National Republican., 1883-02-19
THOUGHTS ON TAXES.
A Prominent Washington Merchants Views
on the Harris License Bill.
Any Different System Would Require
Odous Methods OF Enforcement
The People Of This District Alone Submit to Taxation
Without Representation.
WHY the TnS Laws Of the States Would
Not TIC Suitable for the District.

particularly AZ this time when divers bills |
are pending in congress relating to the raising |
Of revenues in the District Of Columbia, aud
existing laws are being enforced with unusual |
vigor. Says the ncwsmongcr, Two thou
sand merchants are to be raidcd at once. y
The following interview with an old and
successful merchant is therefore published for
the benefit OF the readers of THE REPUBLICAN
both in and out of congress, the legislator, and
the taxpayers.
"what in your judgment is the necessity
for the passage of the so.calcd license bill in
troduccd in the senate by Mr.. llarris?' ' in-
quircd THE REPUBLICAN,.
81 have no hesitation in saying that, after
many years of active business life in the city
Of Washington, l am clearly of the opinion
that all unnecessarily vigorous and disagree
able methods of collecting personal taxes
should be avoided that any system radically
or substantially different from that proposed
in the Harris bill will require methods for its
enforcement that are odious, inquisitorial, and
vcxatous to all persons engaged actively in
business not to speak of the material injury to
business ITSELF
"Whut is the history of the Harris bill?"
" 1t is modelled closely after the one pro-
posed two or three years ago by the citizens
committee ofonc hundred. The original bill
was the result of much labor and great re-
search on the part of that committee, com
posed of leading men in all the principal bust
ncsscs conducted in this district, and was as
fair a representation Of the sentiments of our
pcoulc Ms was nttainablc under the existing
system OF government.
"Thc pending bill was likewise the result
a ~. 4 . .s.,N. Il.
of views by our representative business men,
who had not only their own but their neigh
bors best interest at heart. The great argu-
mcnt in its favor. and one that think ought
10 be conclusive, is that II will meet the APP
pr0Val, il il becomes n law, OF vast majority
of our people, and will thereby have the moral
sentiment of the community to aid in its en-
forccmcnt. which the existing laws do not
have. Thus the inequality that inseparaby
attends the attCmptcde collection Of taxes
by processes rcpugnant TO the Taxpayers Will
be avoided. In such cases the strong and
rich defy and escape the poor and feeble
must submit and suffer-"
"Why do you give such prominence to the
fact that congress should consult and in
large degree be guided by the expressed
wishes Of our citi2cnsY
1--WE have no representation in congress
very strange anomaly in n sO-callcd rcpub-
dc one hundred and scventy-scvcn thou
AllU tlllLCllS lWNt HtllutT StHdlbl VI ltIlt-
sentative. 1t used to be thought that taxa
ton without representation was tyranny, but
we have progressed far beyond these anti
quatcd notions in vogue in the first rcvolu
tiOn. Our people can only reach the national
legislature by the exercise of the constitu
tiOnal right of protection, and by presenting
their views in that form and drafts of bills
Members of congress come mainly from large
and populous states in which there are cX-
tensivc commercial and manufacturing busi-
ncssCs carried on or large number OF cOnstit-
uents engaged in agriculture Here we have
limited territory, few square miles; no
commerce worthy of the name; but few and
incOnsidcrable manufactures; no iarms-a
few truck patches merely.
"Thc tax laws with which members of con-
gTCss are familiar may be and no doubt are
admirably adapted to their own states and in
accord with the wishes and conducive to the
best interests of their constituents, but they
are wholly unsuitcd to this community, re-
pugnant to their feelings and unadopted to
their moderate businesses"
I" Are there any other peculiar objections
70 the inquisitorial systemW
"Thcrc are great many--prOminent
among them are the following: We do not
Icloct or elect single executive officer in the
District of Columbia. All our offices have
become political and are filled by the gon-
eral government. The inquisitorial system
Of taxation where it exists in the states is in
thC hands OF the servants of the people, chosen
by their votes, and with short tenures
Of office. 1t is the people in effect col
lccting the taxes of themselves, Here there
Is not and cannot be any great feeling of re-
spOnsbility on the part of the collectors of
taxes toward the people, for they are not re-
quircd to answer to them their master is the
government. This presents strong tempta-
tion to enforce odious laws in an oppressive
and vigorous way unknown in the states.
A,nin - Int a stn from tbn a HiEiript IN thn
ncighbOring states Offensive or odiously cn-
forced laws here induce many persons OF
wealth, not actively engaged in business, or
interested in business requiring constant per-
sOnal supervision, to seek residences in states
where more liberal system of taxation eX-
lists, Thus they escape portion of the
burden that should rest upon them and other
citizens alike. We have suffered to a consid-
erablc extent in the past from this cause, and
will undoubtedly suffer still more in the
future if certain pending bills are passed"
"What is the present law"
at is the act of March 3, 1877, continued
from year to year, though really framed for a
single fiscal year, and intended as tempo
Tary eXpCdient merely. This act relates to
general taxes on real and personal property.
In addition there are the license laws that de-
sCCudod from the old municipal corporations
through the late legislative assembly, and
which bear the impress of the wishes and
Judgments of our people when they were TO
some extent their own legislators. Congress
has very slightly modified these laws from
time to time, aud they form the framework
and foundation of our citizens bill. They
have been tested by long experience and found
satisfactory"
"What Is the theory of your bill2"
1t is to mainly collect the necessary rev.
cnues of real property, and by licensing the
various classes of business conducted in the
district We believe that in this way taxes
will be more generally diilused, and the
burden more equally distributed than in any
other. This system responds to the three
fundamental conditions, according TO the best
writers, that should attend on all laws; Ger
tainty justice or equality, and economy II
deals with the certain, visible, and tangible,
and disregards the invisible, incorpOreal and
intangible; avoids the incentive and Oppor-
tunity for fraud, evasion, and perjury, all per-
sonal inquisitiOn and exposure Of business
condition, and likewise avoids necessity for
Oaths. Both classes Of taxes can be col
lcctcd with great economy and al
most absolute certainty and completeness,
Although very high authority in the dis
trict claims that the true system of license
taxation should be based on 'decorum,' our
business men think that the better basis
would be equality and justice. To take eX
pericnce for our guide rather than mere
sentiment this little district has already
served Its full time as an experimental garden
for, SO to speak, and without intending to give
oiiensc, legislative crankism."
Does this exhaust all you have to say"
of COurgp the field of foyutinn 10 npn fow