Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-04
LAND AND TAXES.


can people are heavier taxed than any 9TH
or on the globe" Why this is SO is not
plain to many men, especially isolated, stay
at-houae farmers. It is something to our
credit that we are both able and willing to
pay any body and every body who wants
the fruits of our industry, more money than
any other people con pay. This is because
Gas tire Times once said) we have CONT
rent of rich land in an admirable climate
in cur breeches pocket, with inexhaustible
mineral as well IS agricultural wealth, and |
not lacking industry and enterprise to de-
velop both. Great as our resources are,
we find by experience that one man can |
easily spend more money than two men can |
make by farming, or earn 10 any other way.
Hence we should study the ability of farm
ing land to bear taxes and support its owner
in comfort. In this article we will say no.
thing of State and county taxes, but invite
attention to the fact that our economical
Representatives in Congress collected from
forty million people in the year preceding
June 80, 1873, the snug sum of $S33,73S,-
20i97. Subtract from the above the small
amount received from the sale of publ C
lands Qess than three millions), and the tax,
if equally distributed over our whole popu-
lation, white and black, would amount to
just eight dollars and twenty. seven cents to
every man, woman and child in the United
States. Every farmer kDows that no SUCH
tax could be collected from the masses
Of our people by direct assess
ment on property and poll tax.
Every dollar of three hundred and thirty
million dollars year is collected by sys-
tenn Of indirect taxation, which is not at all
understood by the masses who really pay
the money, at the expense of the ordinary
comforts of life in many cases. The whole
number of acres Of improved land in the
United States at the last census was 1885,
92l ,O99. Divide the whole national tax
equally upon this land, and it amounts to
| a dollar and seventy five cents TO the acre.
| II this tax of one dollar and seventy-fve
cents an acre was all that Congress imposes
on the farming interest of the country, our
burden would be small in comparison with
what it now is. Do the large manufac-
turers of salt, iron, steel, cotton and wooden
goods want high duty on imported arti-
cles for the public benefit or their owu?
They beg piteously for government protec-
ton. But if protection gives them no more
money,for salt, iron, steel, cotton and wool
en- fabrics than the people would pay them
without it, why do they expend SO much
money in hiring Hobbies to attend Congress,
and, IL possible, bribe members to vote to
give them clear monopoly of the market,
with most expensive army and navy to
| fight of, catch and punish all smugglers ?
Protection means not only 8 much higher
price for goods, wares and merchandise
manufactured in tie United States, but
from ten 70 twenty millions year expended
to defend this infamous invasion Of every
mans natural right to buy what
he needs in the way Of salt,
iron and steel in the best markets.
Congress by force of arms compels the great
industrial classes to pay into the pockets
OF monopolists at least ten dollars where
they pay one dollar into the Federal treasury
as hapost duties. The receipts from Gus
toms during the last fiscal year were
S1Ss, 1884, 22. Multiplying this sum By
ten, it is seen that our tax paid for the sup
| port of manufacturing class-a genuine
monied aristocracy-is ore billion eight
hundred million Go!lsrs year. To this
sum add only three hundred million for
Customs and internal revenue, paid into
treasury and all may see that our salary
grabbing, misrepresentation in Congress
tax us two billion one hundred million
q year. Every tariff man wants
to make this system permanent.
Let us assume that this protecti7e policy
of will be adhered to by the force
boundless capital and concentrated effort.
What will be the value our farms in Ten
nessee in ten years from this time. Under
this system of enormous indirect taxation,
they have been reduced in value one half in
the last ten years in many counties. This is
experience and undeniable history. Will
they lose the other half of their value in
ten years 10 come under the same system
of unjust and unbearable taxation? If the
tax is to last, it necessarily becomes
mortgage on all real estate in the Union,
equal to sum of which 81, 100,000,000 is
the annual interest. Cali g the interest
six per cent, and the permanent incnm-
brance is thirty five billion dollars,
and something above the estimated
value of all our landed property.
Congress has the right of eminent domain,
and has made free to give away our public
| lands by millions, tens of millions, and hun
dreds OF millions of acres to corporations
making some members of Congress very
rich in the operation. If our general cult
vation did not rob the soil of its natural
| fertility and clements Of crops, this system
| of taxation weuld not have lasted three
| years after the close of the war. But the
| more we impoverish the land we occupy
| under o land-stealing and land-killing gov
eminent, the poorer it becomes for our
| children and grandchildren. 1t is clearly
| spendthrifC system which ifnot soon stopped
| will end in utter ruin. Congress and man
ufacturers have taken our agriculture on
| its weak and blind side, and spectators will
/ do infinite mischief if not checked.
| AN IRREPREsSIBLE CONFLICT.
L Nov orb s11oo had