Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-09-11
Subtle" Taxation.


Mr.. Ben Harrison gave faireXhlD'
ition of his calibre as a statesman
when he said, in recent speech, that
Notwithstanding the complaint oil
surplus revenue, the people who talk
ed loudest could not disclose to the
people how they are paying taxes. II
is taken SO indirectly and so suDtly
laid that these, our plain people,
don't know that they are paying them
at all.
Mr.. Ben Harrison would doubtless
argue that if a man doesn't under
stand the name and nature of his dis
ease, he has no need for medicine OF
a physician. The truth is, the most
dangerous disease is that which slow,
ly saps the foundation of health and
whose insidious approaches give little
warning until it is too late to apply
the remedy. Mr.. Harrison does not
deny that "these, are being taxed
upon almost all the necessarles OF lie
i'm fact he admits it. But he claims
that the tax is so indirectly and SO
subtly taken that man doesn't real
ize when he is paying two prices for
his coat, his medicine, the materials
for his house or the tools of his trade
that he is paying taxes to the govern
ment or its creature monopolles..
This "subtleness" and "indirectness
is very great thing, IN the opinion
of Statesman Harrison, not because 1t
makes the burden any lighter but be-
cause it conceals from the taxpayer
the cause of his poverty and the source
of his troubles. A man may not know
why it is that he works hard all the
year and comes out in debt at the END
of it he may not know why it is that
he is forced TO mortgage his farm to
pay the expenses of living; he may
not know why it is that his wages do
not enable him to do more than sup
ply his family with the bare necessities
of life he may not know why he has
tobuy shoddy coat for himselfand a
cheap dress for his wife; he may, in
deed be so densely ignorant that he
doesn't know that there is any such
thing as tariff or have the slightest
comprehension of its operation and
effect. But does his ignorance help
the matter? Is his trouble any the less
because the source of it is hid Not in
the least. There is great deal OF
truth in Mr.. Harrisons statement OF
the case, but it doesn't detract one iota
from the inlquity of excessive taxa
ton on the necessaries of life. The
government which takes from the
poorest of its citizens large portion
of his earnings for which it has no
need, which coniiscates the private
property of one man, not for its own
use, but to bestow II upon another, Is
q legal robber. To say that il is done
so "subtly" that the people know not
how or by whom their property is
taken and their earnings reduced, is
merely to say that the government is
a sneak thief or pickpocket instead
of a high-wayman. The methods
may be different but the result is the
same and so is the crime.
If "these, our plain people" do not
as Mr.. Harrison asserts, know that
they are being taxed by tariff laws, it
is high time they were learning IT,
"These, our rich people," like Ben
Harrison, who are benefcaries o! tar
iif taxation know livery well, and the
sooner the"plain people, understand
it, the better it will be for them and
for the country. 1t is possible that
Mr.. Ben Harrison is discountingv very
largely on the intelligence of the plain
people and presuminR too much upon
their ignorance for the evidence il
strong that the demand for tariff re
form is sweeping. over the country ant
growing and intensifying every hour
Mr., Harrison's only hope of election
is in the ignorance of"these, ourplail
people who" don't know they ar
paying taxes at all" and the conf
dent hope of the Democratic part.
lies in the belief that the people o
this country have awakened 10 tn
truth and understand it.