The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-02-26
what We Pay for Necessaries Because Of
Taxes. sf.

The question of taxation Is very naturally
exciting public attention. We are pressed
to the earth by taxation and the working
man begins to see that ruin is inevitable,
unless there is relief. In this extremity he
looks around for help. Fortunately the
means of relief are in his own hand. Let
him change his rulers. No change can be
for the worse Hon. S. S. Cox, in recent
speech, said;
You are the victims of a cunning system
of Taxation, which demands reform. Nothing
hike it has existed so long in any land.
You say "taxes are needful to pay the
expenses ofthe government" This grant;
but am not speaking of the taxes that go
TO the government. | am speaking of those
which go into the pockets of the rich. will
show you what taxes are. The word taxes
includes custom house duties as well as in
ternal revenue taxes. Now, observe this
that as things exist to day, of every 500
paid by the people of this country in the
shape of taxes, not over $40 60 to support
the government.
Let me give you an example. There was
entered for consumption into this country
during the wear ending June 30, 1865, &C
eording to the official report published by
the director of the bureau of statistics, 571
900. 963 pounds of bropn sugar. The aver
age cost of all this sugar was, according 10
the sworn declarations Of the importers, less
than three cents a pound, gold-say, three
cents. or altogether ST. ,3l0,299. gold. The
cost of brown sugar to the working man
even if he bought it at the wholesale cargo
price, throughout the year, was on the av-
erage, about eleren cents per pound, gold
So that he actually paid tar Of eight cents
n pound, gold, on all the sugar he consumed
In the aggregate this amounted IN that veal
alone to the sum of S46, l60,79S, gold. Nov
if you will look over the accounts of the re
ceipts of the United States government OF
taxes on sugar, you will find that there wa:
received but l7,600.620, gold.
And yet the people of this country
paid taxes on this article, as 1 have
shown, TO the extent of SAC, 100, 1913, gold
What become of the enormous difference
amounting, in this instance alone, to s2s,
454,l7s, gold?
Need | answer? Need I tell you that i
went into the pockets of rich capitalists p
Need i tell you that it was part of the re
ward of treachery and cunning, of false pat
riotsm, of false politics. and chicauery, anC
robbery? Need | tell you that it was one o
| the fruits of one of the thousands of devices
which, under the guise of war measures, anC
necessary measures are practiced upol
serve that / have been careful to obtain tn,
! exact number of pounds consumed THAT is
| paid duties and withdrawn from bond 70
consumption in the United States) the cos
| price in gold the exact amount paid fo
y L.. IL
gold; the wholesale market price at New
York during the same period, also in gold
! and the total sum paid by the people, il
gold. Had quoted the latter sum in cur
| rency, as had a right to, for the people
| wages were paid in currency, and ut NJ
| higher rate than before this heavy tax wa
| laid, and had / stated the actual, the retail
| price, about twenty-five cents, my illustra
| ton would have been stronger.
The difference between the total first cos
of all this sugar and its total cost to the PEG
pie is what the latter pays as tax. Yol
see, also, how much of this tax found its wa,
| into government Golfers. You see the enor
| NOUS sum of wealth which, in a single yea
and on single article, is, by the process
have described, sucked out from substance
would illustrate the same with regard Il
| SAIt, Iett COtLOu gOOuSt eLC 1HtT0 dte owe
| ten thousand different articles taxed will
custom duties in this country, aud the tota
amount yielded in 1864 and 1855 was SIT,
949,508. Since that time the number of ar
ticles taxed with customs duties has been de
| creased and the rates Of duty have beer
raised, so that for the fiscal year ending Ju
| ly 30, 1866, the yield was $l70,046,65l
and for the fiscal year ending July 80
1867, it was, as estimated a year be
fore by the secretary Of the treasury, $3.50,
| 843,774. The product of these taxes 70
| three years was, in gold, $4l7.s39, 1913. i
| the people were heeced as much on othe
| artieles-and the tariff on others is heavie
the entire sum of which they were robbet
| during the last three years amounted to nj
less than 1872 100000, or, enough to Blu,
and own all the capital stock Of the fou
tic to the Mississippi, and to enable you Il
draw and possess the dividends every yea
for your own benefit, or . sum equal to one
fourth of the public debt I'll
| Turn to the other branch of the publ'
revenue and you viii perceive precisely tn
| same results. Step by step, uufalterinply
| undeviatingly, the taxes on imports hav
| gradually raised, until they are nominal.
uisJ per cent" anu reahy snioe nunuEeu
Step by step, and BY the same selfish mo
tive, the internal taxes have been alternatel
raised and lowered. Now, prices can onl.
be effected through two agents; one is taxa
ton, the other is currency. I have shown
| you how the taxation device at every stel
has sweated prodigious results In the pock
cts of the harpies that are preying upon III
i before affected b. legis' alton.
There is another and equally potent mean
/ BY which the earnings of the industrious
Glasses may be preyed upon without thei
lknowledge and converted TO the use and ben
eft Of the indolent and the rich. This is b
/ affecting the price of merchandise through
l change in the cupesey.. When your ruler
aeft the constitution and made legal tender
Of paper. they lett the currency of democ
rscy-gold. You ere the sufferers. LIE