Middletown transcript., 1876-12-02
TAXES AND Hlaa sALAarrs.

4 ,
lfthere ever was q people completed,
under the rule of tyraunical laws, tha
people are the inhabitants Of the Unite,
States. No monarchy. no despotic czar
no kingdom, no dukedom. no hereditary
or military despotism ever has. 10 ID,
worlds history, SO completely oppressed
the inhabitants Of the whole country ai
we are now oppressed in free America
The aims and objects Of having gov.
ernment at all is to protect the lives,
liberties and the property Of individuals,
But We now live 10 an age when, instead
of protecting the property ofindividuals.
the entire laws tend to rob the many
individuals for 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 $647 900, 900. The
entire government, state and corpora
ton taxes were 1857 .0OO, 900, which
shows that the taxes imposed on the
people are 1922. 900, 900 per annum
more than the exports of the country,
or. in other words, that the entire pro-
fits Of all the country's productions,
after feeding and clothing the people, is
not enough to pay more than ten months
taxes. the balance having esch year to
be made up by foreclosure Of mortgages
or BY borrowing foreign capital at usuri-
GUS interest. Now in addition to the
direct taxes placed by law on the peo-
pie, there are amounts indirectly i'm
posed, equal or greater than these,
through the action of the tariffs and
protection, through the workings Of the
patent Office, through the county, city,
state and government subsidies to rail-
road companies, not to mention the un-
told millions squeezed out of the labor
ers by national banks, by army and
navy officials, by bounties to fisheries,
and thousand and one other imposi-
tions all made and acting under the
sanction of law No other country was
ever SO tax-ridden under the sun. The
figures above quoted show that to pay
the lawful taxes in these United States.
it requires from every man, woman,
child, negro and Indian about one dol
lar per head each year, and to every
head of the family over $50 to the per-
SON, while the heaviest tax eyer i'm
posed BY the Gear Of Russia, was less
per head than half Of this amount and
BY France even when she paid the last
war debt to Prussia was but little
over one-third as much per capita. while
England, with all her royalty and aris-
mulcts her people about one
bird Of the amount We pay. Now the
'ld-fasbioned. hard-working taxpayer
will raise his and in astonishment and
'sk why are these things thus in free
America !? We will answer: First.
because our governments, general and
tate, have been run by others than the
ak -payers-by men who care not Row
,reat are the burdens they place upon
he shoulders of the ignorant laboring
nen who have to pay them.
Another cause is the high rate Of in
crest allowed BY Law on currency or
money. which money is the credit Of
be government given the people to pay
ifferenees in the exchanges Of their
roducts. This high rate Of legalized
interest or usury makes people falsely
'ok upon money as property instead Of
overnment credits. and causes specu-
ltion to become rife in the land, and
ish prices and extravagancs to take
,e place. Of economy. This produces
demand for high salaries in al official
relies. and this brings on idlensss and
shion which oslminate in robbery and
her vices. Once the people ruled,
ut now that bribery and vice are in
lie asceudency, the people do the tax
lying while the monied cliques, con-
actors, spectators and bondholders
I'VE complete control of the laws, and
's them only for the purpose Of further
,grandizement
Inasmuch as the entire surplus pro-
lcts 60 to pay officials and holders Of
g National, State and corporation
bt, of course there can be no accumu-
ton Of riches to any other classes ex-
pt these. They hoard each year BY
g millions, but the tax. payers never
q accumulate any wealth, for, like
nning sore, all their fatness is drawn
this point Of tax-paying and is there
pended. Ofcourse, then ..hard times"
Il stare every workingman in the face,
d rising, like Hamlet's ghost, "will
down" at his bidding Labor works
fair wages. but cannot accumulate;
stories are run on full time, but can
make good dividends; farms pro-
ce good crops. but can not pay the
mer out Of debt; all because the
mpyre Of high taxation and high
aries relentlessly sucks the profits 90
t or even before they can be realised.
e banks and money lenders are most
'sperous. for they get it all. and. COR
rant like. are never satisfied. The
angest thing in al this abnormal
te Of affairs is. that the great body
itic, seeing and knowing these facts,
w themselves to be 90 completely
ranized over from year to year-that
y work and toll and suffer, while
y the money changers fatten on their
or. and yet they have the entire
YER within themselves to remedy the
!, but will never act. The money
ngers. az We said, now use the land
their own promotion, and every year
ir power grows stronger, just as his
7 tells was the case IN the old gov
ments Of Babylon, Assyria. Persia,
'eoe and Rome The question ma
lily arises, will not the fate of these
ons be the same that will some day
rtake ours !? We all know that there
D Interchangeable law in nations, that
causes produce like results, and a.
concentration Of money in few
ds brought about system of cor
Liou and 1uvu.v xh.k Ca ..-a--ul