The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-07-04

pzli x Lie interest ca five uoasAnd dol
( kris Ia Eailrad buaGs, their oaly properly
musk pay i've psT cent a her pstiRRee =
Incn11e tax. Ghile The oNnr1 u cGy' NIL.
I lions WUEIh Of city lots. ~ Western Lands,
Increasing In value 81 tie rate .; 30 10 "
I pr etli pr GnhHIu, pays nUthlDg Al AL :
Such coutraSts might he sIlstAncEd by
scores
| The owner Of . hotel OF store, " Ola mort
gage thereon. which pays him $500 per
annnIn, may live comfortably in Vermont
uT Michigan On third VI his income, while
the OTerb<eE " : mSRtiACt1Iy, Tie cash
let oE bank, who bSs no property what
cEeF, but earns 5000 pm Annum by his
daily hhOG, md Is compelled 70 live IN az
ueuF great city To earn IL, mRSt spend
hi EnIirr income, yet npt GTe - vel
thereon, As the other does on 5000. while
bis income vsLnlshe5 the moment his work
stops, and vet each q these Is required 10
payG like sun - Income tax.
Ia this city, IhrrG men, vel advanced
h lie, are popularity supposed To bc rich
e than any others: one u these has his
whole GoFtlnG invested in bo5sseS, lots and
mortgages, u which the vulue and
the income would re1nain undiluin.
hhel, though he wer, IN die tomor-
row; scond has bis means invested In
railroads and railroad securities; the thlEd
derives his income mainly iTHn the SAio o.
dry good4 II these two last were 70 die
tomorrow, he would be u bold man who
would give teventy.hve per cent for their
properly, Of what il " worth In their
hands; and yet these three arc required
alike 70 pay fiYs per cent Of thciE annual
gains as Income TAX.
Whatever popularity ibis tax may re
tain h based on the impression that y
taxCs thO>Tich and exGmpls uG poor II
presume q majority could bc induced 10
vote that the entire cost Of Government
should be betrayed By those who are
worth $4,000, or over, and yet the sue
cess Of that proposition would NUN the
Republic, by divesttpg o large majority Of
It's voters Of all practical interest In public
economy. We experience the fatal effect
Of this discrimination, in this most mis-
governed and learhllly plundered city, OF
whose hundred and odd thousand voters,
les than tifth pay anything into the city
treasury. A very great majority OF our
voters, including all those who vote from
ten " twenty times each at the same
election, believe 1t: their interest TO have
our municipal administration cost twenty
rather than ten millions per annum, since
the landlords, the merchants, banks, insu-
rance offices, &c, pay nearly all the tsXGs,
while il money Is freely scattered from the
treasury, the AboyS" have better chances
OF getting share oft. Whenever ma.
IOrity o. The VOteFS of our country slIaL DO
governed BY similar notions the Republic
viii be near lis end ] Rm sadly aware
TINT VIC arc best with statesmen, whose
tOuchstons Of the merits Of q public mca-
sure Is the advantage Il gives 70 that
broad, generous, unaspiring West, Of
which they are pillars and ornaments, and
if'thesC statesmen, ascertAintng from the
returns thXt the income tax Is mainly paid
by the States east Of tho Delaware, are
disposed u continue II On that account, |
would gladly believe That the Chairman
Of the Committee ol Ways and Means
does not belong 10 their school, and l
heartily wish lie would 80 act on this
question Us to prove It.
do not deny the power OF Congress TO |
impose any tax not forbidden by the Con-
stitutIon; admit that one Congress can.
not absolutely bind is successors except |
a. to the payment Of debt; and yet hold
That since Il was positively stipulated in |
an net passed five years ago that this Tux |
should cease in or with the year 1870, 1t
is not right, In that year, TO abolish OF re-
ducO other taxes 10 twice the amount, and
at the same time rcimposc this one. Re-
garding this tax as the llnwisest, the most
peFnlctous, the least justifable, Of MI our
public burdens, hold TINT 1t be not rein.
posed, and l wish were not an invalid,
forbidden to write, and barely suffered TO
dictate, that l might plead more effective
~. Believing tint tho decision Of tho
Senate on this question ntllrms The DELHI |
erlts Judgment Of the American people,
/ rs tctlGlly commend It TO your consid.
eratl69 and favor. II. q.