The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-08-12
Assistant AdjntanL G.
Equal Taxation OF Every Species OF
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property.
The Democratic National platform,
upon which Seymour and Blair are
running, proposes, in its fourth resolu-
ton, to tax equally "every species of
property, according to its value" Ev-
cry man Knows chat the present U nited
States laws do not tax every species OF
property at all, and do not tax equally
the few articles that are taxed. Every
Intelligent man knows that the United
States has never taxed property co ualy.
Taxation by the United States has
always been levied upon few articles
OF luxury, generally upon luXuries i'm
ported front foreign countries. This
rule has always been followed alike by
old Wings, the Democrats, and by the
Republicans. The United States never
has levied tax upon farms, upon the
houses of the people, or upon the nee
essaries of life. The present tax laws
levy y heavy tax on liquors and light
ia < on gold watches, and no tax at all
upon the bread, the clothing, or the
homes of the people. The present laws
levy a tax upon all incomes over one
thousand dollars year, and no tax at
all upon the wages of the working man
less than enc thousand dollars year.
Yet, If we were all taxed equally as the
Democratic platform proposes, the la
borer, mechanic and farmer, the poor
seamstress, the widow, and even the APP
prentice boy or girl, would have to pay
just as heavy tax upon each dollar OF
their littlcIS Fuings as the rich million
aire pay ~ i each dollar of his large
income. Exes we're made equal upon
IS every species of property, according
to its value" the mechanic would have
to paw a tax on the value of his tools,
exactly equal to the tax the rich man
would pay upon the value OF his hne
jewelry; the farmer would have to pay
as large tax upon the value OF MS
farm as the whisky manufactures
would pay upon his liquor; and the
homes of the laboriug men, with their
scanty furniture, would pay the same
as the plate glass, elegant luxuries and
costly piano OF the rich mans palace.
The bread. and clothing, and fuel,
which are absolutely necessary to life
would be taxed equally, according to
their value, with the needless lu1uries
of wealth. Under such system, II
the rich banker had to pay the Govern
ment for a license, the poor laborer
would have to pay equally in proper:
ton to his business; and man could
not sell quart of ckberriesr or a
peck of potatoes, without license In
his pocket.
Under our present system, four. ffths
of the people do not pay any United
States taxes at all. How many of our
readers ever visit the United States
Collectors office? OF the mechanics,
laborers, farmers, clerks, and men who
work for living, not one in fifty, the
State through. pays one cent of taxes
to the United States Collector. Every
body knows this to be SO. Butsuppose
we had equal taxation OF eUeTu spe
cies of property, according to it's value
lin that case every man would have
to pay taxes to the United States Col
lector. Not a man would escape.
The effect of this would be to dimin-
ish the taxes OF the rich, TO take the
taxes partially Oft luXuries, and equal
ize them by putting part OF them upon
the necessities of the poor. Part OF the
tax would be taken oil OF whisky. and
put upon bread. Part ofthetax would
be taken off of gold watches, and put
upon the mechanics tools. Part of the
tax would be taken off of banks, and
put upon farmers. Part of the tax
would be taken of of tobacco, and put
upon pork and beef. Part would be
taken off OF the rich mans elegant
French mirror, and put upon the poor
mans plain furniture; and part taken
off of the rich wOman's jewelryi and
put upon the poor woman's cradle.
This is what the Democratic party
proposes to do. 1t is down in black
aud white, in their platform. or courst
such a change will be a fine thing iol
the rich aristocrats who ruled the Dem,
ocratic Convention, under the lead o.
Belmont, the great Democratic banker
But how do the people like the looks o
the thing? If they all want to- be taxed
equally, upon "every species of proper
~" alike, let them give the Democrats
power, and they can be accommodated
Detroit Post.