Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-23
REVENUE AND TAXATION.
SPEECH OF SENATOR DAVIS
OF YUBA.

The Senate having under consideration the sub
stitute for Senate bill. No 1877, Mr.. Davis said:
Mr.. Presid,. mt The welfare and the prosperity o
the Sts are matters that ought particularly to en-
age the minds of all her legislators and their pro
| motion by all Just means should the ener
| gies and efforts of those who are called upon q
| assist directly in making and administering ne
laws | cannot conceive of position OF public trus
within the gift Of the people carrying with 1t create
and more serious responsibilities than that we, q
Senator'S occupy to-day and it is with this convlc
-'on bearing down upon us that should act in ou
~ and particularly in the considera
official posiuv.-- 20 and important as thos
tion Of questions 30 gr-. m nv hrief discus
presented in the pendins Dill -. =. :!
sion of these auestians il go nSyonu the range =
pure debate it will be only for the purpose of MAX
ing my own position better understood, and tn
ofense will be the more paronable in that the realr
OF speculation into which may possibly drift Is
place open to all and one In which all OF US are quit
prone to wander.
To my mind there has been a tendency in th
past, in this State towards excessive L. gsiation,
which mean too much legislation. AMI TINS ter
dency seems universal throughout our WI ole cou1
try, both in State and National Government an
if we are not to-day the worstgoverned peol 'le /
the world think it quite safe to assert that al
the most governed people that know OF. But q
not wish it to be understood, Mr President that
believe the worst-goyerned people in the
world, for that might seem almost reasonable
thought. In some respects our Government is ad
mirable in others infamous. But our form OF gov
ernment is perfect. Under that form every man il
called sovereign, and in theory he is reckoned as
an equal component part Of the Government. II ht
is not such in fact, however assume he is moi
it is not the fault Of the system, but the fault lie;
somewhere in the administration of the system
where, it is not my province fully to discuss at th
time. Under our form Of government, |, as an in
dividua simply, equally with all others, entitled
to certain rights OF person and OF property These
rights come to me as legacy under the Fundamentals
latr I ai 10 in x-itl
you for we are to take share and share alike. This
is the order of distribution But if any of those
rights are withheld from me ; II they do not come
to me freely and without reserve; if my personal
privileges curtailed my property rights with
held or sacrificed, my complaint Ia not against my
devisor but against the executor OF that will from
whence gained my title to my claims The fault i.
not in the form of government-the source of my
rights-but in the badness of the administration OF
the system under that form.
Now, in this grant OF rights to me, to the people
| find the admirable quality of our Government Ii
Is the full possession and enjoyment of all these
rights that have right to claim; and if they are
in any degree denied to or withheld from me, jus,
in that degree Is the Government infamous
The object OF good, popular government which
is government under our form-is, l take it, two
fold First, to conserve my rights of person, to
protect my life and liberty and secondly to so reg.
uate that condition of lationship between me and
the rest of the Government-between me and YOU
that may utilize that life and liberty in the pursuit
OF happiness; that is, in providing myself with
those things which minister my physical and in
tellectual wants. The first object is paternal the
second is essentially business proposition Now
if the Government does these things for me- / be-
come indebted to it; for its paternal care owe it.
ii necessary, my personal service or even my life
You owe it the same. Our debts are Just the same
and our payments are exactly equal. But so far as
my mere business relations with the Government
are concerned, its claims upon me are controlled by
a different rule entirely. That which is protected
nd he 70 is in
or should be-to the amount of protection be-
slowed. II the Government protects my property
or, IN other words, protects me in the accumula.
tion of property, am. or rather my property is
indebted to the Government for the service OF pro.
tecton and the value of that service is proportioned
to the amount of the accumulation and as one mans
dollar is worth just the anothers the meas.
ure Of tribute is determined by the amount of the
accumulation The eXacton Of this tribute is taxa.
tiOn 1t is, believe, the true theory of taxation,
and is the American theory. Every other theory is
in my opinion, unjust and un-American. If this be
true then Of course it follows that every member
ion to the amount Of his property or rather of his
accumulationS, and not upon any other basis. The
form or method by which he conducts his business
should not change the rule nor should his hopes
qualifications for business, his intellectual superior
ity any other incidents, become causes for dis
examinations against him, resulting in the imposi
ton upon him of extra, and therefore unjust bur-
deDs Of taxation, as is the case under the present
revenue laws of the State.
