Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1868-09-30

Toucey, the then Secretary Of the Navy.
specimen brick of Connecticut Demo
cracy, fearing the loyalty and patriotism
of our naval commanders, ordered our
vessels Of war to unheard Of place in far
distant seas where they could by no pos
sibility be needed, but where they would
be beyond the reach OF recall by Che GOV
eminent in the day Of peril This is the
party these are the men that now canvass
and solicit the votes of an outraged loval
people. Really, their former rascality is
outdone by their present impotence.
You speak of another proposition con-
tanned in this fourth resolution Of the
Democratic Convention, wherein til sub
stantially proposed "that the lands of the
farmer and homesteads of the laboring
people shall pay an ad vayoreno tax equal
to that paid on lu1uries by the af8uent
consumer" and you inquire ''lf the gov
eminent has ever applied this principle
to its method Of raising revenue, subject.
ing all the az icultural property to spec
ial burdensl"
The only mode by, which "equal taxa
ton of every species of property, accord
ing to its r.al value" can be reached, is
By a direct tao
The Constitution of the United States
provided, article l, section q "Repres-
entatiyes and direct taxes shall be appor-
toned among the several states that may
be included within this Union, according
to their respective numbers, which may
be determined by adding the whole num-
berssof free persons, in including those bound
to service for term Of years, and includ-
ing Indians not taxed, three-ffths Of all
other persons"
But then look at the injustice Of such
rule of taxation. equal taxation !"
It sounds beautifully, and it would De
right if it could be done SO as to effect the
object. But under the constitution,
which is Just now held in such high re-
yerence by those who for years have
thought Of nothing but how to destroy it,
it cannot be done. Indeed, Of all modes
of taxation, it is the most unequal!
To prove this it is only necessary to
take the valuation of the real and person.
al estate of the several states, as exhibited
BY the census of 1860. None other can
now be had, and that it has not increased
since then would seem to be established
by the fact that the tax commissioners of
the state of New York have just fixed
the assessed value of all the property of
that statessa nearly seVenty-seven millions
below that of the census Of 1860. For
comparison and illustration, take states
with equal representations in Congress,
and consequently with nearly equal
amounts Of taxation. Wisconsin and
Alabama have six members of the House
of Representatives each the former has
valuation of S273, 971 ,668, and the
latter of s495, 237 ,O78. The valuation
for Maine was $40, COS, while Louis
tana's was 1902, 185, 568, and that of
Mississippi was $507, 324, oil. Each of
these three states have FIVE members of
the House Of Representatives. It will |
be seen that the valuation of the proper
ty Of each and either of the Southern
States last named was more than three to
one as compared with that of the state of
Maine, and yet by the act of 1861 lare-
er amount was assessed to the state of |
Maine than to either of the two otIer
Southern States named in connection |
with that state. In other words, any civ. |
en- amount of property subject to taxation
IN the state Of Maine would be compelled |
to pay more than three times that which |
would be collected on the same amount Of |
like property in either of the two South
ern States named.
And then this mode of taxation would |
bear heavily upon the land, stock and |
utensils of the farmer; upon the small |
property Of the poor laboring man. All
this kind of property is, under present
laws, entirely exempt from general gov
eminent taxation
So, too, under such rule, tax would
be collected on all incomes of ST 1000 and
less. These, too, under the present exist
Ing laws, are exempt from general govern
ment taxation
Under the proposed mode, all the small
means, and the small incomes Of the great
masses of our industrious people, would
be taxed. Perhaps all this is intended so
that more taxes may be wrung from the
poorer and middling classes, that the
bloated arlstocracy, with foreign banker
at It's head, who now control the Demo
cratic party may be still further relieved
from paying their just proportion of the
burdens now necessarily imposed upon
the whole people by the criminal acts of
these very men. Call you all this equal
taxation ? can conceive of no fashion or
style that would be further from it. But
the members of the convention who passed
the resolution were not in earnest they
knew better. But this last, like the first
proposition in the resolution, to tax the
government bonds" was intended for
"buncombe," and nothing more. As such,
1t may have its day, for hypocrisy will
be exposed. IF on the other hand, it is
earnest, an intelligent people will soon
have an opportunity to apply the proper
corrective. Very respectfully yours,
L. b. SPINNER.
y. q. Tompson, Esq, ShelbyviIIe, Ind.
AND STILL THEY COMEl-P y Ma