The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-09-15
The Way Ills Done,

The Way Ii IL Done.
Hon. John C. Allen, of Illinois, made
speech in Indianapolis last week, il
which he explained
WHY THE BONDS WE'RE EXEMPTED.
Why is it that these bonds should bt
exempted from taxation is there any
reason which can be given for their ex
emption? / remember we'll that rea
son was given when these bills were
pending in the Congress of the United
States. 1t was assigned as reason
that to subject these bonds to taxation
for State, county or municipal pur'
pose, would decrease their value to the
holder. But the same reason would ap'
ply to every other species of property
Your shop is not as valuable to you as
it would be if it were exempted
from taxatien; your farm is not
so valuable as it would be if exempt
from taxation, and so of all property
that is taxed. There is no reason, the N,
whatever why these men who are SO for
tunate as to hold bonds, upon which
they draw high rate of interest, paid
semi-annually, should be exempted
from their due share of the burthens of
the Government. Let us look at the
practical effect of the exemption Of
these bonds. You are compelled to
build a courthouse and Jail, and main
tain police regulations, and pay those
who protect you in the employment of
your lives and property-your judges,
Jurors and officers of the law, falls upon
you and you alone, while he receives
for his property and his person the
same protection that you receive. You
have courthouse to build A tax is
levied, and collected, and invested in
building the courthouse. Your proper
ty is subjected to this tax, but his
property is released from it.
AN ILLUSTRATION.
Let us look little further at the
practical effect of this exemption. A
man desires to retire from business, put
his money in some profitable invest
ment, and take his ease. He sells his
farm or store-house, and invests the
proceeds in Government bonds. He re-
tires from business. He no longer con-
tinues to earn his living in the sweat of
his face, according to Divine command.
He does not even wish to be troubled
with the annoyance of housekeeping,
aud takes his family and retires to a
first-class hotel or boarding house, and
lives at his ease. Every six months he
walks down to the bank and draws his
interest upon his hundred thousand dol
lars in bonds. The tax-collector don't
know him, he cannot reach his property.
Some pleasant afternoon he says to his
wife that he has hired a pair of horses
and carriages, and proposes to take a
ride. They start out along one of your
avenues, and the wife remarks, "They
have improved this road very much
since | was here last. They have cut
down the high places, and graded the
low places, and built aqueducts across
the streams, and have graveled the road
and made it beautiful drive indeed.
How did they do thisi" The husband
replies: "Why they levied tax upon
the property in the vicinity of the road.
Neig ghbor A, over there, had to pay a
dollar on the hundred of the valuation
of his house and lot; neighbor b had to
pay the same amount On the valuation
of his farm; the widow woman who has
that beautiful residence over there had
to pay q dollar on the handred of
the valuation of her property, and the
one-armed soldier had to pay dollar on
the hundred of the valuation of his lit
tie place which he bought out of the
earnings of his service in the army.
They collected this tax, hired hands and
made this Improvement. Truly, it is Il
beautiful drive.n "Well, husband, you
1.-Two in tbis distriot, how much had you
to pay: you, too, had to pay something~
" No, no, not cent; my property is in
bonds [applausel and Con-
gress has said the State, county or mu-
nicipal authorities shall not touch such
property" They ride on, and presently
they come to q fine saheol house. 1t
has architectural style and beauty
and the interior is conveniently
arranged with desks for the use
of the children. Hard by is a
we'll of living water. Around the house
is q beautiful iron or wooden fence.
The wife asks, Chow did they build
that school-house, husband 7" "They
built it by tax levied upon property
in this school district. Neighbor AS
property, and neighbor BIS property,
aud the widow woman's property, and
the one armed soldiers property, was
all taxed a dollar on the hundred, and
in that way money enough was raised
TO build the school house" "Well, my
dear, you live in this school district;
didn't you pay something how much
did YOU pay towards it 7" "Nota dollar.
NV money is all in Government bonds,
and they can't tax it for any such pur-
pose as that" Again; the wife says:
Husband, we have five children. l
understand they have hired a compe-
tent teacher here, and we had better
send the children here to school. There
is Betsey, and Nancy, and Tommy, and
Billy, and Hiram Ulysses. Laughter.
They must all go to school this winter"
"Well, my DEAR" says the wife, cal
though these people may not be able to
tax you for building roads and school
houses, reckon if you send five chill
dren to school this winter, it will cost
you something" "No, my dear; you
don't seem to understand at all. The
school teacher is paid ont of the school
fund. My property is not taxable for
any such purpose, therefore / get the
benefit of the school without paying
the teacher.
Well, Just about that time, fellow
citizens, if were judge on the bench, !,
as was once, and that wife should
come and ask divorce from her hus-
band because be wanted to use his
neighbors' roads and send his children
to school at his neighbors' expense, l
would grant it in u moment, on the
grounds of inhumanity. [Applause. ]
And yet there are thousands and tens
of thousands of instances of that kind
occurring throughout the length and
breadth of the land.
Facts for the People About Taxes.