Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-26
sATURDAY..........JUNE &c. 1886
Pensions.


THAT ia called "absenteeism." Thai
IL to say, the persons who owned the
land and collected the rents expended
their incomes in England or elsewhere
instead of amongst the people from
whom the money was received.
The South is the Ireland Of America.
Since the close Of the war between the
States the United States Government
has paid out in pensions more than
e;rht hundred millions Of dollars! and
of this sum next to none was expended
in the southern States. These States,
however, we're compelled to pay much
more than their fair proportion Of the
taxes levied to raise the pension fund.
When the war ended an income-tax
law was in force, and yielded so large
A. revenue that, although no salary or
income Of less than . thousand dollars
WAS taxed, the total would have been
sufficient bad the law beer left in force
to have paid all the pensions which
have since been granted. We need not
say what q burthen would thus have
been lifted from the shoulders of the
impoverished South; nor that 1t would
have been nothing more than right thus
to have made the men who amassed
fortunes during the war pay the pen
sions of the soldiers who fought it.
What was done, however, was just
the reverse Of ell this. The income tax
was abolished, and the other internal
taxes so arranged as that four Of the
rich New England States soon paid less
than the poor State of Virgins. Massa-
chusstts even pays less now than Viz.
ginia, although her population exceeds
that Of Virginia, and her wealth is per-
haps four times as great. The South
has paid far too much Of the eight hun
dred millions Of pension money scat
tered SO literally all over the northern
States, whilst New England has paid
far too little of it. Or, to state the
case differently, the poor men Of this
land Of the free have paid tax which
ought to have been paid by the rich
men. Absenteeism has laid heavy
hand upon the South.
MIR. CLEVELAND has recently vetoed
several dozen pension bills; but the
sum total thus saved to the country is
too small to enter into the calculation
we are now making. None the less,
however, is he entitled to credit for his
manly and bold conduct in thus doing
what be can to protect the Treasury
from inexcusable raids, small though
the amount be which he is thus able to
save to the public.
Now, then, the reader will be able to
understand Why the Committee on
Rules of the House Of Representatives
(Messrs. MORRISON, CARLISLE, and
RANDALL constitute, we think, a
majority Of that committee) reported
on Tuesday last new rule providing
that whenever bill granting pensions
was under consideration it should BIO in
order to move to amend it so as to pro-
vide the method of raising the money
that might be needed for that purpose.
In few words Mr.. WARNER, Of Ohio,
explained the new rule--as follows;
"Now, Mr.. Speaker, extraordinary
expenses always call for extraordinary
taxes, and bills calling for two hun
bred or three hundred millions Of dol
lars ina single year, almost million
dollars day, may certainly be called
extraordinary expenditure. To meet
that, l say, an extraordinary tax would
have to Do levied. How shall it be
levied? That is the question. Upon
the poor, upon the laborers Of the
country, upon the necessities Of the
poor man, on his clothing, his coffee
and sugar, or upon the accumulations
Of the rich and their incomes? Shall
It be upon the incomes Of the rich or
the nscsssaries Of the poors Sir, that
ID tho question before this House, and
that is tho only question. IApplause.l y
Mr.. REED, Of Name, New England,
fought this new rule from tho moment
Of It's Introduction, and brought up t
his support al! the Republicans in th'
House Of Representatives, We think
The new rule does not name an income
tax, but it is likely that tax upon all
incomes exceeding three thousand dol
lars will become popular measure in a
few years, since all the labor orgsniza-
ton in the United States are supposed
to DO rather In favor OF than opposed
to . graduated income tax.
The cry Of "sn iucome-tax or no
more new pensions" would soon
put . stop to the practice Of adding
year by year to the pension list hun
drsds and thousands Of names having
no right 10 be there. The introduction
Of the new rule will probably result to
the advantage Of the country, whether
II b adopted or not.
--------~~--~---------------
A Blaine Temple.
We wouldsuggest that Mr.. BLAINE's
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