National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-04-21
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
VARIOUS SUBJECTS OF INTEREST.
Are 0sverunient Clerks Taxpayers 1.-THE
Indian Questien-How to Fight the Mo-
docs-Thc Government Printing once
The Postal NroneV-Order ONCE,

Are 0overun,cnt Clerks Taxpayer 1.-The
Indian Questien-How to Fight the Mo-
docs-Thc Government Printing once
The Postal Money-Ordcr once.
no rHE GOVERNMENT CLERKS PAY TLIn7
| 10 ne Ediior u TIE National Republican
SIR: Your attention Ia respectfully Invited Ia
the following paragraph from the Washington
BesninO Star.
The taxpayers In this comparatively poor city
school accommodations for the children Of the
| MOUNTAINEERING element-GOyernmen employees,
and the immense number Of 'contrabands
thrown upon Washington by the war"
The foregoing statement Ia taken from the
Star Of Friday, from an editorial expatlatins
upon the inadequscy OF the property OF the Dis.
trlct 70 support Its expensive school system.
We refer to the idea set forth that the employees
OF the Government are q ''non-taNpayInR ele-
ment." This absurd blunder (tor II deserves no
mllder term-and We are disposed to believe II
| q genuine blunder rather than an Intentional
mlsstatemonO has been 40 often repeated and
frequently harped upon that Il has come to be
generally accepted as lndisputabe. But Is II not
almost time that thls Insulting and calumnious
falacy Of chasing the clerks OF the Departments
among contrabands and paupsrH, a. a burden
upon the community should be denounced as II
deserves, especially as II Ia made TO prejudice an
otherwise legitimate complaint by raising false
issue
II is an established axiom Of fiscal science tina,
all taxation Is paid In the consumption Of the
article taxed, and by the consumer. customs
duties are primarily paid by the Importer, and
Internal revenue by the manufacturer or pro-
duceT, as commission merchants pay charges en-
route; but the tax finally falls upon the smallest
all others.
Applying, then, this theory to taxes upon real
estate, and the question arises, who stands In
the relation OF the smallest purchaser and con
sufher u not the tenant Of house or the occu :
store But Il Sppsaps bS al. w n5n.,SapsylS
element theory that Government clerks, al
though they are supposed 70 live In and ren
houses or occupy rooms and contribute their ~
share in the support OF stores and the bushes
OF the place, pay no portion OF the District take
and not q cent Of their incomes ever 1nds its way
into the hands OF the tax collector. According
TO this no Government employee, however much
he may consume Of imported articles and OF do
nestle manufactures, pays any portion Of the
customs on contributes one mite OF internal rev.
enue to the country, II seems to require some
explanation how Ii IL that the employ ees OF the
Government should be the only "non-taxpayInR
element" In the community, or share this enyla-
BILE distinction with "contTabands" alone. How
IL II that bank and mercantile clerks are not In
cluded In this non-takpaying element, to say
! nothing OF the great bulk OF the community
mechanics and othen-ln fact, all but the
owners OF real estate. Does the mere fact OF
receiving their pay from the Government WORK
this distinction, and divert their expenditures
from their legitimate liabilities Ami appropri-
alton OF all other expenditures, or do the prop
erty-owners, clearinghouse Keepers and pro-
g.e.ois ~ sso.es n n ueuuCuon IN tnelr
al ~ AVN, r,tS u o. lne gene
owners of houses in estimatln1 ina san,sI ya,ne
OF their property for Government clerk are
tentba ner csnt ihsS nav the coiiec,os nn ~ ~
sesseJ yaiuatlon' FN' Wv '' '' ~
Per example; This writer paid for several
house 10 sheIter hjmaeIt and famiiS nnIxa n ~
twenty nep cent an ~ ysine-v.t he ~. M =,
me same lima maj hs n,II M iaras ana,s., ~
chldrcn were heng e,Irc I,eN =, M anaa nv y,
me nronerty' ownss. n i,sentx ncr con, , NJ
moi royer chs,gs y, ona AMI sagan ,an;h. Vuu
cent, il is hard 70 say what would. p''
No dnnht mos, o,.lars n, ,ssI a.,a,. h,,, a..
nattering de1sion h. ,hemseivss ,nst ,hass sre
the onlT iaaonavers in the con,mnn,,S ,he ey
is moi 10 be inferred maj me eSisIgsy min1s ai
hinder ihe ssme h,,, y, an, y, ~
Sa,n,n Ih.t asnattnn ~ NJ, w. ~ nn,em " tne
what ridlcuions ngnrs some nponertylo.lp nnra
Wonid MAZE In thsv nav 49, nnnn' nn,ti
bnt what they consnnps or nss PSI.b nYs" ~.
sImbie tTnth nov Innsh ,sx.sInn nnin .ne
nav althSngh h. nosSesss1 miIiian, ,ha, I,ts1
In n garret AMI rel nnon rrnsf ~ bread anS M. u
herring ana tr.a,at bI,n ali tn 80 ~, su ~
once h, ten SssrsS I'M, bnnt,a., I ~, Soas ou'
bending hIs ali n creator taS nsves yS,n .n vS
4 man Womb ~ 80 F"''' '"au 'u'"
rSs ,,v,h IL In, ,v,..o,,r ,..,, 1T
are taa nSys,t no. msn n .aNe Ho pau vi
without Il In soma degrcc Isyniying M nyon ,Sa
shonIIs,s "a ~ t nS,sU,hg upon thr
snJ ,Scrs Z. a. s.en,s t,e nevt OF anotner'
Inc between man and mar ~, ~ ~ ~ ny
ce1eJ mn" a"' man yuan - souo'ahy oon-
Industry ia tho basis OF taxation. for william,
nInstry "a SatSn womIa he an IN i,,,
ii wonid he an Inco,o ma p,I N, ~
iahog ~ one ciasS n, y cnmm,,nI, su sI,,D ~ tne
be excepted from thIs general law "'O"' '"'u''
In NH eonnsciIon whiie 4, wn,id n, I'm. -
speculate on the totai smnnnt ,hst tns nnme, W
inent iIshnr.es 20 A.. sn,.an,s ~ s ~
District ann1aily n ia enonSh mai W. SDn, 'n az
n far,t maj n mi,st M ennSn'nns yhs,ha. Nv $50 Us
- q ~, ~. -, - ~ 49, NueheI noue