Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-03
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nm AND an 9nmeasured deep before.
nhe world doth sc0rn them, gibc contemn.
Woe Tor the gifted. woe for themi
- WHY TAXES ARE HIGH.
The people complain of hiol
taxes, and they have good and Just
reason for so doing. In no country
are the masses called upon to bear
heavier burdens, when all circum-
stances are taken into consideration.
Taxation sits upon everything that
the people cat, wear or consume in
any way whatever. Each dollar that
apoor man earns, by hard toll, is
clipped by the government before it
reaches his family. Five days out
Of Six he labors for himself and his
little ones, but the proceeds of the
sixth are appropriated to the tax
gatherer, who, like Dives of old, is
clothed in purple and fine linen,
and fares sumptuously every day"
For each pound of meat, or butter,
or tea, coffee or rice, the poor man
uses, he pays tax, and the mer-
chant, manufacturer and capitalist
is called upon TO reduce his income
in the same manner. Money is
taxed as well as labor, and the busi-
ness of our Industrious citizens is
rendered less productive by the
drains upon it to meet the expenses
of the government, which, in a time
ofpeace, are on a war footing. Why
are the taxes so high is constantly
asked by the people? A partial
answer is given in the following ex-
tracts from a w ashingtOn letter re
Gently published in the Baltimore
Gazette The writer, who is familiar
with the doings of the men running
the machine ut the national capital,
says:
"Of late Years our progress of
civilization has been such that now
the most common place matters are
conducted upon purely transcen-
dental principles. Formerly the
Blue Book contained the name
and amount of salary of every fed
eral oflicial-legislatiVe or eXecu-
tive But this official register has
become a mere means of cOncealing
from instead of exposing to public
gaze the expenditures of the gov
ernment upon IFS officials, or I'M
officials, As the case may be, and who
those public benefciaries really are
Hundreds of men (such as the negro
Mcnard, for eXample) have been
paid out of some clandestine fund,
as mythical members of Congress
(haying no pretensiOns TO seats,)
salaries apprOXimating those Of real
members, and countless hundreds
of hangers on in the purlieus of the
capitol have fattened upon what is
called the contingent fund-per-
forming or not performing services
real or imaginary, which no law
recognizes and for which no law
provides recompense. In the OK
ecutivc depalt ment this class of I'M
official officials has assumed fabu-
lous proportions. Not a claim OF
consequence is now allowed by any
bureau before being submitted (not
to the law officers of the govern
ment, but to outside attorneys for
adjudication. Scarcely a case of
importance arises in the district or
circuit courts throughout the coun-
try, or in the Supreme Court, in
which these favorites of fortune are
not seen to figure. This may be
all necessary (and it is but a sam
pie Of what is going on in all other
branches of official business) upon
the ground Of the acknowledged
stupidity of the real Officials.
Upon this point l express no
opinion; but it is safe to affirm that
the gross amount these amateur
officers receive annually equals at
least the nominal amount set down
in the blue Book" and other Of
fetal eXpositions, as to the full eX
penditurc on account Of the legitl
mate civil list. But it is in the
matter of registering the salary
cor income) Of recognized officials
that the public is most grossly de
ceived 10y these books ;" the nOmi
nal pay of these men, Legislator
and executive OilicersD Is not drol
in the bucket of what they reall.
receive: and herein | by no mean
aIlude to the vulgar charge o
downright pilfering. There l
hardly "a member OF Congress VIII
L is not, at this moment, takln:
money out of Uncle Sans poke
Cbeyond his $4,000 per annumy
and at the same time enjoying, a
the expense Of the government a
the luxuries within the grasp {
millionaires. Schenck, as head c
the ways and Means COMMITTEES
secured, by a solemn vote oil I'd
House, $4,000 TO detray the cost {
q tour down and across the cont
nent, which, by the way, he nev(
reformed l mention his cas-
simply as similar 10 numberle:
others, and not as ignominlousl
isolated. The public IS sufficient
aware of uhe wholesale cutting up
Congress into travelling committee
by lis orders, before adiOurnmen
A specimen of another sort of final
clering in an economicalway, is Il
conversion Of Congressman (duriI
vacation into quasi Foreign Mini
ters. even where We have Ministe
=. resident. Senator Ramsey,
a Minnesota, has just been de
matched TO France to negotia
= postal treaty. Other cas-
.too numerous TO mention of Ii
character, occur to my mind. w
viii ever know what amount su
men, for such service, will eXtr;
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