, 1870-06-09
THURSDAY, JUNE Q, 1870.
. nTrrcT1yE AND CORRUPT BILL

THURSDAY, JUNE Q. 1870. t
A DEFECTIVE AND CORRUPT BILL
The House bill to lessen taxation Is
niece of patchwork and botchwork, ut once
;nadoonate in reduction, incongruous in de-
,a;1 md fraudulent in intention. It reduces
e1cises on many articles, but in such way
Az to render no reduction Of the army of
revenue collectors possible. While the in
come tax is lowered, two-ffths Of the cost
Of collecting It viii remain the Same as be-
fore. The tar On sales Of merchandise
is continued, in order, We suppose,
to furnish an excuse for retaining
of deputy tax-gathercrs and
smelling committees. Just about enough
excise on hotels and places of amusement
remains unrepealed TO defray to cost OF
chasing down the proprietors and forcing |
them to pay the assessment.
But this gives employment
to numerous class Of worthy people, who
otherwise might not be able to support
themselves. And then, General Schenck
managed to hitch to the tail of the bill his
corrupt tariff scheme for the depletion OF
the Treasury. without reliet to the people.
His bill takes from the Treasury cent a
pound on imported crude sugar, and gives
it. not to the consumers, but to the
rsfnes. The eight or ten millions OF re-
duction on sugar, Withdrawn from the
Treasury, is adzoitly transferred to a rlng
of sugar rednerx. The bounty On steel
rails, which is now 45 per cent, is increased
to II per cent All revenue from this
source is cut of, and D.. j. Morren
and his two eoutede1ates arc
authorized by the bill to charge and
collect Il per cent over the market price,
IN ell the steel rails the public are obliged
In purchase. On dozen other articles OF
necessiH the same sort of swindle Is perpe-
t.ated on the public for the benefit OF spe-
rim, classes. And this is the measure OF
raxenue reform and tax reduction which
the Wavs and Means Committee forced
through the House of Representatives Last
Monday, and which they suppuao ~il be
acceptable to the people
The Senate bill is incomparably superior
to lhat which Rsmvld the House. IN that it
sweeps away7M unnecessary e1cises, and
n,aIes clean job OF them It ltabolishes
III. oaious, oppressive and inquisitoriA IN
come tax-sweeping it entirely awny, and
With Il, aufhe expense Of its collection
n alas rapoals the tax on sales, on taverus,
ou places Of amusement, On retail dealars
Of every description, and on all professions.
1t simpli6es and reduces internal taxes to
few things chief anopg= which sre
spi.ituous and malt 1iqhofss tobacco,
and cigars, stamps, banks, and gaos.
The Senate bill decreases taratiqn ~
less than sixty millions, and aftards shppre-
ciablo, palpab1e, salutary relief to the peo-
pie. It is bona .Jide diminution Of the
burdens of taxation, and would be grate-
fully and thankfully received by an over
taxed public It is q statesmanlike bill,
and proceeds Oh the true principle Of
wipinc off every excise that can be spared
by the Treasury. Under this bill three
important results nre expected: First, one
half the army Of internal ta1-gathese1s can
he discharged, and, consequently, half the
cost of revenue collection can be Baved.
This item will amount to Eve or si1 millions
per anuum. Second, the objects of taxa
ton being reduced to few prime
articles, the revenue officials viii
Lave time and opportunity to devote thei1
scrutiny and ingenuity to strict enforce
ment Of the law and the prevention o.
frauds and evasions. As result, these fev
subjects of ta1ation will be made to yielt
far more revenue than heretofore Thirdly
nine-tenths of the people now visited, in
vestgated, worried, and prosecuted By tn
ta1-harpies, spies, and informers, will es
cape such inhospitable attentions and in
ouisito1ial harassmeut. The Senate bl
releases considerably more than nineteenth
of those whose names are on the Assessors
books from any future interviews viii
revenue officials, and yet it leaves more thar
two-tLirds of the receipts of internal rev
erue untouched, with the certainty OF
large increase of the same in consequence
of the repeal of mnny small excuses col
lected from multitude Of people.
II Slerman's Senate bill is wise ant
statesmanlike, Schenck's House bill IS the
work Of a bungler or barbarian IN
finance. The problem before Schenck'f
committee vas, What disposition shall bs
made of the hundred millions Of unneces
sary surplus ta1ation2 what sub.
jects Of taxation shall be released
in whole or in part to the amount
OF this immense and needless SUI
plus: After pottering over the question
for si1 months We have the result in ths
unsatisfactory bill reported by Schenck
and passed by the House in fit of despai
and disgust bill which only reduces in
ternal taxes by thirty millions and tina
in such way as to retan
all the unpopular and odious fea
lures of the present system O
collecting internal revenue. No membe
Of Congress who supported this bill ha
improved his standing with his constitr
euts Nobody will feel grateful for th
t1iAing and iu-considersd reductions Of e,
cises contained IN the House hill. ETel
one expected the passage of better bill
md SO all are disappointed and offende
The people knom that eighty millions
internal and external taxation may safe
and properly be spared. and in whatever
gree the bill fills short of this relief, it
unsatisfactory to the public- We earnest
trust the Senate will substitute its own b,
reject Schenck's miserable contr5vance, al
knock the bruins out Of his little tarlt
monster which, under the hypocritical p1
tence of reducing the tariff, increases t
tax or scores Of articles Of necessity, al
plars into the hands of the steel aud sag
rings in most shameful and traudu!e
manner
TIE ILIN0lB CENTRAL TAX