Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-03-16
warehouses and cheap money till products

taxes Is Vi great Importance. IIeSiueHt
Grant tells US that during fall and win
ter, when money is needed to move prod
ucts to market, there is greater demand
for it, and it commands greater demand
for it, and it commands higher rate of
interest. And yet, that is the very sea-
son of the year when the tax gatherer
is compelling us to cash his bills, driv-
ing us to the banks in our efforts to es-
cape the penalties of the law These tax
laws. i'll their origin, were evidently
manipulated by bank interests, and they
yield to the money lenders rich har-
vest.
| suggest that one half our taxes be
collected in autumn and winter as now,
and the remainder in midsummer, giving
the first installment time to find its
way into circulation before the second
is demanded. Indirect taxes are paid
as duties on the commodities of
commerce. The amount of these
duties or taxes is added by the mer-
chant to the cost price of the goods,
and hence are paid, ultimately, by the
consumer of commodities. Now unless
there be special pains taken in adjust
ing these duties, or indirect taxes, they
fall heavily on poverty and but lightly
on wealth and the greater the wealth
of a single Individual the lighter his
taxes in proportion to his wealth., Let
me illustrate: Vim. B. Astor is said to
be worth one hundred millions of dollars
He may be supposed to have family of
half dozen persons. These persons
are all consumers, and must bear their
proportion of the indirect taxes levied
for the support Of the government. AS
neighbors, in the same city with Mr..
Astor, there reside ten thousand men,
worth ten thousand dollars each, they
are engaged in substantially the same
business as Mr.. Astor, each have similar
families of half dozen persons, they are
subject to the same municipal and gen
eral taxes, both direct and indirect.
Are we not ready to exclaim that here
is an equal and just state of things?
yet nothing can be more deceptive. Mr.
Astor has a family of six con-
sumers, and pays indirect taxes in
proportion to their consumption, and
that is all the taxes that can be made to
die on his vast estate of one hundred
millions. The ten thousand men with
the same aggregate wealth, have ten
thousand time as many consumers, and
pay ten thousand times as much taxes
for the support of the general govern
ment, as does Mr.. Astor.
1t appears then, that the system of in
direct taxation, which yields the Gov
eminent revenues, is a perfectly gradu-
ated system, touching wealth lighter
and still lighter as its amount increases,
and bearing on poverty heavier and still
heavier IN proportion to its helplessness.
Just governments should recognize this
state of facts, and levy duties only on
goods used by the most wealthy, leaving
the more common necessities of men
nearly or quite untouched.
But with the utmost wisdcm on the
part Of law makers, it has been found
impossible to quite equalize the burdens
of indirect taxes among persons whose
wealth is exceeding variable. This
gives rise to two parties. One proposes
to abolish all tariff duties. The other
to graduate the direct taxes on property
in such a manner as to correct the evils,
and unequal burdens of indirect ones.
This party says tax poverty nothing,
tax small wealth lightly-lay burdens
more heavily on great wealth-and on
your monster millionaires, who buy up
Legislatures, congresses, and courts, and
peril the existence of free government,
lay heavy direct taxes, which shall re-
duce their wealth to safer limit.
| have no time to discuss the two
sides of this great question. 1t is the
mission of the farmers and tax PAYERS
of America to examine these subjects
well, if they would redeem and save the
country. The national patent law de-
signed in the beginning to foster inven-
tive genius, and to secure to the invent
or the exclusive profits of his labor for
a limited period, are found susceptible
OF great abuses. Two often in their
operations it is found that men of wealth
and power stand between the inventor
and the public, cheating the one and
expressing the other; and by unfair
means securing long extensions of this
profitable monopoly. The patent laws
Of the country badly need investigation
and amendment.
Fellow citizens but touch upon a
few points in the great work before us
AS a party of reform and progress, We
need not soon expect to reach the day,
of ease and idleness. Our tasks more
, than equal the twelve labors of Hercules
On every hand lie the Augean stables
z of political corruption and injustice
,. which cry to Heaven for publication
Hercules is said tc typify the glorious
p orb of daV which amino "a o,,o,,-