The Portland daily press., 1879-08-13
Something About Taxes.

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A correspondent of the Argus who says
he is a mechanic and signs himself AN Old
Republican, complains that his taxes are
heavier than before the war and announces
his determination to vote the Demnitional
ticket. He says his poll tax has trebled
and his tax ON real estate more than trebled
since the days before the war.
This correspondent may be a real mechan-
Argus. If he be the genuine article he
ought to know better than to charge the in
crease of Portland taxes to the Republican
party. He ought not to be ignorant that the
burden of debt Portland has imposed upon
herself has been for the most part for the
aid of railways, and that the question for
giving or Withholding that aid was not a
party question. Perhaps he himself voted
for aid He ought to know that for the in
crease of Portland taxes the Republican
party is not responsible. Whatever burdens
the war may have put upon the city this cor
respondent, if he be can Old Republican,
has truly said, at least a hundred times, are
to be attributed to the Democratic slave
holders rebellion, upon which alone the re-
sponsibility for the war rests.
He proposes to join the Democratic
Greenbackers That is, he proposes to join
fusion party, one wing of which is respon-
sible for the heavy taxation that followed
the war and the other wing of which desires
d +l.o oll inf
currency which provoked and stimulated
municipal extravaganza. Perhaps he thinks
that he is oppressed by the National debt.
For that the Democrats are responsible. AT
any rate the debt can burden him but slight
". All the burden is in the annual interest
charge. Were that levied directly upon the
people the tax would be but two dollars per
capita. But it is not so levied. 1t is paid
from taxes collected on articles of luxury, inn
ported goods like silks and velvets and home
part collected from the imports is mostly
paid by the rich, to which class this corre-
spondent does not belong according to his
own showing The tax on whiskey and to-
bacco alone is large enough, or was before
Congress reduced the tobacco tax, to pay
the interest. We do not believe that
any hard-working mechanic or old Republic
can would here in Maine, complain OF that
tax as a burden. The Democracy, through
its great Southern spokesman, Alexander II.
Stephens, is calling for the reduction OF
the whiskey tax. Does the Argus cores
pondent sympathize with that demand?
SAYS the Lewiston Journal: The Repub-
lican meeting held in this city Monday
evening" and addressed by Hon. d. +. Davis,
the Republican candidate for Governor, and
Hon. 7. B. Reed, representative to Congress
from the first district, was one of the larg-
est and most en- thusiastic political gather
ings ever held here. AT least $500 people
were present and listened attentively to the
address for two hours. The speech OF Mr..
Davis was able, argumentative and candid
and ELECTED the applause and approval OF the
large audience. 1t is not too much to say
that Mr.. Davis's speech and bearing not only
won the warm commendation of all Repub-
licans, but also won over some political op-
ponents to his support. Mr.. Reeds speech
was witty, sharp and convincing, and his
well put thrusts were frequently arplauded.
Altogether the meeting was great success.
A CORRESPONDENT of the Kennebec Jour-
nal nails another Demnitional lie, thus:
'sFor some days report has been i'll circu-
lation to the effect that G. H. Lovejoy, Esq,
has left the Republican party and Joined the
Greenbackers. Permit me to say that the
report is FALSE every word of it. Mr.. Love
Joy is now, as before, a thorough Republican
and worker for the interests of the party.
Inventing such lies is not becoming to
Greenback aspirant to the Legislature.
THE Argus complains because "radical
office-holders are addressing the people OF
this State on political topics. How about
Cove, Lancaster and other Demnitional
office-holders who are doing the same thing.
And how about Democratic office-holders
like Herman and VOORHEES,, who have been
invited to the stump here? 1t also COM
plains of radical junketing. The most
radical junketing for years is that the Con-
gressional travelling committees are doing.
THE Republican rally this evening will be
largely attended. Senator Chandler, than
whom no man has been more shamefully
abused by the Democratic press, is one OF
the fathers of the Republican party in Mich
igan, and thorough and consistent hard
~, 6a1inbt fO
listen to. Gen. Grosvenor is a gentleman
whom the people of Portland have never
yet heard, but whom they will find to be an
able and eloquent orator.
THE argus has an account OF an imagina-
ry visit by Senator Blaine to this city and
represe Mr.. Blaine as recommending
let-up OH liquor seizures the day Senator
Chandler is here. Is the chairman OF the
Democratic State Committee one of the men
to be let up on? Does he keep 'sZach's IA
vorite beverage" in his shop? Or why this
solicitude of the Argus?
ST. LOUIS Globe Democrat: Congressman
De La Matyr is going to carry himself and
his idiocy into Maine to be exhibited to the
Greenbackers of that State. He has been
yelling s'hard times" to his constituents in
Indiana, but he finds it hard to answer the
argument of big crops. 1t takes famine
or pestilence to make Democratic speech
''tell on an audience"
THE following from the Boston Post is
commended to the attention of the argus,
which is trying to hatch out added eggs
''The Herald aptly termed the Greenback
issue last years birds nest. 1t is, and
sadly weather-worn, not to say rotten, but
perhaps good enough for the incubation of
added eggs"
AFTER long delay the argus reprints an