Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-08-15
"EQUAL TAXATION"
A Humbug Cry i'm the Nationals
Platform,
From the Detroit telegraph.

Platform,
From the Detroit Telegraph.
In the National Greenback party
platform of the State of New York we
find the following plank:
"4. Equal taxation of all property
owned by individuals and corpora
tiOns."
This is a bit of political humbug
which sounds we'll, and is taking
with those who do not stop to think
clearly; but which is really one of the
worst fallacies ever put forward by
demagogues. As political principle
! it has never been carried into practice
by any civilized government,and new
er will be; and it has never been the
real sentiment of the party, and never
will be. The equal taxation OF all
property is both unreasonable and i'm
practicable. If it were enacted into
law, then the taxes of farmers would
be increased, and the taxes of National
banks diminished, for the statistics OF
every State and of the Nation show
that banks pay heavier taxes than
farms. Whisky and tobacco are taxed
more than wheat and potatoes. Dia-
monds, jewelry, and plate are taxed a
heavy tariff while many other things
are on the free list. The internal Rev.
enue taxes of the United States fall on
only few articles. In fact, there are
many political economists, and their
number is constantly growing, who
believe that the best form of taxa
tion is to tax only a few articles, as
few as possible, and let all others go
free. The time is not far off when all
State taxes may easily be raised, if
proper laws are enacted, from what are
called specific taxes, which fall on only
few kinds of property and corpora
tions, such as mines, railroads, banks,
express, insurance, telegraph, and
other companies. Municipal and local
taxation will have to be levied upon
general property, because special prop
erty of the sort liable tC specific taxa
tion is not universally distributed. OF
all forms of taxation, indirect taxation,
on a few articles, is the easiest Tor the
people to bear. 1t is also one OF the
fairest, because each person pays the
tax in proportion to the amount OF
the taxed article he consumes-that is,
in proportion to the use and value OF
the taxed article to him. Thus, If a
man buys whisky, he pays the heavy
tax on whisky in the price, without
knowing or feeling it. II he doesn't
bay whisky he doesn't pay the tax on
it, except as all taxes affect the general
market or the. general veal. Equal
taxation of all property would take
the heavy taxes off whisky and put
them on land. Equal taxation Is i'm
"a fOFm9
of property which cannot be equally
got at by the tax laws. For instance,
If farrn or building worth $4,000 is
mortgaged for $4,000, then in most
States both the farm and the mortgage
are taxed. There is really only SIT, ,OOO
worth of property, but this SlO,OOO
worth of property pays twice as mucn
taxes as a SIT, 900 adjoining farm Whlcn
is not mortgnged. But jewelry, notes,
and various foru of property may be
concealed from the ASST ssor, and large
amounts of portable property always
do esca De tax 1tion in this way. Then
one man has salary Of $1,000 a year,
which he spends ad last aS 1t Is earned,
and owns no property. AnOthtr man
has an income OF $1,000 year, OF
which he saves half and invests 1t IN
property. They are equally we'll OIL;
but the one who saves and owns prop
erty pays taxes on the property, while
the spendthriit has nothing to tax.
Suppose you have an income tax.
Still, the one who saves pays both an
income tax and tax on property,
while the spendthrift only pnys the
income tax. Tax reform is one of the
things which this country needs to
carefully study; but it is ditflcult
subject; and real reform does not lie IN
the direction Of equal taxation of prop
erty, but rather in The opposite direc-
tion-in such unequal taxation of some
kinds of property rs will most equally
distribute the burden of taxation ac-
cording to the benefits received, and
be easiest collected, most slightly felt
by the people, best for the business,
political, moral, and social interests of
the country, and all things considered
the most lust and beneficial.