Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-10-01
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. %, 1869

F. WASHINGTON, ID. c., Sept. %, 1863.
Dear Jou,7aM:-I have repeatedly said
in these letters that the Internal Revenue
Department levied q tax upon farmers.
either as manufacturers or produce deal.
ers. This statement of mine has been do
nounced and denied by Radical journals,
although the farmers knew it to be true.
I herewith give you the decision of the
Internal Revenue Commissioner on the
subject, which fully corroborates my state
ment. In reply to question asked by
Assessor Belcher, of Georgia, whether
parties should DE taxed as retail dealers
who sell fruit and vegetables in excess Of
one thousand dollars per annum, Acting
Commissioner Douglass replied that it was
not necessary to sell to the amount of one
thousand dollars to make him liable to
special tax. If it is his occupation or any
part of his occupation to keep agricultural
or farm products, or to sell them Except
by peddling them on FOOT he shonld be
taxed as produce broker, and also with
ont regard to the amount Of mis- aales. A
man ls also liable aa produce broker even
though he makes no sales at all, but pur-
chases only. A person who sells fruits and
vegetables from store or stand is liable
as IL produce broker, even though his an
nual sales, intending sales of all other mar-
chandisc, do not exceed one Thousand
dollars, and 7oHtoW regard 10 tChethe1 he
nh
Of Ills Orn raising ar moi. In accordance
with this ruling tho Assessor of the District
of Columbia has already notified number
of Maryland and Virginia farmers coming
bring fruit, vegetables, hay and other farm
products to market that they must take
out the license required by this decision.
A great deal of excitement is manifested
here on this subject.
Now, above L hnve epitomized the de-
cisiOn of the Commissioner. You will note
that person who sells fruit, vegetables,
&c, from store or stand, must take ont
Il license What is the Commissioners
definition of stand ? We cannot be gnid-
ed, in asking this question, hy any refer
ence to such obsolete old fogies as tho
photographers. The age is progressive,
and SO are meanings Of words, and a3 the
age IS expansive, SO must the force of
words increase. The Commissioner of In
ternal Revenues decision is fnal-there is
no appeal from it, except to himself. Sup
pose he decides that if a farmer should
sell his crop Of wheat ut the threshing
ground, or even before being harvested
what is to prevent the Commissioner de-
claring the threshing floor or the ground
itself a shnI within the meaning of his
decision Suppose man hauls load Of
wheat from his farm to market, may not
the place where he sells, or the wagon
which contains it be declared, ia the dis
erection Of the Commissioner, stand :
So with corn, cattle, cotton, tobacco, su-
gar, rice, oats, everything that can be
raised. And let it not be said that my
conclusions are far fetched. The Com
missioner of internal Revenue ia as su-
preme as the Star Chamber, or tue Tcno-
tan Council Of Ten. He can DO as he
pleases. He has the power to assess a
man at his own valuation, tie 1,o1ae,. to re-
fuse hina a hearing, AID 1mpyis0a him for
the deb! WAich tie CODlmi5siO,4c1 has declared
as due from the debtor IL lie Adnaiaist1'a-
ton OF course then he has the power to
make an arbitrary definition OF the word
Stund.
The object of the Internal Revenue Com
missioner in making the decision is two
fold. The administration and it's thieves
want more money. Like the horse lcech,
they never cry enongh." Secondly, they
Want to Influence the farmers Of Ohio and
Pennsylvania to vote the Radical ticket for
fear the taxation will be made worse if
they do not--n more infamous and diaboli- |
cally unjust system of taxation than ouls
cannot be devised. And yet, when l look
at this entire system. l see 6 the hand
writing on the wall" Said Julins Caesar
once, of cer'aln Gallo traitors against the
peace of Rome, Whom the Gods wish
"a destroy they first make mad" And
these Radical leaders are mad. This deci- |
sion is but one of thousand proofs CT
their insane condition. And through the
terrible dissatisfaction and Indignation
that arc even now laundering against the
Internal Revenue Department and its au
thors. the Radical party leaders, we shn!I
very soon behold it's destruction, its tina
and utter destruction. ...