Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-06-07
ABOLISH THE INTERNAL TAN.

the richest panders to the vices of the
community. These are propositions that
receive the assent of teachers of morality,
of the churches, of the WOmen's Christian
Temperance Union, and of all friends of
temperance.
The economic question before Congress
is the tax question. The revenues must
be reduced, and that object can be accom-
plished only by reduction of taxes
There is no other way to put an end to
the accumulating surplus except by in
creasing expenditures. and while eXpend-
itures may be economically increased,
they ought not to equal our present exces-
siye revenues Reduction of taxation Is
demanded by both parties. The Repub-
lican party insists that this reduction shall
be effected by the abolition of the Internal
Revenue tax The Democrats say that
the tariff must be revised in the direction
of free trade. In the first place, they do
not know that their scheme viii reduce
taxation; in the second place, even II 1t
would. they would destroy American in
dustries for the sake of relieving the
! Treasury.
The Republicans seek to destroy the
vicious tax. The Internal Revenue tax
was devised for the purpose of raising
money for the prosecution of the war
! The war is over and the tax remains. 1t
simply brings money into the Treasury,
while customs duties add to the cOuntry's
wealth. In more than one way it is an
OdiOus tax. 1t rests in part upon the pro-
ducts of the soil 1t hampers the farmer
who grows a small crop of tobacco. 1t
sustains an army of office holders, many
of whom are spies and infOrmers. 1t
makes the government partner in the
| liquor traffic.
| Last wear the taxes collected from Spir-
! its amounted to S65. .S29. .322 Much of this
product was alcohol used in the arts and
/ in medicine This tax should be abolish
ed, because it is productive simply Of evil.
| When the Democrats answer this propo-
sition. they say that the Republicans are
| in favor of making whisky cheap, while
| they maintain the tariff tax on the neceS-
sarieS of life. They know this is disingen-
uOuS. The know that the Internal Reve-
nue. tax on whisky, much as it amounts to
| in the aggregate, does not add more than
half cent to the price of drink. Who
/ is so absurd as to say that half cent a
| drink will restrain drunkard's appetite? ?
| The tax does not accomplish any good
Judge Pitman. of Massachusetts, well
known as leading temperance advocate,
says of the liquor tax that it is opposed
| to the better moral instincts" and is "Ope-
rative as bribe to pervert the public con
science"
The tax enables the rich distillers to
combine and secure a monopoly of their
business. When tax of ninety cents a
gallon is added to the great expense of
producing whisky, the government enters
| directly into partnership with the men
] g oil
year in the liquor traffic. Therefore, it is
opposed to the better moral instincts"
! When the government pays its expenses
! by giving this monopoly to the large dis
! tillerS, it helps to "pervert the public con-
science" There is no escape from this
conclusion.
Similar arguments may be made against
! the taxes on tobacco and fermented liquor.
! The tax on bank circulation is very small,
being only S4,2SS. 1t is a relic of time
when our necessities were so great that
the government was compelled to resort
to extraordinary methods of taxation
The bank tax ought to be abolished be-
cause if it were of any account it would
be burden on exchange and trade, while,
as it is, it is not worth while collecting.
The whole amount collected last year by
the Internal Revenue Bureau was $11S,-
So. .301, and the cost of collection was ST.,
COS. 149 The total abolition of the tax
would therefore wipe out the surplus and
cure the money congestion i'll the Treas
ury The government ought to take its
countenance from the distillerS of whisky,
the brewers of beer, and the manufactu-
rerS of tobacco. The Republican party
favOrs sound legislation against intem-
perance and the saloon, and that legiSla-
ton must be in the statutes of the several
States. The federal government is too far
away from the evil to be dealt with even
if it has the power under the Constitution.
As the law is now, however, the federal
government is the partner of the liquor
dealers. Its tax affords them an argu-
ment why the State should not cut deeper
and take their power away. This might
not be party question, but it is. The
Democrats stand by the diStillerS, and in
sist that the customs revenues shall be re-
duced in order that the internal taxes may
be continued. All good men who believe
in killing the political power of the saloon
hailed with delight the opportunity to
strike blow at the diStillerS which was
afforded by our superintendent revenues.
To them the need Of reducing taxation
seemed to be the occasion for dissOlving
the governments partnership with the
liquor traffic But the tariff reformers
stand in the way. They cry out, Hands
off the sacred Bourbon idol of Kentucky"
And so the friends of temperance find, as
usual, the Democratic party standing in
their pathway, snivelling hypOcritically
some rigmarOle about cheap whisky and
dear blankets. Nevertheless the fact re-
mains, and it is a fact that no one can sue
cusSfully dispute, that the abolition of the
internal revenue taxes is not only the GER
tain way of reducing both taxation and
the revenue, but it will accomplish great
moral reform at the same time.
When the Republicans come to deal
with this important question in the Sen
ate they viii not be deferred by the un
truths which are shrieked out by the enc
mics of American industries. They will
crafty the usual sentiments of the coun-
try and offer a sane and proper solution
for our financial problem by firmly cut
ting the bond between the government
and the liquor traffic.
TT-nTIN n DECIT A NT,S SrND ISN-T,rUII