Milford chronicle., 1885-01-09
TAX REFORM.

The subject OF taxation is closely interviewer
with the practical enjoyment OF liberty itself Il
is idle to talk Of freedom if citizen shall not be
allowed to control the products OF his own indus.
try ard enjoy an absolute right to make contracts
involving his own labor and the property created
by it,
Taxation, direct and indirect, is the involuntary
subscription by the individual for the use OF the
pubic,it is taking Of private money for the pub
lie beneAtand nothing can justify a tax but its
necessity for public ends, and when these arc sup
piled anything in excess rightly belongs to those
who paid,asd laws that permit more to be collected
from the citizens than is required should be SO
modified as to remedy the injustice.
Reformation means strict and a rigid honesty in
In our State system Of local taxes,
these are under the scrutiny Of every one but I'M
der the general government, the practical opera
tions of tagaion are obscured by the complications
Of existing laws.
The people Of Delawara pay indirectly to the
Federal Government in taxes more than eight
times the amount they pay to the State; aud Ow
ing to the mode in which the tariff taxes are laid
he general scale OF prices of living as well as the
cost Of agricultural and other productions is i'm
nensely increased.
The existing tariff OF duties laid upon foreign
imports not only constitute the main body of tax
lhon, but arc onerOus unjust and obstructive npOn
he interchange OF our agricultural, mining and
productions with other nations, aud
reae high scale Of prices upon the cost Of living
INJURIOUS to the steady occupation and reasonable
Of our labOring classes as well as to
he capital invested
Modern Inventions have greatly changed, and in /
many important instances have wholly revolution /
aed the conditions and relations Of commercial |
ations and It is essential that our people should
% permitted to have the fullest and most imme- /
late benefit OF the discoveries which are so fire.
nenty made and to which a system OF tariff duties
stanlished nearly quarter Of century ago are
ihOlly UNITED. Much OF the present tariff taxa
lon was laid to meet tie sudden exigencies Of
rest war, to meet an emergency that gave httls
me for consideration and was alleged and be-
eyed to be only temporary. In this way cOmph-
ated laws have been enacted which require con-
tant Interpretation by the departments and the
ourts, and become the caGse Of Yexatious uncer-
linties and costly and troublesome litigation
Ultimately the aggregated cost Of all this falls
pom the CONSUMER and In this class the most mum
'ous are the American manufacturers, whose crude
aterials' more or less advanced, form the bulk Of
IT impnrtaiiOns.
The principle Of exact and equal Justice to all
tizens before the law is the basis Of the reform
our tax laws. and no privileged class, however
telligent and industrious, have a just claim to
0ud the laws that compel tribute from all in
ch way as 10 give undue aRd unequal benefit TO
y. The sense OF injustice produces discomfort
ID resistance,and as our system Of government is
sed upon an indiscrmnatng treatment Of all J
citizens, our tax laws shonld be so reformed as
give special fayors to none.
ricultural interests OF the country must convince
cry reasonable man that the system of a high
otective tariff has had the effect to invite the III
stment Of capital in manufacturing TO such an
lent that the capacity and supply is entirely be-
ndithe demands Of the market, and therefore is
protection. lt seems to me the remedy is plain.
cry one now admits that we must find new mar
Is or reduce the capacity for manufacturing Re
ol the ruinoEs policy is before us. In many d
alities untold misery and distress among the
'ple exlsisi the manufacturers are endeayOring
~ al frfnFa
e Of running,and in many places closing the es-
This is gross injustice, and is moth
more or less than keeping up the price Of the
'Qs az the expense ana 10 the great detrimeut OF
labOrers, who are less able to bear it than others
he men, women and children, who earn their
ad by daily labor. Unfortunately, under this
tectiye stimulus, the agricultural interests are
he very same condition. The incre ise Of the
cage Of the farming lands, with the aid OF labor
ing machinery, have so increased production
II, Ike manufactured goods. our wheat and
D and other cereals are down below the produc-
costa least in the older States and if the pres
raic OF increase continue without foreign out In
we viii be compelled to eurtail the cultivation
iact, already, many agrchlturists are almost e7
ldoning the raising OF the cereals and, instead
ling their attention to the culture Of fruits a.
only means OF realizing profit in the use OF the
oselY connected with this subject Of tariff tax
mis- the maritime interest, which has dwindled
a until the vast productions Of this country are
led almost exclusively in foreign bottoms By n
statistics presented TO the present Congress il u
sars that over eighty-two per cent Of the ex-
s and imports Of the country are Transported
reign and only seventeen per ceAt in Ameri.
ships, when in 1856 seYenty-fve per cent was
'hted In our own vessels. II is not pretended
the present system Of taxation is the only !.
e OF this decline in our commercial marine vet 1
pears to have contributed largely, and 10 the
/, 20 the result. The remedy. / believe is in
ing new markets for our productions and this
be accomplished by the entering into liberal
les with other countries IN giving 10 the man m,
utors free raw materials, to shiDbuilders every
e Tree that enters into the construction OF
land to farmer and laborers cheap necessaries
G. These,with an honest and economical GOV
ent,will restore American shipping 10 its Tor
proud and commanding position in the Re
c. Il =
ELECTIONS.
m the result Of the late elections National / III
tale,l think we may anticipate for the future
and honesuballot; every voter, whether white a I
ek, IL all sections OF the Union, will he able
{ his ballot In accordance with his views Of
Tree and untrammeled; no more shall we
IS the presence Of Federal deputy marshals
lerYlsoFs OF elections as pretended guardians
rights OF the citizen; no more intimidation
with the Ycter north or south east
Il, IN the exercise of the elective franchise ~
the overthrow OF these species Of tyranny
man will look upon his ceuntry with pride, ~
hough in political contests he may not be
siul, yet will have the consolation Of know w
at he is fairly beaten. "