The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-02-25
TOBACCO TAN.

List winner tue IeSisiasuAV Va
West Virginia passed a joint reaolu-
ton instructing our Senator'S and re-
questing our Representatives, in Congress
to labor for the modification of the Uni
ted States tobacco tax. These resoiu-
lions were, some time ago, presented IN
Congress, but what else has been done by
our five representatives We don't exactly
know. Our intelligent Washington cor
respondent can probably enlighten US.
Oue of the arbitrary and unreasonable
provisions of the law as it now
stands is that requiring the farmer
to sell this crop only to licensed dealer.
lie may sell his wheat or corn, hogs or
cattle, hay or hemp, to whoever viii pay
him the most for it, or dispose OF 1t IN the
manner most satisfactory TO himself but
If be raises field OF tobacco he must dis
pose Of it to one licensed to buy or else
paw $500 license for the privilege OF sell
ing IL to others. This determination is
preposterous.
1t may be said that this is necessary rs
long as special tax is levied
on tobacco. But this Is absurd;
because whisky is taxed as heavily as to-
bacco, yet the farmer may sell his rye or
barley to q distiller, miller, drover or
who he will without license.
Another sbsurdity in the tobacco tax
law is, that there Is no distinction made
between the finest and poorest grades OF
the manufactured article, all being taxed
at the uniform rate of "a cents per pound.
1t is easy to show the manifest injustice
of this. The lowest grade Of smoking
tobacco, such as is used by three-fourths
of the ordinary labo:ing men OF the
country, is made OF stems
flattened and cut up. The
stems are worth in the raw state
one-tourth cent per pound. The cost, at
a fair profit, of manufacturing this grade
Is an additional half cent per pound. The
rate of taxation on such tobacco is 10000
per cent. The finer grades are only taxed
at the rate of from 200 TO 500 per cent.
Surely, there is 10 pretense OF Justice in
this. Some distinction should be made
between the best and poorest qualities of
tobacco.
Tobacco is taxed as luxury, yet 1t is
not moro so than tea and coffee and they
are not taxed. Do we tax the one because
it is q home production, and not tax
the other because it is not? To-
bscco is used by two.thirds OF the adult
male population Of the country, and to
many it has become as much of q neces-
s,ty as tea and coffee An article may be
q luxury for time and yet become q
necessity by long usage. For instance,
ice was a luxury IN the summer months
when its use was first begun, but who in
Wheeling has not learned to regard it as
necessary TO his health and domtort?
AS the national taxes are now ad-
justed they are almost wholly COL
lected ell the producing South and
West. OF the $144,0OO,OOO reduction
that has been made IN the internal reve-
nue. taxes within the last few years Sll4,-
OOO, 600 falls to the Eastern States. The
West and South pay about as much to-
day as they did in the times of greatest
prosperity.
No wonder the West and South are
calling for the ro-imposition OF the IN
come of tax, as odious as it is. 1t seems
to be the only way to make these Fast
ern gentry bear their just proportion OF
the burdens of the Government.