Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-04-28
For tie Journal
New HANOVER COUNTY, N. c., !
April 23d, 1871. {

april ZJd, 1S(I
E5htoy Of tie JotomuI-
! DEAR SIR In a recent issue of YOU
paper l read an address to the Citizen!
of all the Cities and Towns in the United
States in behalf of repeal of the Income
Tax, which address I suppose Was gotten
up by the capitalists and men of high sal
aries, who feel the tax most. It says "Po
pular feeling is aroused throughout the
country to resist its collection. II L am
correctly informed, the Income Tax does
not affect incomes Of less than 1000, and
do not believe that one man in each hun
dred is liable for the tax. Hero, indeed, is
case for popular ebullitiou
| The heavy capitalists are the men who
feel this tax most. In the New England
States vast wealth has been accumulated
by means of war contracts and protective
| tariffs, and great part of this capital is
now invested in United States bonds,
which are gold bearing and exempt from
direct taxation, and cannot be reached ex-
cept by the Income Tax. The people of
the South, nine tentl OF whom are re-
duced almost to poverty, and whose little
remaining property is taxed almost TO the
extent of contiscation, ere modestly re-
quested by these lords Of the loom and
magnates of Wall street to assist them in
getting rid Of their little burdens, and for
what? Why for the purpose of assuming
them, in part. ourselves. Abolish the In
come Tax and how is the deficit in the
revenue to be made good ? Recollect what
an immense amount of money must
be collected annually to meet the ordi-
nary expenses of government and provide
for the payment in gold of the interest on
the .. s. bonds held by these CAPITALISTS
who are SO aVerse to paying the Income
Tax. If the condition of the public f.
nances admits farther reduction in the
revenue, let the reduction be made on the
accessories Of life. Let the duties on those
foreign commodities which minister to the
r012ts Of the masses, be reduced, or alto
gether abolished.
The Address in question asserts that the
Income Tax is unpopular among all class
es. deny that this is so. and assert that
among the people with whom am &C
quainted, it is one of the least obnoxious
taxes collected by the y. s. Government.
Further, it is asserted that the law is un-
constitutional If so, let case be made
up and carried before the Courts. There
is money enough in Wall street to pay the
expenses Of the suit, without sending out
circulars and addresses through the coun-
try. If it Is sought to affect the decision
OF the Court by popular clamor then the
end is wrong.
7 observe that the appeal is made to the
citizens of Towns and Cities only. Never
theless the people outside az well as ineide
of towns and cities have right to be
heard in this matter; for if the burden
shall be shifted from the backs of the In
come Tax payers portion of it will neccs-
sarily be borne by the working men in the |
country, and they have now quite as much |
as they can carry. In the name of the |
working men of the country 1 say let the |
tax Sta'ld. There are fifty other taxes now
more obnoxious than the Income |
Tax, and if this agitation for its repeal is |
continued until the people thoroughly un-
derstand its merits, it may result in in
creasing the tax.