The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-01-28
A Weak Device of the Enemy .

=
plan of furthering those schemes
by indirectly throwing discredit
upn the efforts of their opponents.
Notable among these is ssthe New
York Sun, which, by advocating
the abolition OF all internal reven-
ue leaves the injustice Of the tar
iff out,of the question and talks
for the men whose policy and pur-
pose it is to perpetuate the pres
ent system of gouge,, and justify
the continued existence of the
present: tariff system by causing it
to be the only source of national
revenue, The patriotic apologists
for extortion fear greatly that the
present rate at which the national
debt is being paid off will liquidate
all national obligation in twelve or
fourteen years. and thus abrogate
the necessity of the present enor-
nous revenue, and as the absence
of that necessity would also do
away with the plea of the protec-
tionists they look around for some
means by which they may put off
the evil day. ''But," argue the
journalists who advocate the will
of their masters, ''if the internal
revenue tax be abolished, the
available yearly resources of the
country are at once permanently
lessened by the sum of s137,000,-
900. Nothing but customs duties
could then be looked for to supply
the financial demands of the gov
eminent, and then we can have
them go our own way" Now ii
is fact that these $l37, 100000
are produced chiefly by tax on
whiskey and tobacco; luxuries, the
consumption of which is entirely
voluntary OH the part of the con-
= sumner. But it is ON the neceSsi-
! ties of life that-the greater part OF
the customs duties are levied; it is
on the iron, steel, lead, tin, cloth
ing, manufactured goods-things
of great necessity and universal
use that the tax falls the heaviest,
or rather on the great bulk Of the
poorer inhabitants who must have
them. The one item Of sugar
alone paid S47,0O0,000 into the
US. treasury in 81. But these
dear good philanthropists, the an.
gels of the tariff, want to make d
present of Sl37,00O,000 annually
TO the manufacturers OF whiske,
and tobacco. but every one of Am
erica's fifty millions who drink:
a cup Of coffee or uses a spoonful
of sugar or wears coat or dres'
must pay dearer than ever for the
privilege. Great arguments are
brought forward: first, it costs So,
00O,0U0 q year to collect tha
sl37.O00,000, therefore the whis
key and tobacco tax shonld b,
abolished; second, there is chanc,
for fraud; therefore it should bt
abolished; third, there are severa
internal revenue agents annually
killed by "moonshiners"; therefor,
it should be abolished; fourth
). that the tax occasions expensive
law suits with the government
therefore, etc. All these crusher
are just as patent in behalf of the
other side; no business man woult
do away with a business becaus,
it cost him FIVE dollars to coIlec-
one hundred and thirty-seven
the argument that because excis,
men are killed in the discharge o
:, their duties, the system ought Il
be dropped, if carried out legiti
mate conclusions would also argu
that because a drunken rowd
kills a New York policeman, tn
whole police force should be dis
banded; the attempt at argumen
that there is fraud on the part Q
the collectors initiates as mue
against the levying of distric
school tax as an excise law; ther
is chance for fraud in any one c
the business relation of life; as fo
the argument that the tax coca
sions expensive law suits, it ca
best be answered by the reaec
-.
ton on what renders the law suit
necessary, the leniency of tn