National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-02-24

proof goods Is he can for standard proof
he could always realize q handsome pront
regardless of the market nate, because ne
could sell q large admixture Of water as the
retailer does. But such en- imposition win
not be submitted to, by rational people. II
is only monomaniacs who persist In the'us
of the counterfeit or sdulterated article be-
cause It Is cheap and Just . good . the
genuine. 1t Is most remarkable that sucn
people pursue this policy chiefly with re-
gard to those articles that most seriously
affect subsistence or the health. Mi"'
drugs, spirits medicines and bank no'es-
these are taken ON sight without 'es'.
Their enthused posscssor does not always
wait to reflect whether they are genuine OF
not. The labels are correct, and that salts
fies him. The milk is white, and should
be the regular tactical flaidi he never thinks
whether it will furnish the required nutri-
ment for his child. He takes the prescrip-
ton to the druggist, and whstever is handed
over to him in response is taken without
the slightest hesitation or inquiry as to its
effect. He enters saloon and asks for
spirits, pays fifteen cents for . drink of re-
duced bar liquor that he could purchase
first proof by the barrel at one dollar per
gallon, and never considers that he has just
paid at the nate of thirteen dollars per gal
Ion for 1t. He sees q patent quack medicine
advertised as q cure for consumption or
asthma or some other incurable disease,
and pays dollar for it, and after exhuming
it from about twenty cents worth OF printed
lies and forged testimonials, proceeds to
administer it to the darling of his household
without the slightest knowledge of its ingre-
dients or their effects. He labors hard all
the week and thinks he makes high
wages. He takes his bank notes and goes
to buy his family supplies. When he has
finished he has very little left of the fruits
of his labor, notwithstanding he is getting
fully one third more dollars for weeks
wages than he received when we had a
gold currency. He does not reflect that
he pays forty cents now for coffee that he
could obtain then for fifteen; one dollar for
tea that was only fifty cents; fifty cents for
butter instead of twenty to twenty five; ten
cents for sugar that was formerly eight;
twenty for beef that was only fifteen; twelve
and o half for pork that used to be eight,
and seven for Goldfish instead of four. If he
happens to complain Of high prices he is
blandly told by the merchant that taxes are
so high that things cannot be afforded any
less. His newspaper the next morning tells
him that the real estate owners and manu-
facturers are the taxpayers, and altogether
he is really mystifed. If they pay the
taxes, why should he have to pay 50 much
more for his goods than he did formerly?
His hard-money neighbor tells him it is
all the fault of the paper currency. The
important question for him to solve is how
the matter can be remedied.
Capitalists claim that they pay the taxes,
and upon this assumption demand to be
heard by Congress in the arrangement OF
the tariffs and schedules for raising internal
revenue. We have seen that it is the con-
sumner that really pays the tax. and there
fore it is only proper that his interests
should be consulted. The owner of unim-
proved real estate is about the only party
who is subjected to taxation which is not
Immediately reimbursed. Taxes upon I'M
proved real estate arc added. together with
insurance repairs and the like, to the rental.
| and in that shape are reimbursed by the &C,
Is,pant. The return of the taxes upon I'M,
improred property is supposed to be
received through its enhanced valua
ton. The prices Of clothing have
been kept dorn by the introduction
of the sewing machae and other improve
ments in its manufactu> Boots, shoes ant
hats are about one hundrcaoer cent. higher
than they were in 1860. Matches, Which
then sold at fifty cents to dollar he hun
dred boxes, are now, with o cent sta<nl
> affixed, sold at two dollars and hall
: Whisky, which then sold at '''-ec 70 fiv
cents glass, is now retailed at ten or I'll
teen, and is no cheaper under TX OF sev
enty cents per gallon than it was when
was two dollars. If your landlord puts on
hundred dollars worth of meiern improve
i ments upon your house heimmediateiy al
: yances YOUR rent ten 4ollars per month
thereby not only gepng back tine COST o
t the improvements ttc first year. but twenty
r dollars .Iurtional. - ...--.s---
These ipstahces are cited to ILLUSTRATE the
WORKING Of our system of taxs'ion. They
show conclusively that tho taxation Of the
country is borne by tl-S consumer, and, a
10 consequence, th.t the largest consumer
lare the heaviest taxpayers. Let no man OF
womsn, then, however humble, who pays
rent and consumes food and clothing,
iBelieve that he or she is not taxpayer,
and, as such, just as much entitled to be
heard in relation to the imposition OF
taxes as the largest owner of real estate or
importer in the community. The labor of
the country, then, is responsible for the
taxation by which the revenues are raised
to support the Government and sustain the
schools. In this view of the matter the
importance of consulting the interests of
labor in the arrangement of the rates of
taxation cannot be overrated. 1t also ap-
pears that if more revenue must be raised
that the one article of consumption from
which it is largely derived, whose cost to
the consumer is the least affected by the
rate of taxation. is spirits. As alcoholic
stimulants used as beverage are purely a
luxury which no one is compelled to use to
sustain life, they are obviously the charac-
ter of goods upon which it is the true policy
of Congress to levy any additional tax that
may be found necessary.
THE NEW CRUSADE
We are beginning to disbelieve the old
saying, "there is nothing new under the