The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-03-14
The 0dious Taxes.

spect."
The 0dious Taxes.
FURTHER LIGHT ON THE WORKINGS OF
THE INTERNAL REVENUE.
The Ways and Means Committee
will cause to be printed the arguments
made before it by several Congress
men from the Southern States in favor
of abolition of the internal revenue,
or of its reform, if nothing better can
be done. These gentlemen tell story
of harassments to industry, violence to
citizens, and outrages upon private
rights that would astonish even the
would-be reformers of the tariff.
They recte the difficulties under which
tobacco manufacturers and whiskey
distillers labor in the matter OF licen-
ses, stamps, measurements, gaugers,
storekeepers and collectors. "For in
stance" says Judge Bennett of North
Carolina, 'if distiller at Washington,
N. G. wants to get barrel of whiskey
out OF bond he must mail the money
for stamps to the collector at Raleigh,
with his application. The collector
will forward the stamps and order a
storekeeper to Washington with the
keys. But it takes week to do it,
and the distiller, who is trying to sup
port his family by carrying on the bus
iness in small way, must not only
lose the time in filing his order, but
pay the storekeepers railway expenses
in addition to the tax. This is but a
sample said Judge Bennett impressive
ly, "of the annoyances to which our
struggling people, up to their chins in
poverty, are subjected to this system.
Gentlemen give us some relief since
abolition is impossible"
"But why do you say abolition is i'm
possible 7" asked Mr.. Kelley. "Such
an Internal system should be abolished,
and believe when the American peo-
pie wake up they will do it,"
Congressman Caldwell of Tennessee
says the internal revenue collectors in
many parts of the South are brutal and
insulting. They 60 armed and shoot
at the slightest provocation. They
constitute themselves at once agents of
the revenue Office, Judge and execu-
toner. Frequently when they suspect
a distiller of wrong doing, they rush
upon him with revolvers and whoop-
ings, destroy his property, and march
him off to Jail, without evidence of his
guilt. Professional informers are con-
stantly at work seeking the rewards
offered by the Government. In one
case deputy collector and assistants
assaulted man and his wife, beating
the former to death, because the cou-
pie refused to get breakfast for the
posse. The deputy collector was in
dicted in the State courts the case
was transferred to the Federal court,
and the United States prosecuting at
torney defended the criminal, who was
acquitted. The Government agents
have even the Federal courts under
control, and can commit crimes against
person and property with impunity.
| This is a mere suggestion of the
"domiciliary vexation" to which many
American people are daily subjected
by this system. The tax gatherers in
the South are generally a low grade Of
men. So odious has the service become
to the people that first class respectable
men will not engage in i. They thai
are described by the Internal Revenue
Commissioner in his elaborate annua
reports as "brave officers, in many caset
turn up to be mere staggering desper
ADDE'S, 'impudent in their little brief au
thority. Near Bakersville, N. c., tive
weeks ago, two of these revenue Off
GERS killed three men during disput,
about property.
eyes, spoke up a member of tn,
Ways and Means Committee, "there i,
J another reason why this system should
t be abolished Out in my district a low
| fellow has opened saloon, in whicl
he has managed to debauch a grea
many people. We have prosecuted
him under State laws, but armed witt
his Government license to sell whskey
and defended by able counsel employ
ed with the money made in his nefar
ious business, he has for years defie,
us, and de6es us still"
, Judge Kelley is eager in his antipa
! thy to the internal revenue system |
: is full of annoyances to the people
, Every whiskey or beer or cigar or &c
, bacco maker every dealer in those al
ticles, even the groceryman or Pos
, Office keeper who wants to sell fe,
/ pounds of tobacco ; even every manu
facturer of stills or worms, lives in da
ly dread of violating some internal re,
a enue regulation. Every Federal coul
q is full of cases of prosecutions againi
= citizens on account of this system, the
/, offences being often of the most trivi
a character, but nearly always with heav
y penalties attached.
!, This is large business that the Go
. ernment is carrying on, this tax-gat
70 ering business. Here is the list of IL
q officials it requires
his assistants at Wash. Storekeepers. .....,l,,
cdiIgst36r: 1imIgt3a:: :'''''' st3 Inspectors and sur
Deputy Collectors -. .sSs
IL Clerks messengers, &C 1871 Total..,.,.,.....4,
D. These 4,2l7 tax-gatherers harass di
- ~, monthly, quarterly, or annual
s. 6SO,362 special taxpayers. The rest
Is of the business for the last fiscal ye
was the collection of Sl44, ,553, ,344, a,
he the expense of collection is a lit
u more than3t per cent. of the amou
III collected. The expense of collectil
the customs tax is only 2S per cent
II, the amount collected.
ct AS prominent Democratic CO
y gresham recently remarked: "T
I'd present duty Of the Democratic p
lie ty in Congress is to stand by Sam II;
IS dali in his effort to cut down the app
n priation bills. AS soon as we can pi
I'D these bills let's go home, and in {
re National Convention declare in fa,
ge OF abolishing the whole internal re-
e. nue. system. On that sort of a tan
'le reform platform we can elect Den
ne cratic President with rush, and wi
we get Democratic President wen
no, | preDarad IN Give the conntry on a.