The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1871-09-14


that the interests of the wealthy were
entirely inimical to those of the less
favored class. Or in other words, he
would seek to establish the fact that
the only true plan for national and
individual prosperity is by agrarian
ism. Whether by dividing every
thing equally every Saturday night,
and if perchance a disproportion oc>
ours sooner, then divide oftener; or
by taxing every man of wealth and
capital to drive him from the State,
it matters not That was the plan.
'Bleed the rich Pierce them at very
pore, even if thereby you PROSTATE
business of every kind and cripple
every energy of our people. Drive
off every capitalist, let our ships rot
at the wharves and the pillow rust in
the field. Who cares !? we will all
be Stree and equal both white and
colored, a0hen that occurs. All!
Mr.. Degener, you will have to throw
in your Congress money with the
balance, to come in for share.
How's that? But then, were you in
Congress, you could vote to exempt
distinguished y officials like yourself.
Now, Ito lay aside all jesting about
Mr.. Degener, whose voting days in
Congress are past l may be obtuse
in an understanding of the matter,
but I cannot really discover how
our people are to be benefited by a
mountain of taxation imposed upon
US, the opinion of the Ex-Congress-
man to the contrary Notwithstanding.
The interests of rich and poor are
so assimilated, by reason of the char
acter of our institutions, that no par
ticular class can pretend to Cypress
another without a recoil upon its own
head, more terrible and fatal than
the blow it sought to inflict upon the
other. The poor laboring man who
rents the land he tills from one who
is ground down by oppressive taxa
ton on that land, really pays these
burdensome taxes, by increased rates
of rente; the industrious mechanic
who purchases his supplies from a
merchant who is taxed to the utmost,
in truth, is the one that bears the
heavy burden. 1t is not so much
the wealthy but the poor from whose
pockets is wrung the money to sup
port the greedy cormOrants that
prey upon an honest people.
Politicians may pirate as they will,
they may try to delude me into the
belief that the rich will be made to
pay the taxes; but if all this is true,
how in the name of God is it ! that
I, promised so much, free too from
the tax gatherer, have to pay such
heavy increase on the price of every
thing l consume over what it was
formerly? Is it because less cotton,
and sugar, and coffee and other staple
articles are produced in proportion to
population, or is it because the pro-
Queer is taxed most enormously, and
in turn demands that the amount be
reimbursed by the consumer
These things then considered, isn't
it just as much, proportionably, to
the interest of the poor man to guard
the public treasury as the rich?
Isn't it just as important that he
should look to the taxation of the
people as though he we're possessed
of millions ? If one dollar constitutes
his all, that dollar is even more valu-
able to him than thousands and tens
of thousands to the millionaire.
That's so. While the tax list may
show that 1 pay but little into the
treasury, direct, 1 am not to be de-
luded into the belief that 1 am ex-
empt from taxation. Indirectly, in
the purchase of food and raiment, l
pay my full quota. The farmer, the
merchant and others with whom l
have business transactions are ex>
pected always to add on an addition
al per centage to meet their increas-
ed taxation; hence we, as consumers,
really pay it after all. Every stu
dent in political economy knows this
fact. The poor men then, being
largely in the majority over the rich,
must necessarily consume much more,
and consequently, though it be indi-
rectly, pay more into the treasury.
I trust the thinking men will
weigh we'll this matter. 1t is one of
vital Importance to them and should
have its due weight and influence in
the coming election. R.