The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-06-28
FREE TRADE AND DIRECT TAXATION.

| NUMBER !,
There are certain natural principles or fixed
laws over which governments can have no
control, such as gravitation, electricity, mag
netism, and the laws of chemistry. II is
TO attempt to control the laws of trade. Yet
as trade implies an exchange of commodities
and intelligent beings to conduct such ex-
change, there is propriety in civil govern
mcnts protecting individuals in the enjoyment
of their natural right % exchange commodi-
ties for mutual benefit Who constitute these
governments and what are they instituted for ?
They are supposed to be the agents of the
people, chosen to transact business which
| il would be nconvenient for the mass of the
people to meet and do for themselves their
only object should be to conserve and protect
the rights and interests of the people; and as
directions to them in the discharge of this
duty, and as limitations upon their power,
and to define their duties in the various de
partmcnts, constitutions are adopted.
Yet little common sense is necessary in
the application of these endowments and re.
strants When the constitution gives the
power to do an act, it does not follow that
such act must be done. For instance, Art l,
Sec. 8, of the Constitution of the L. s., gives
congress the power to levy and collect taxes
and duties on imports for special purposes.
BY taxes are meant direct taxes, and by i'm.
ports tariff duties; yet is it not little strange
that the first of these should be overlooked
and the second only adopted? The first would
have taxed the wealth of the country, where
ability to pay naturally exists; while the sec
ond taxes wants. and presupposes the want of
ability to pay. Why this adoption and close
adherence to system of revenue SO palpably
unjust in principle, so much more expensive
in collection and why ignore and shun the
other system, which all acknowledge would
be Just and equal and less expensive, as its
almost universal adoption for raising state
revenues has demonstrated? If the trainers
of the constitution meant nothing by naming
direct taxation first, may we not say, with
equal prOpriety, that they meant nothing by
naming the other source of taxation?
In the earlier days of the republic, when
the government was economically admins
tered and the burden of taxation compare
lively light, the mode of levy was less ma
terial; but our government now needs an
revenue and the time has come to
consider whether it is not worth while to save
The millions that are wasted in the cost of
collection. We have, within the past twelve
years, raised billions by duties on imports
At a ruinous cost of collection, while the real
wealth of the nation has hardly been taxed at
Ill for national purposes. A fair estimate of
he amount paid not only as duties, butin the
way of enhanced price, the result of those
luties, on articles of domestic consumption,
will show an aggregate of 1925 to each tami-
Y, and the poor who have large families to
eed, clothe and educate, have paid the larger
of this tax, while the man of en-
,rmous wealth has paid little or nothing.
AN there be any justice in such system
H. II