National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-14
DELINQUENT TAXES.

member appears before the Executive De-
partment to explain the meaning of the
statute. 1t did not refer to such cases at all.
1t was not for his constituents. 1t was for
those poor devils over yonder.
nv, this appears to be very much the
way in which the contract law" was in
tended (by the members) to work. 1t was
intended to catch some ten-cent fellows who
did not owe anything and did not vote for
any member of Congress. Just as soon as
it touches a rich manufacturer or wealthy
corporation that has been keeping back a
large portion of the tax exacted by the stat
ute, there is fuss in the political family,
and the Congressman Immediately COM
mence inquiring into the method in which
the executive branch of the Government is
being carried on. They want to know why
the President and his heads of departments
dare select men for Office in their districts
without consulting them and their constit
uents. They know that their poor, labor
ing constituents pay every cent of the tax
due the Treasury from them when they
purchase food, rsiment, fuel and pay their
rent. They know that the manufacturers
and importers have charged all the
taxes which the law requires them
to pay upon the cost and expenses of
their merchandise before the selling
price to the consumer was fixed upon them.
And, consequent upon this knowledge,
they are just as well aware that when the
manufacturer and merchant and railway
manager and executor or administrator Of
an estste kept back part or all of these taxes
from the collector, he was robbing the
poor consumer Of his share. They know
that for every cent of revenue thus kept
back the statute affixes penalty which the
delinquent ought to be made pay, in addi-
ton to the regular tax, when found out.
That is one of the little luxuries to which
he is entitled for the pleasure of attempting
to defraud the revenue. And no one knows
better than the lsw-maker that for every
cent Of revenue eyaded by dishonest men
this year, or any one year, another cent
must be added to the estimates for the sue
ceeding year in the efforts to reduce and
finally pay our great national debt
Knowing all these things, what must be
thought of those Congressman who make
herculean efforts to excuse and palliate the
high crimes and misdemeanors of their con-
stituent corporations and men of wealth to
the prejudice of the poor7 Does not the
vote of the poor taxpayer, who pays his
tax indirectly as consumer, count just as
much in the election of their representative
as that of the wealthy banker or railway
manager Is it not an error of policy and
judgment on the part of members of Con-
gress to cater for the support of the wealthy
by sntagonizing them oppressively against
the poor7 Do they suppose that the poor
man is so ignorant that he does not know
that he is being robbed when the rich man
evades his tax? Do they suppose that these
poor voters will not take notice of the men
who aid in screening the rich in such eva
sions, and spot them at the next election?
Are they not aware that there is already
existing a strong feeling OF prejudice among
the laboring classes against the moneyed
monopolies which it would be better to
allay than to augment
Apropos to this subject correspondent
writes that when the Committee of Ways
and Means commenced their inquiries into
the Sanborn contracts ''the Assistant Sec
" rotary of the Treasury protested against
" reporting to the public the names of per-
" sons still delinquent, on the ground that
" it would tend to defeat the collection Of
81 Ira 10
"manded an expose regardless of conse-
"quences, and the result has been to en-
" courage all sorts of bubbles, and to array
against the law of Congress on which
"Sanborn's authority rested, not only the
" combined interest of the moneyed men
"who had long cheated the Government
tout of taxes overdue and withheld, but
" also members of Congress in whose dis
" tricts these delinquents resided and exer
" cised the usual poll teal influence of cap
" italists. This is where the milk now
q appears in the cocoanut. The legislative
"branch of the Government has 30 lar
" trenched upon the jurisdiction of an ex-
ecutive branch, as, in great measure, to
prevent the very parties charged by q
law of Congress with their specific exc
cution for carrying out the expressed
purpose and intention of that law, and
millions Of money are likely to be lost
"to the Government in consequence of this
foolish clashing of two of its distinct and
separate branches.
From the knowledge of particular
"clsims shown by members Of the commit
"tee it is apparent that letters are received
"by these gentlemen from the parties, or
representations are constantly made by
friends of delinquents named in Mr.. San
born's list. Thus the folly and wrong is
illustrated Of publishing the names of all
1.-THE parties alleged 10 be delinquents In
"the Sanborn contracts. These railroad
omen and others who have lodged the
payment of income taxes, &c.. are infu.
4" entail politicians In whom 1t is but natural
/" thatmembers of Congress will take lively
"interest when found to reside in their
/" districts. All of them are men of infiu-
"ence, because they are all men Of prop
" erty, and the obstacles which they are
" now throwing in the way of Sanborn's
collections are just such as were pointed
"out by the Treasury officials when called
"upon for the publication of the names Of
t" four thousand delinquents with major
city of whom settlement has not yet been
"made. This interference with the execu-
I" ton of law of Congress in the hands Of
the proper executive Department is one
that cannot be too jealously guarded
"against. There must be some limit in the
Jurisdiction belonging relatively 10 the
/" legislative and executive branches Of the
+" Government and, on the part of the judi
"cial branch, this line of distinction W. 8
+" delicately expressed by Mr.. Solicitor Ban
I" field in stating that on behalf Of the De-