New-York tribune., 1874-05-21

OCcaatOne0 general
when 1901 the Prerosatiye OF sovereignty was
csed over trade and commerce TO such extent
The ike the popuar agitation rose to such degree thai
nothing but prompt concession according to Macaulay.
"saved the monarchy from shameful ana disastrous
termination And coming down still later the matter
OF complaint at the outset In the war OF our Revolution,
by the mother country inasmuch the people were
subjected to taxation without representation than that
they had been restrained OF any liberty In respect To
their persons
On the other hand within the present century espe
caly the direct relations OF sovereignty have been so
well defined and restricted in the interests Of freedom
that little remains IN Englisl-speakng countries
to be accomplished The right OF ownership In ones
person. the freedom from arbitrary arrest the writ OF
habeas corpus liberty OF speech and or worship trial
by Jury exemption from s ahn 1n1S1a
porated spirit and letter OF the laws OF consttu
@ ,rovepsv or even topics OF conversation But
in methods by which the State shall exer-
co@raiVsy little progress in the spirit OF liberty and
intelligence IT, indeed, there has not been retrogresson
i'm the spirit OF injustice and despots and the people,
at least in the United States, apparently content with
limiting the right OF eminent domain to strictly public
purposes aud coupling its exercise with the condition
hat aton shall be made for private property
taken for public uses and also with restricting the ni-
tiatOp of all laws providing for the taking Of private
nronerty for the necessities OF the State in the form of
taxes to representatives elected directly by popular
suffrage display little further interest In the question
whether the powers thus delegated to their agents
exercised in the spirit OF freedom ana equity whether
they tend to promote an eqnal or unel IN alsripu0h
Of property and above all whether they tend to ee'
yate or lower the standard OF pubic morality In sup
nf his
lions: The war of tho Rebellion was undertaken for,
and in the end accomplished the abolition OF that form
OF slavery which denied 10 class OF persons in this
country the ownership of their persons ana the full
ioyment OF the fruits of their labor and yet the war; az
ter eecting all this LEFT upon the Ute the prn
law which arbitrarily and for the purpose OF beneftng
special interests arms in' one & person h Iay tra"1
denies the persons subject to that law the enjoyment
of highest right OF property namely ITS iree ex.
change: from them part OF the fruits OF their
labor for benefit of Others and therefore, of neces
sty reas .1e mp 9erwsrd o in nscaon G sneh
legislation that any present injury 10 individuals or
society will be fully compensated by some future ind
pect good is lust as egtn and relevant plea
that certain people used TO put torwari IN Jusnc4tloh
OF negro slavery ina, sny O W G se y fnr or
the good OF society, meaning thereby tncir masters
would DO fully compensated In the world to come.
ARBITRARY AND DEsP0rIC EXERCISE OF POWER.
Again. during the present month, member OF Con
res, rose ia his place in the House OF representatives
and presented bill providing for the evyDg OF an in
come tax of ye per the income ofa persons when
the came shall equal 5000; and ajax OF ten per cent on
40 much OF the income OF all persons "a shall be in ex
cess of % and the other members OF the House heard
the proposition and no man entered protest against
II and vet there was a principle involved in this
proposition which, II adopted and recognized by any
government in time OF peace would Justly deDdf IL from
v st claim 70 the titIe OF free and sink 1t truth
the level OF an Eastern desposn To make this GEAR
let us suppose that II had been proposed 10 tax the ln
cone of redhaired men five per cent and those OF red
nosed per cent ana exempt all others or to do as
once was actually done in England under income tax
law enacted IN 1891 tax Catholics at double those
imposed Oh Proresan Il 1t TO be supposed thar n any
member OF the House of representatives. had seriously
risen with any such proposition he would not ~
once have been hooted downl And yet Is there any diff
ference pacipe involved In these several pr0pO
sitions, WouId ters be ary principle involved other
Than the mere arbitrary and despoisexercse OF power
The making the possession OF RED nose. OF fcd hir
the result OF enterprise skl economy toh OF M ,he
occasion for inlcting penaltyf Ihat was wnat sno-
stautiay done in the middle ages Wnen hoOlos were
mt frnm faXa
and tho common people were taxed because they
were villains or bondsmen, when Jews Es were
and Catholics because they not Protestants It
generally supposed mat he 81 ss hnt
history is said to repeat itse ana III tnS particular
the United States. II it be said 1t doubtless VIII be-
reonder that the rich, by reason OF tner Riches are
my answer that under universal aud uniform income
more by an inevitable law and yet pay equtaby; but
that under an unequal law which takes from them
because they rch the act OF taking has claim TO be
STATE NAV t,ke live Der cent from the man with
5000 income. and ten per cent rom the man
Ta than have SOP not %S his
ability of tae WSS 6o TO @ m1ko m G0nr b1
snch individuals receive in excess OF the average Income
OF The masses! Why not divide up and put every
on an equalityi The individual proposing such tax
was then theoretical intent COmnunis OF he most
radical yp uSn hs anpa that h he had not OF the
matter long enough TO determine whether his action
was or was not underlid by any principle. During
debate in the House during the present session also
remark was made by a gentleman LOT whom have
Sa sh rep9 @ ns sna Gen maWy Of conSeca to
the effect that he reioiced in the removal OF the
which especially fell upon the poorer classes Of
society. Now, according 10 my way of looking
at the subject, Gen. Hawley would have spoken
correctly had he said rejoice IN the removal under
existing circumstances OF the duties tea and coffee
am not Gh 70 pISp For s % ANA aesTe
nd very difficult 10 name any taxes and in using the
term / mean equal and uniform assessments aud not
arbitrary takinss) which can possibly be laid, which
yield much revenue TO the state and which burden
The poorer classes little. IL could not be the
spirits and tobacco for all investigation that the
bulk Of the derived from such taxes Is derived
from poor ana not from the r1ch 1t could not be
the iron and WOOL leather and lumber for to
tax primarily these necessities Of life 10 give
taxes by reason of interest and profits, which will
be proportional In number to the number OF agen-
passes way from raw material TO elaborated
product for consumption and taxes such materials,
in addition. carry with them and entail the heaviest OF
all taxes, namely, enhancement OF the OF the
nstrumentalties or machinery Of production, which
duplicates and repeats itself In illustration OF
this last point let examine the tables prices
for clothing in London which occasionally appear
thai the cost OF in the United States is nearly
or quite double the cost of similar goods in England
turor respect labor. has six per cent adyan
tage over his American competition In respect to tho
taxes on such luxury silk do not fall lightly
on the poor than =, did the repealed taxes
reason a little. Thus, the revenue derived from
these articles in 1870. when the duty was five
cents per pound and 25 cents the other was
round numbers s20 0000oO at the rate OF about half
dollar per head Now the cost OF silk hat is increased
by at least this amount by reason OF the taxes Its
constituents, Is the average stock OF ribbons which
most women annually purchase for their adornment
And IL either woman add 10 their consumption
OF silk, the in the way of handkerchief for the
neck and tho other by the purchase OF n vail and
a dress. the tax will be much greater and To Judge
whether the poorer class consume these articles let
observation be made OF the next procession IN honor Of
Saint Patrick the next gathering In commemoratioD
OF Emancipation and silk In form will be found TO
be an adjunct OF tho dresses OF most OF the participants
Looking then at this whole matter Of the relations OF
snyereionIY prOuertY. either phllOs and