Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-24
THE REVENUE BILL.


ment. We have observed, however, that
when flagrantIy unconstitutional anti-Chi-
nese bills have been brought up, honorable
gentlemen have manifested no such seru-
pulousuess, but on the contrary have ire
quently alleged that questions of constitu-
tionality might very well be left to the
Courts. There is no reason why this ar
gument should not apply to the new reve-
nue. bill, and there are certainly the
strongest possible reasons for seeking to
amend the present revenue law, by hook or
by crook. That law, as is now well I'M
derstood, recognizes and proceeds upon
the theory that double taxation is neces-
sary in this State. 1t taxes the repre-
sentatives of things, and it also taxes the
things themselves. 1t taxes the money of
the poor man in the savings bank twice
over ; and it makes the rich man pay not
only double taxes, by assessing his shares
and stocks, but in some cases it compels
him to pay full taxes in this State upon
property which is scattered through sew
eral States and Territories, and which has
already been assessed there. Between
such system of taxation and open, undis-
guised confscation, there is a distinction
without a difference. But one of the
worst features of the system is
that its inequalities and inequities
are enormously increased by the
impossibility of applying it uniformly and
rigidly. 1t is form of injustice from
which many men think it warrantable to
escape even at the cost of perjury. 1t is
notorious that it has resulted in a startling
increase of false oaths. If it is asserted
that savings banks depositors have not at
all generally as fact, paid the double
tax, the answer is that they have evaded it
by deliberate Justification before the Asses
sor. In other words there are many men
who will rather lie to the agents Of the
Government than help that Government to
rob them and this is not to be wondered
at. We find then, first, that the present
revenue law operates unjustly and I'M
equally even when it is conformed to faith
fully and second, that it is not at all gen.
orally conformed to, but that numbers of
taxpayers perjure themselves to escape its
odious and inequitable provisions. There is
nothing new in this. 1t has been the uni
form experience of mankind ever since
taxes were first levied. Place taxes upon
personal property, upon intangible posses
sions, upon things which can be concealed,
and the delinquencies will be large. I'm
pose taxes which press unequally upon
these classes of property, and they will
either be evaded, or they will drive such
property out of the State.
The present revenue law has created
such hostile discrimination against shares
and stocks as to compel the owners of that
class of property to send it out of the
| State, and to prevent the investment Of
capital in corporate enterprises. 1t has
operated as blight upon all manufactures
1t has checked or entirely precluded CO.
operation in business. It has acted as g
prohibition upon joint stock undertaking;
of all kinds. 1t has given California bad
name abroad, and impaired her commercial
stability at home It is impossible tC
maintain such laws without destroying the
best and most useful energies of the com
munity. If we discriminate against thrift
and industry, enterprise and perseverance
the habit Of saving and the spirit of prog
ress, we are deliberately abandoning the
commonwealth to decay, and erecting
about it Chinese Wall of medieval big
otry and folly, which must effectually ex
clude all valuable immigration and settle
ment. The new revenue bill is intended
to meet and remove the salient evils o
the existing law. 1t prevents double tax
alton upon deposits in savings banks, ant
it provides that 50 shares of stock in cor
operations possess no intrinsic value owe
" and above the actual value of the prop
"erty of the corporation which they
"stand for and represent, and the assess
"ment and taxation of such shares ant
also of the corporate property would b.
"double taxation. Therefore all property
" belonging to corporations shall be as
"sessed and taxed, but no assessment
"shall be made of shares of stock, no
"shall any holder thereof be taxed there
90 for"
This is the spirit of the new bill, and i
is simply just. 1t is no longer open tt
doubt that the present law not only admit
of but necessitates double taxation, nor cal
it be seriously maintained Though Senate
Chase has tried to maintain i'll that doubl
taxation is anything else than Ubiquitous
This is but one tenable revenue policy
and that is to treat all men precisely alik'
in the matter of taxation. Let every MAJ
contribute in proportion to his tangibl,
property As matter of fact and ex
perience all personal property taxes ar,
mistaken, for perhaps two-t thirds of the
personal property of modern society i;
beyond the reach of the Assessor. a wise
government will only tax that which can
not escape, and therefore the tax upon lane
is the ideally best. But it is impracticablt
to reform the revenue system ON strictly
philosophical principles either in a few
years or generation, and therefore w
must be content with the general frame
work of the old scheme, so long as VT
can avoid injurious inequalities, and mis-
chievous and communistic Determinations
This the new revenue bill seeks to accom-
plish, and therefore it ought to have tn,
support of every legislator who desires tn
prosperity of California.
PACIFIC COAST ITEMS.
1t is proposed to have convention o
newspaper men at Carson, New.
/ Wy MoEn.o NoIreo L., toI,,