The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-08-15
Democratic Taxation Illustrated.

DehOeKR1c TAXATION Illustrated
The great reliance of the Democratic
party in this contest, is their position
on the tax question. The burdens of a
public debt are OF necessity Irritating.
People could not but be FESTIVE under
them. It is easy to ind fault, without
reference to Its amendment. Denunci-
alton is cheap, and 1t relieves an irri-
tated people as swearing does an an
cry man. In this state Of things Il
ought not to be hard to persuade short
sighted people that any tchange must
be an improvement. 1t is in this view
of things that the Democracy go into
this contest, relying on their ability so
TO work upon the dissatisfactions of
the people over the weight of unaccus-
toned but inevitable burdens of taxa
ton, SO to belle and deceive them as to
the cause of these evils and their reme-
dy, as toinduce them to put the pres
ent party out of power, and to put that
party in despite OF Its unreasonable
record.
But while the chief reliance of the
Democracy is IN the denunciation of
the present system of taxation, they do
propose one wholly different. They
declare for "equaL taxation on every Spe.
ctes Of property according TO its reGEVal-
ue." They propose thepublic debt shall
be paid by moneys drawn from the
people by taxation" and that this tax
alton shall be equal on "eUery species of
property, according to its real value"
The present system of taxation lays
the burden upon the relatively
rich, and draws Its main supplies from
the accumulated wealth of the country.
It makes no acquisitions upon labor or
upon land, the two original sources of
wealth in every country. It lays no
tax on land or houses, or on any prop
erty owned by men who can be con-
sidered poor: and the supplies which 1t
raises by indirect or specific duties
come from articles of luxury which, in
the main, poor men can deny them
selves i! they choose.
Under this system, in this First Con-
gressional District there was raised in
1867, as shown by the report Of the Sec.
rotary of the Treasury, SIZE. 1902 05.
The Democratic party propose that
the Federal taxes shall be raised pre-
cIsely as our State taxes are raised, by
a direct equal tax on "eyery species of
according to its real value"
The property of this Congressional
District, real and personal, as assessed
for State taxation, according to the re-
port OF the Auditor, is valued at
S39, O82,2l9. Add to this million of
Government bonds held by persons in
the district, Certainly a large estimate)
and we have a property value of $40, 062,-
2l9. To raise s712. 9O2 OF Federal taxes
in this Congressional District, in the
mode proposed by the Democratic par
ty, would therefore require direct tax
on all the propertyin it, both real and
personal, isl II on each 500 value.
Now. then, farmers, real estate owners,
property holders of every kind. how
would you like to pay such Federal
tax as THAR Our general tax for State
purposes is 20 cents on each 500 and
10 cents more for free SCH ols and the
landed interests OF the State find this a
pretty heavy tax. What would
become of If they assessed with an
additional tax nearly six times as
larger AS it is now, the collector's
books show that not one farmer in a
thousand pays one cent of Federal tax.
Let farmers sit down and figure up
what they would have to pay the Coy
eminent at the rate OF 81 II on every
hundred, which would be in addition
to all other taxes. Let real estate own
ers in this city figure at it too and con-
template the cheerful aspect ofthat pro-
position. Yet that ia precisely what
the Democratic party propose /; for their
platform, declares for equal taxation
on every species of property according
to It's real value"-words too plain TO
be misconstrued. be-
Now, gentlemen, Democrats and Re-
publicans alike, there is fact for your
consideration.
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