Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-01-03
COMMUNICATED,
TIE Income Tax.


10 your issue of the 3lst utimo, We had cur
feelings lacerated by a communication entitled,
IA Gloomy View" over the extremely Inner
sonal signature of *s*. After telling us that
what with Strikes communism, and great
depression Of all enterprise, to say nothing of
foods in some parts CT the country ADD droughts
10 others, the prosptc. is gloomy" be gces
90 to say: I'VE see, TOO who we come to deal
with matters OF settlement downright dishou.
esty maIifested ny those who ought to know
better. inasmuca as they Set themselves up TO
act and legislatc for municipal and State GOV.
ernmeus, &C., g.. &C." This picture is 10.
deed sad one. Downright dishonesty, if it
be proved, is tJul blot upon auy man, legsla.
tor or not. But, as We equity insUuate it must
be rarely and fully proved. Oar extremely i'm.
personal Trend then proceeds to observe that
when we turn from the contemplation Of our
municipal aud State matters to the General
Government We see our representatives sacrife
log all OF the varied Interests Of the country
such as trade. commerce, tuaucs, tariff, &C., to
the one single theme Of what shall we tind to
taxY The charge here made against our rep
resentaiives-lhat Of sacrificing all of the varied
Interests OF the country-is most serious one,
and If it is proved-cught 10 make short work
It the said representatives. But while it Is be-
ing proved We will pluck up the courage to re.
mark that the representatives of 90 country can
be better Employed than on "the siogle them:
of what shall shall We 6od to taz?' Psrtica
larry ia this the case when country ia exactly
10 the position Ct our own-that cf extreme dc
preston and poverty, oaus,d by an exhaustiog
war, followed by vicious partisan and class leg
islatio1; legislation for the rich and against tue
poor.
And DOW your contributor ct the asterisks =
coming dowa to hard pau-pours out the sor
rows of his soul 10 the following Jeremiad -
And they, our national legislators, have al
length fallen back upon AL Income tax "ou:
of the most odious OF all taxes, because it make
men expose what they think they have risht
to keep sctret-their two rr.vat5 affairs -
Just here We take fiat issue with him OF the
asteli=ks, sud undismsyed even by the way be
deals with nntionaI legislators. We confidently
assert tina, an Income tax" 80 far from being
the most cdiJu, of oil taxes" is the mos!
bentCc,nt And why? Btc,use it aids 10
taking the heavy hand of taxation from of the
staggering shoulders OF the poor, and lays
light 6oger upon the strong arm Of the rlcb.-
Because it aids 10 tqualIziog taxsioo, and will
take from the overburdenel South some OF It's
heaviest farde5. and will lay them upon the
broad back Of the rich and prosperous North.
4 lew years ago, Wne0 t0erc was an lCCOOe
tax the Internal Revenue Bureau succeeded
10 wriogiDg from Massachusetts SIS, 600, 900
year. notwithstanding some of the hardest swear
iDg by which people ever attempted to evade
a revenue law. Now that State, with all New
England added to it, does not pay half az muoh
Internal Revenue tax as this poor, bleeding,
battered Commonwealth does for tobacco alone
Now ssterisks TO the o)ntrary. notwithstanding
We are 10 favor Of stopping this sort of thing as
soon as possible.
There is absolutely nothing 10 the objection
that an Income tax" makes man expose bis
private affairs. Il makes him state correctly
or swear to lie-exactly what the income is,
over an amount sufficient for moderate man
to live on, which be makes and enjoys under
The protection Of the State. 1t then takes bis
surplus iocoma-ofen idle hoards-and puts
light tax upon them tor the remote benefit OF
the sweating millions not so Fortunate as be.
and Of the government under whose broad 8gl-
be lives and ri Us his eaios. And the gov.
ernmcot that does So is right. aud will be sup
ported bs all but The money lords.
And now LEI Us part amicsby with our ey
tremsIy impersonal friend. We wish be had
moro tangible signature. We feel as il We
we're striking at "an airy nothing His nomnc
de plume is succession Of asterisks, and bis
communication a succession Of hasterisks-
(basty riska) clark our pleasantly H.