded Of fully forty millions il
!. this way on this article alone, the pre-
: ceeds being divided between the distille
! and the revenue officers. Thus the yer
. means designed to prevent evasions of th