Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-08-28
.They Cams Tax s1e.n

We have repeatedly heard poor men, Ia
boring men say, remarks the Gallipolis Dis
patch, swell, have not got any proper
ty, they can't tax me much!"
We recently met one OF this class return
ing after hard day work, carrying on his
arm a peck of meal; we accosted him, and
the following conversation ensued:
Well JONES, how do you get on?
.Poor enoughl 1t seems harder to make
asupport for myself and family than ever
before. work hard, live poor, don't drink
or lounge around, and yet it is all can do
to live." &
Well, that is not to be wondered at, when
you and other laboring men vote year after
year. to increase your own burdens. Times
will grow harder until you change your
way of voting, and taxes will increase.
"They can't tax me much, for I've got
nothingr'
/ They can't EN-? Let's see! What did
that peck Of meal cost you?
"Thirry cents"
Do you know what 1t costs to raise Q
bushel Of meal?
"No.n
It costs about fifteen or twenty cents.
"The loyal people say you Copperheads
are mighty bad people and try to deceive
us working men, and begin to believe it,
for know they don't tax corn meal"
think can prove to you that corn
meal is pretty heavily taxed. ,
I'D like for you to do it, them"
Well, the corn from which that
meal was made was raised on taxed
land, plowed by q taxed plow, drawn
by taxed horses. hitched with taxed
gears. 1t was hoed with taxed hoe,
cultivated with taxed implements, gather
ed in a taxed wagon, drawn with taxed
horses, thrown into taxed crib, shelled on
a taxed machine, measured in q taxed
measure, taken in q taxed sack and ground
on taxed mill, seived with taxed seive'
mixed in taxed pan, stirred with taxed
spoon, salted with taxed salt, put into a
taxed bake pan, baked in a taxed stove
laid ont on taxed plate, cut with a taxed
knife, and LASTLY eaten by pretty heavily
taxed man.
"whew well I'll swan, that's nearly all
taxes. declare to gracious never looked
at it that way before"
If it were not for the taxes you could
buy bushel of meal for what that peck
cost you. Besides, it is not on that alone that
you are taxed, but upon every thing you
have to buy. A pound of sugar costs only
or cents, but you have to pay from 1e
to 20 A pound of coffee only costs 1C
cents but you have to pay 80. and if it costs
you three hundred dollars year to sup
port your family, you may safely say one
half of this is tax. Now, is it any wonder
that times are hard and that you find ii
difficult to live?
-"It costs me more than three hundred
dollars year to live. used to get only
fifty cents a day, and lived great deal
better then than do now on a dollar and
a quarter. see there is great wrong
somewhere, and am going to take your
advice, and see if there is any good in vot-
ing tor change of rulers. I'll try the ex-
pertinent anyhow, but must not tell old
SoUEEsE or he'll discharge me, and call me
a rebel; but hundred and fifty dollars tax
is too much for me. That much saved,
would buy my winters fuel, sugar, coffee,
flour, ETC., to last me a year, and bolt or
two of muslin and calico for my wife and
children. How thick headed / must be not
to see this before. I begin to see
now why old Bonds used to come
round and see me just before the
election and be so smiling and polite,
and why Mrs. Bonds would send my wife
some little nick-nack or other. Bonds is
rich; he gets gold from the bank for his
bonds. work to pay that. His bonds are
rot taxed. pay $50 a year all in little
things, even box of matches is taxed.
thank you, Mr.. Editor, for this talk; 1t has
done me good, a new light has broken in
on me-and I'll not keep it hid under a
bushel neither. I'll talk to the men about
it. 1t is now all plain. declare I'll never
forget that peck Of meal!"
We gave the honest fellow hearty grip
and passed on,more determined than ever to
work for the enlightenment and redemp-
tion of the toil-worn sons of labor.