The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-07-05
Why the Internal Revenue Taxes should be Re-
pealed.

They were war taxes and the war has been over
almost p years. They just equal the surplus in
the treasury, fact which proves that the govern
ment does not need them. They disturb the fnan-
ces Of the country by locking up vast sum of
money that ought to be in circulation. They per
vert the legislative conscience by presenting an
immense revenue as a reason for the continuance
of a tax on the poor of the country. The taxes
are oppressive to those industries that large
amount of alcohol in their processes, compelling
them to pay a treble quadruplc price for raw
material. They aid and abct tremendous mo
nopoy
They support an army of officials at expense
Of 81 100000 annually They protect business
that does more than all others combined to ruin
manhood and good citizenship. The brewers and
distillers do not wish them removed. The infer
| ence is plain that the taxes help their business.
What benefits them it is impossible for temperance
people to approve.
| The system (of internal rcvcnue) begun under
Washington lasted nine years. That begun in 1915
| lasted four years That begun in 1862 has lasted
with many repeats and changes for % years. 1t
has lasted far beyond the period when government
needed its revenues and when there remained any
good excuse for its continued existence 1t re
mains simply because there is powerful intcres
| that desires it to remain for the advantage of Il
| few persons. Politicians do not wish to lose III,
patronage of the Internal Revenue Bureau; wills
| key distillers do not wish to lose the monopoly
given them by the perpctuation of the tax on
| spirits Total extinction of the whiskey tax woult
not reduce the price of whiskey at reti and would
not make one more drunkard. Doubling the wills
key tax would not increase the retail price an,
| Gil trlp j,,,,Ia s,hnr Tllf
tax on distilled spirits is not Il special tax OF
whskey drinkers and saloon keepers. nut it is /;
direct tax the entire population of the country
drunk and sober. The fact is kept iii the back
ground, that alcohol, made from distilled spirits is
an essential of important branches of American
industry. TO retain that tax on the one hand fol
| the sake of reducing the protective tariff on til,
other, is not unlike hurting industry with double
barreled gun. The admiration of the American flc,
trader for European methods breaks off short whel
adoption of these methods promises to relieve
| home industry of heavy burden. How heavy
that burden is may be estimated from the fact tia
the cost of IS gallon barrel of alcohol to chemis
would be sls.25 without the tax, while with the ia,
| it is $95Gs That is to say, the tax levied
| barrel Of commercial alcohol is $40, or nor,
| than four times its intrinsic value.
| The people pay this tax when they huy the pro
duct Of the industries mentioned abovc). The,
pay it when they use pcrfumcry; when they taxi
choroform; when they consume drugs. The ta'
is on honest and decent industry, and that is
| good reason why it should he taken on. The at
| tempt to use the sentiment for temperance is al
effort to help the 'listiers to haye the tax retain
cd, is an afront to public intelligence Rev. Chas
liebcr Clarke.