Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-09-28
HOW SHALL TAXATION BE RE.
DUCEO.
The Republican aud Democratic Me hods
Compared.

revenue to the government One or them
is through duties levie upon articles i'm
ported I'm this coun ~ from abroad, and
the ether Trough internal revenue Ia rs
levied upon spirituous liquors and tobacco
! During the last seal year the government
re eived from the former $2l1, 2e6, S93,
and from I'm ernal revenues, Sis, 81 3"l.
With this income. together with some
ether ems OF small amOant, the total ex-
penses of the government were paid, IN
Guiding pen sions, Interest on TIE pubic
debt and portion of the principal
After the above expenditures here still
remained a surplus In the treasury, which
d ring the last two years has been con-
stantl increasing. President Cleveland
! i'm his last annual message to congress
sa tina this surplus will reach sl4O, 600, =
600 by June 3Oth, lsSS. Though the &c
rotary Of the treasury Is authorized to 60
into he market and buy up the outstand-
ing bonds Of the government with this ac-
cumuating surplus, he has chosen to al
/ low il to lie idle, instead OF re ucing the
nat onal indeb edness b. so much.
1t has awa teen he policy of the re-
publican party TO re luce taxation OF the
! p ople to actual necessities, and as Will be
shown by the record, their actions have
ever been suited to their platform Of prin-
clip e..
REPUBLICAN RECORD.
When the war closed. with population
of only tn rty-hve millions Of people, with
I lie IS than one-half our present property
val, alton, we had a national indebte Inc, S
of two billion. seven hundred million dol
lars. and upon which the annual interest
charge was one hundred and forty mil
! lions o dollars.
The republi an party In control of the
affairs OF vernment by wise S, stem
of taxation, reduced that indebtedness
nearly one half. lessene the annual IN
! terest charge from one hundred and forty
down to fifty millions of dollars; reduced
the expenditures of the government from
| twelve hundred millions of dollars in 1860
and five hundred millions of dollars In
1866. down TO two hundred and forty mil
lions i'm 1884.
They not only made this most wonde'-
! full record, but successfully, as the en-
penditures of the government decreased,
and as could lie done thout national
embarrassment they removed taxation
from the people, and lessened their bur
dens until instead of collecting five nun
bred and twenty MILL ms OF dollars from
thirty-five millions of people as in 1876,
they collected in 1884 but three hundred
and forty-eight millions OF dollars fro n
nifty hree millions Of people, and this
from a property valuation more than
double that Of 1866.
At the same time hese reductions In
taxation were gong on, statesmen with
prophetic vision looking toward the future
| in which we now are, and the coming
DAYS of our nation revise the tariff and
] L..
! be ter than they knew
They did IT in such manner as not to
destroy the industries of this country.
/ They did it in such a manner that the la
boring men of the United States were pro.
tected. and are now receiving on an ave.
ace more than one-half more for their toll
/ than the wage-workers of any other ma
/ ii II on the face of the globe. They did
! il i'm such manner that the home market
| for he farmers sur lus produce has been
| constantly growing instead OF lessening,
and in such manner that we are to-day
/ tn best housed, fed, clio he'd, educated
and most enlightened AMI p oSperous peO-
pie among the nations Of t earth.
TAXATION sHoUI j BE- REDUCED.
But the time has come when taxation
should again be reduced.
the ne ordinary expenditures of the gov
ernment.
That he ia es from the people shall
and ought to be lessened is not party
questi II. Republicans and democrats
agree upon this, but how that Ia alton
shall be reduced Is the bone of C intention.
Since the close Of the war the republi-
cans have held control, Of the house of
representatives from 1865 to 1875, and
again during one session Of congress from
1851 to 1853. During the balance OF the
time. eleven years, the democrats have
had control Of that body. Since revenue
bills must orgina in the house of repre-
sentatives, it is interesting to compare the
records of the two par is during that
time The republ cans, during the twelve
years of their contr / passed twelve b lis
reducing import duties, and VIII ch became
acts by the signature of the President.
besides 9 eat number of acts reducing
internal revenue alton.
The acts so passed b republicans while
holding control Of the house ofre resenta
tvs. decreased the TAXATION upon the
people OF more than one hundred and six
ty-fve milf n dollars annually.
Now To the wonderful record made BY
the democ attic part during the clever
year, they havt controlled tie house OF
representatives.
The have enacted Just two bills durn!
that period. One TO reduce import duties
and the other internal revenue.
One was 10 repeal the duty on Quinine
and the her reducing the du y on to
bacco ron zoe TO l0c per pound.
b the repeA Of the duty on quin'ne
taxation was reduced Sl25, 600 per yea
and this by sanction ola republi an senat
and president.
Ia alton on tobacco had before been re
duced by republicans when they held con
troll OF the house OF representa- ives. II
1868 from SIC to 2 er Id. In ~ fror
&c to 2Oc per h., and again in 1883 fro
16c TO SC per lb.
l Thus the rrpubl cans reduced alto
, On toba CT alone 2lc. per H., and tn
democrats &c per lb.
And this &c per pound on tobacco, an
the repeal of the quinine duty, is the gloI
l ious record Of the democrats in reduc n
y taxation during their eleven years of col
, troll.