Ii our form of government is perfect, as have
asserted it is then the Government itself should be
capable Of affording me protection of person and
property at the lowest possible expense to me-
II we are entirely capable of self-eovernment
our Theory supposes, and the administration of the
Government, is what it should be, then are OBJ
aiming this protection at the lowest possible expense
% u.s. and each is contributing that expense lust
n proportion to his accumnlations, and no more
But ii the cost of this protection is excessive if the
burden of taXaiien is so great to be almost un-
,ssrable, or if that burden be not distributed upon
ii equally and uniformly, or in exact proportion to
shat each possesses, then the Government is not
What it should be and either not well fitted
or SELF government, or else by neglect or dis
honesty unfairness we fail TO make the admins
ration of the government what it should be.
Now, Mr.. President, think it is the voice Of the
'eople of this State that the burden of taxation
pon them is too greas that this cost of protection
excessive. think they right. But why isit? ? |
nd where rests the responsibility! My answer is |
hat it rests upon the people themselves. 1t is they
Who the real lawmakers, and not the men whom
hey send TO these halls to represent them Henry
ieorge, that eminent writer on political economy
n his admirable essay recently published by an en-
erprising newspaper in this city, speaking Of the
elation of labor to capitol, says And so when
talk OF the expressions of greedy capitalists or
he rascality of politicians, what is the real thing
hat is condemned? Is it not the Ignorance
# the peoplef How do our laws run? Be |
enacted by the people And this is true in fact |
eality the enactments of the people. These rich
men OF California whom have heard so frequently
StanfOrds and the Floods the Teyises
md Luxes and Millers, or those men of still more |
vergrown fortunes, the Goulds and the Wander |
ts-to me they seem like fools TO strain and worry
nd make slaves Of themselves in gathering and
eeping more than they can use in this world, and
What they cannot take to the next. But if !
his is their taste, who shall blame them? The |
ault is not with the men, but in the conditions" "
is sad, Mr.. President, that such assertions are
nade and it is sadder still that they true 1t is
reflection upon me and you; for we are of the |
ave always been petted and fattered and cajoled INTO
he belief that we knew it ALL, AMI that there was
no guile in US, to think that are ignorant of
ONE things and guilty Ct others, is humatng to
ur American pride. But is it not better to
make a virtue of necessity, and admit
hat, SO far as our ignorance goes, in that
egree are we untitled for self government
then the burden of taxation is onerOus, by being
eavier than 1t should be- then we have the result
# bad government, of bad laws, when we ought to
AVE and could have, if our system be perfect, good
good laws Now, in my Judgment, a
arge measure Of our bad legislation is the
egisaton already spoken of. 1t is the creation and
OF offices, and worse than useless
COMMISSIONS 1t is the pandering to that foolish |
State pride which in all our undertakings, In the
and Quitting OF our public institu- |
ions, insists upon equaling if not outdoing the
of the other fools in older and richer
1t is the want of that spirit of de-
ent economy which Callfornlan5 VIII never learn eX
ept school of dire adversely. 1t is too much |
government. But who is TO effect change in this |
,ad condition of things, and how shall it be done
iy answer is that the people, even the people must
10 it, Not however that class of the people that while
possesses and exercises all the rights and prvi
eyes of citizenship yet has conception of the great
powers duties and obligations that alta h to them
,ut that other conservative intelligent reading and
linking class which, while jealous of its political
lights and sovereignty, is now beginning to learn
hat all free Am .rican citizens not statesmen
hat it is better to follow the lead of thoughtful,
conscientious politicians than Of mobs that it is
better not to be jealous of ones self Importance
Is to be willing to sacrifice good government for
supposed mere seHgovernment that political
science of government and statecraft are
not learned until they studied, and that it is
safer to trust men who know than men who do not
know.
And now we are brought down to proposition
which we have wished to reach, and which | think
will have to be admitted. 1t is this That the
people are not always right that it is not always
safe to listen to the popular demand, and that the
legislator who has not the firmness and independ-
ence to resist popular clamor when he knows that
resistance to be for the best interests OF his consttu
ents and OF his State, is an unfit and dangerous
representative.
Now, the question will probably be asked, "what
has all this to do with the enactment Of a revenze
law for the State, when that law simply provides
the methods for the of property and the
collection Of the taxes for the Government My
answer is this: That have endeavored to show,
while admitting that the amount Of taxation by the
State is too large, that 1t is the result of bad gov
ernment; that our form of government Is not at
fault, but that the fault lies ia its administration
that it being the people who administer the govern
ment, the people are responsible that their failure
to produce good government-such as we ought to
have-is proof that in sume way or other they are
not entirely fitted for all their duties as sefgov-
erning people, and that 1t is not alwavs safe for US
as the nominal law makers-men who ought TO know
arz1 ~r1A