The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-07-29
One NAN Should Not be Made to Fay An


One Nam Should Not be Made to Fay An
other Mans Taxes.
During the late sessionsof Congress,
General Geo. w. Morgan. the Demo
cratic Representive. from the 18th
Congressional District of this State,
offered a resolution instructing the
Committee on Ways and Means to re-
port billsto exempt salt, tea, coffee,
sugar, matches and tobacco from ev-
cry species of federal taxation, and to
impose a tax of 21a pei. cent. in gold
on all bonds which have been or may
hereafter be issued by the federal
goyernment- The object OF this prep
osit1on was to give relief to the people
by compelling the bondholders to
contribute their just proportion to the
support of the government. The res
olution was defeated by being laid
upon the table by vote of the Repub-
lican members, only two of that party
voting in favor of the proposition.
On the Sd inst. Gen. Morgan made
speech near MillWoOd, Knox eoun-
ty, in which he briefly discussed the
subject of taxation, from which we
clip the following extracts:
But if these articles be exempted
from taxation, how would the deficit
in the revenue be made up? First, re-
quire the bondhoiders to pay their
own taxes and next curtail the ex-
penditures of the government, and
thereby reduce the amount of taxes
required. The good people of Mt.
Vernon pay tax of nearly 21a per
cent, and sometimes more; certainly
| it would be only fair that the bond
holder should pay as much. And as
he draws gold interest, while You on
| ly get papar, it is reasonable that this
| tax should be paid in the same cur
rency iii which he receives his inter-
est. Tea, coffee, and all other articles
which pay duty at the custom. house
are taxed in gold; and an increase of
one-third is added in paper money by
the merchant to the gold tax. Thus,
| if the gold tax on tea be thirty cents,
then the merchant adds forty cents in
paper to the first cost of the tea then
charges twenty-five per cent profit,
both on the tax and on the tea, and
he or she who drinks the cup of tea
| pays Tie CaA. a. rhAi -
!" But is it right to tax the bonds q
Why notP Clothing and raw cotton
are taxed hats, crinoline and leather
are taxed; iron, coffee and tea are
taxed; snuff and tobacco are taxed !;
on every dollars worth of matches,
there is a tax of sixty-six cents, aud
the materials of which the matches
are made are taxed brewers and dis
tillers are taxed; merchants, lawyers
and doctors. are taxed; !; if you get
married you are taxed and if a baby
is added to your family, the clothes in
which it is wrapped are taxed and ii
you die, the winding sheet with which
YOU are covered, and the nails in your
coffin are taxed; and after the tax.
payer has tracked you to the grave
and turns mournfully away, to. think
tyou have slipped from his clutches, be
hunts up your will and levies tax Of
from one to six cents on dollar-or
the legacies yos have, left to the rela-
tives who remain behind you to bt
taxed. q ,st3''''5i :. 50 s.s '-''s'
These are but few of the .severa
thousand kinds of taxes paid by the
people. Why, then, should not bond!
be taxed? But if you loan money Il
an individual and take his note, yor
are required to return the note fal
taxation--then why should not Rtht
bondholder be taxed on the nott
which he holds against the govern
ment? Because he lent his green
back to the government to aid in car
4 rying on the war. Y es, but his green
backs were only worth fifty cents OF
the dollar, and the government pay
him back i'll gold, giving him, in fact
two dollars for one. As a genera
thing, the soldiers had no greenbackl
to lend, but they freely gave theil
blood and their limbs, while the bond.
holder is paid in gold, the soldier on
lily got paper. The one lent greenback
and got back geld-the other CAV,
his blood and limbs and got back nei
ther. The soldier, the soldiers widow
and orphan are taxed, then why no
the bondholderp
For my part, my fetlow-citizens
to the extent of my ability, I inten(
to insist upon equal taxation, and, .un
til the bonds are taxed, it is my inten
{ ton to vote against any appropriation
to pay the interest on the bonds. Ant
suggest that it would be prudent 70
J the bendhplder to Remember that tn
J people know that estimated in gpit
! the average amount paid for bond
did not exceed fifty cents on the dol
lar, and that, as a matter of equity
; the bondholder is only entitled to tha
} amount IN return. If he is wise, b
: will be careful how he proYokes dis
J content among his neighbors, by com
; pelling them to continue the paymen
of his taxes" TiE ksi= AiF