Union and American. [volume] (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877, 1876-03-30
Taxes Ard High Salaries.
[From lhe National Grancer.l

If there ever was o people com
plctely nader the rule OF tyranical
laws, chat people are the inhabit-
ants OF the United States. No
monarchy, no despotic Car, no
kingdom, on ~dukeGom, on heredit.
AIRY or military despotism ever
has, in tie worlds history, 80 com
pletely oppressed the people OF the
whole country as we are now OPP
pressed in free America.
The aims and object of having a
government at all is to protect the
lives the liberties and property of
individuals. Bat we now live at
an age when instead Of protecting
the property of individuals, the
entire laws tend to roo the many
individuals tor the benefit of the
few. Figures, which will not lie,
prove this to be true.
The entire exports Of the United
States the last fiscal year, in round
figures, were $647, 100000. The en-
tire Government, State and corpora
ton taxes were 1851, 200, 600, which
shows that the taxes imposed on
the people are $4,000, 600 per an
mum more than the exports Of the
country, or in other words, that the
entire profits of all the country's
productions, after feeding and
clothing the people, is rot enough
to pay more than ten months taxes
the balence having each year to be
made up by foreclosures on mott
cages or borrowing foreign capital
at usurious interest.
Now in addition to the direct
taxes placed by law on the people,
there are amounts indirectly i'm
posed, equal or greater than these,
through the action Of the tariffs
and protection, through the work
ings Of the patent Office, through
the county, city, State and Govern
subsidies to railroad companies, not
to mention the untold millions
squeezed out oflaborers by national
banks, by army and navy officials
by bounties to fisheries, aud thou
sand and one other impositions all
made and acting under the sane
ton of law.
M other country was ever so tax
ridden under the sun. The figures
above quoted show that to pay
these lawful taxes in the United
States, it requires from every man,
woman child negro and Indian
about SIS per head each year, and
to every head of a family over $50
to the person, while the heaviest
tax ever imposed by the Gar Of
Russia, was less per head than half
Of this amount; and by France
even, when she paid the late war
debt to Prussia was but q little
over one third rs much per capita,
while England, with all her royalty
and aristocraey, mulcts her people.
about one-third of the amount We
pay. Now the old fashioned, hard
working tax payer will rase his
hand in establishment and ask why
are these things thus in free Amer
lea? We will answer:
First, because our governments
general and State, have been ruB
by others than the tax-payers-by
men who care not how great the
burdens they place upon the
shoulders of the ignorant lahoring
mai who have to pay them.
Another cause is the high rate
Of interest allowed by law on eur
rency or money which money is the
credit of the government given the
people to pay differences in the ex-
changes of their products. This
higl rate of legalizd interest or
usury, make people falsely look
upon moHey as property instead of
government credits, and causes
speculation to become rite in the
land, and high prices and extrav-
agance to take the place Of econo-
my. This produces q demand for
high salries in all official circles,
and this brings on idleness and