The Chickasaw messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1880-1900, 1888-10-18

LMemphIs Avalanrhe. ]

way 3 the best.
One Of the simplest methods Of pre-
senting the question is offered by the
New York Advertiser, which asks
that be viewed for a moment from
the 'pther side The present pro-
posal is to remove or reduce a multi
tude of taxes which enhapce the costt
Of the neqessaries oflife, he greater
part Of ihe.onhenced cost going not 70
the Government. but 10 group of
monopolisis. The taxes are collected
in the dark. 50 Chat The man who pays
them does not know how much he
pays, but the pays just the same.
Now, in order that we may reach a
just conclusion, the Advertiser says,
~letus suppose that these taxes were
not now in existence, and that a po-
litieal party proposed 70 establish
them for the benefit Of the monopO-
lists and to collect them openly and
directly. The workman buying a coat
worth $40 would be called upon to
pay a tax Of IS or IS on II, the money
to be handed over to rich manufac-
turer. What would the workingman
think Of thatG IN the same way the
workingman would have to pay tax
Of from 25 to 70 per cent. on all his
other clothing, on all his tools, on his
sugar and his salt, on the table at
which he eats and the cloth that COW
ers II and the dishes that sit upon the
cloth, on the knives, forks aud spoons,
on the lumber used in his house, on
his fnrniture-in short, on every ar
ticle he uses that can be taxed for the
benefit Of any monopolist."
"Now, then" asks our contompora-
ry, "would the plain people Of the
country vote for the candidates Of any
party proposing to institute such a
system Of taxation as that? Would
they assent to the proposal to make
everybody pay from a quarter tC
three-quafies more than the price Ot
every artial6 Of necessity, with full
knowledge Of the fact that the greater
part of the tax thus b be levied is Il
he paid. rot to the Government, bui
% sOmc rich monopOlists who want q,
be protecied'S"
| Put IN this way the inevitable con
elasion is that the right side ofth
question has studiously been hiddeI
That the only difference is that tn
tax Is collected by anindirect method
which hides It in the price and pre-
vents the man who pays i from
knowing when he pays II. But !
eests one just IS much to have hi
money taken from him secretly ans
without his knowledge as to have !
taken openly before his eyes.
II the argument is mot plain enough
let us take this simple table Of 6g
ures, which is presented by Penn
sylvAmia paper;
A dollars worth Of common earthen-
ware, with the duty added. costs you SIS
A dollars worth Of common cutlery
with duty ......................... IS
A dollar's worth Of raw clothing wool 10
A dollars worth Of axles ............ 10
A dollars worth OF worsted goods Z
A dollars worth Of wooden clothing l0
A dollars worth Of wooleh dress goods IL
A dollars worth Of hannels Of any Kind IL
, A dollars worth Of wool blankets IL
: A dollars worth Of common cotton cloth ~
A dollars worth Of brown sugar .. l.,
A dollars worth Of vanish ....... IL
, A dollars worth Of starch ....... la
A dollars worth Of paint e-....l III
A dollars worth Of horseshoe nails H.
A dollars worth Of small-size COM
mon wlndow-glass, according to
size, ei.60 to 81
( A dollars worth pf whiting and paris
q white dry s..-=..... -...--.. p
Five cents worth Of castor oil -...
A dollars worth Of manufactured brass IL
A dollars worth ofhrushes l..
: A dollars worth Of chemicals, Sf.25 to 2.
Z A dollars worth Of aaxen thread l..
a A dollars worth Of bags or bagging l..
T, A dollars worth ofoilcloth ....... 1.
: A dollars worth oftlnware .-.. J..
/, A dollars worth Of salt ..-....... ].
|. A dollars worth Of cotton thread l..
q A dollars worth Of cotton yarn ..-. i.
/, A dollarsworth Of cotton stockings I.
A dallars worth Of corsets ..,....... !.
y A dollars worth ofneedles ........ 1.
y After all, it would seem that Il
! tariff is a rather expensive luxury {
poor people.
y Judge Thurman's letter Of aeceT
Is ance was given to the public last Mo
= day. tits brief, but 70 the point, Al
l. like everything the Old Roman sa
y and does, plain. practical and state
lman-like.