The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-03-29
Nineteen Years Of War Tax
alton.

The people Of the United States
for more than eighteen years have
been paying taxes levied for war pur-
poses in time of war.
Look at the internal revenue sys-
tenn. We are now living under the
third law Of the kind. The first was
enacted to aid in extinguishing the
debt of the Revolution. The second
was passed 10 furnish means for car
rying on the second war with Great
Britain. The third went into effect
in 1863, to provide money for sup
pressing the rebellion.
An excise law is always offensive
to free people. That passed under
Washington's administration led to
open resistance in Pennsylvania, and
brought matters to the verge of civil
strife. Had it not been for the whis-
key rebellion, as it was called, that
act would have been repealed long
before Mr.. Jefferson recommended its
repeal in his first message. 1t ex-
listed from 1892 to 1901, and yielded
$6,I12,097 revenue to the Treasury.
Tie next act existed five years,
and from 1914 to 1918 yielded rev.
enue of $14, l43,S52
In few weeks nineteen years will
have passed away since the close of
the civil war. From 1866 to 1883 the
receipts from internal revenue taxes
aggregated the enormous sum of 49,
GA, 2S2,156.
During the sixteen years Of the two
earlier periods Of excise taxes, the
receipts were $20,255,949 in all, or
less than seventh part of last years
returns from this source under the
reduced scale.
The causes which led to the whis-
key rebellion in Pennsylvania were
trifling compared with the outrages
inflicted by the agents of the internal
revenue at the present time, espec-
tally in districts distant from the
great cities and among people who
are not familiar with the law, and
who have only limited knowledge of
their own rights.
There is a. standing army of four
thousand partisans, drilled like reg
ular troops. and trained in machine
politics. Their political services furn-
ish immunity for crimes that, with a
proper administration of justice,
would long ago have sent many Of
them to the penitentiary.
1t was shown in the investigation
moved by Senator Vance to expose
the iniquities practised in North Car
olina by these officials, that they have
been required to contribute over half
of their pay, in addition to personal
service, to help the Republican party.
Mr.. Jefferson recommended the re-
peal of the original Internal Revenue
act upon the ground that the surplus
created by it would be temptation
to war. "Sound principles" he said,
"will not justify our taxing the in
dustry of our fellow citizens to accu-
mulate treasure for wars to happen
we know not when, and which might
not perhaps happen but for the temp
tations offered by that treasure"
There is no danger of war now. But
there is far greater danger in the
corruption, extravaganza, and demon
alization which are encouraged by a
standing surplus in the Treasury.
Rings, jobbers, public plunderers of
every degree, and professional spoils-
men regard this surplus as the aim
to which all their schemes are direct
ed. Ithas polluted our politics, in
cited robbery, and augmented the
public expenditures; and the inter
nal revenue system is to blame for
| its existence.-N. Y. Sun.