St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-10
EXORBITANT TAXES.
The Government Should Make
the PeODIe's Burdens Light.

The pledges contained in the platform
adopted by the late convention of the
national Democracy lead to the ad-
vancement of these objects and insure
good goveTnment-the aspiration OF
every true American citizen and the
motive for every patriotic action and
effort. In the consciousness that much
has been done in the direction of
good government by the present
administration, and submitting its
record to the fair inspection of my
countrymen, | indOrSe the platform
thus presented. with the determination
that, if | am again called to the chief
magiStTacy, there shall be a cOntinu-
ance of devoted endeavOr TO advance
the interests of the entire country. Our
scale of federal taxation and its cOnSe-
QuenceS largely engrOSS at this time the
attention of our citizens, and the people
are sOberly considering the necessity of
measures of relief. Our govern
ment is the creation of the
people, established to carry out
their designs and accomplish their
good. 1t was founded on justice, and
was made for a free, Intelligent and
virtuOus people. 1t is only useful when
in their control, and only serves them
well when regulated and guided by
their constant touch. 1t is free gov
ernment because it guarantees to every
American citizen the unrestricted per-
sOnal use and enjoyment of all the re-
ward of his toll and of all his income,
except what may be his fair cOntrbu-
ton to necessary public expense.
Therefore it is not only the right,
but the duty of a free people,
in the enforcement of this
guaranty, to insist that such expense
should be strictly limited TO the actual
public needs. 1t seems perfectly clear
that when the government, this instru
mentality created and maintained by
the people to do their bidding, turns
upon them, and through an utter per-
version OF its powers eXtortS from their
labor and capital tribute largely i'll
excess of public necessities, the creature
has Tebelled against the creator and the
masters are robbed by their servants.
The cost of the government must con-
tinue to be met by tariff duties collected
at our custom houses upon imported
goods and by
INTERNAL REVENUE TAXES
assessed upon SpirituouS and malt
LIQUORS, tobacco and oleOmargarine. /
suppose it is needless to explain that all
these duties and assessments are added
to the price of the articles upon which
they are levied, and thus become tax
upon all those who buy these articles
for use and consumption. L suppose,
too, it is well understood that the effect
of this tariff taxation is not limited to
the consumers of imported articles, but
that the duties imposed upon such arti-
cles permit corresponding in
crease in price to be laid upon
1oDoo.+in ,NrnHnofiHnc nf hn
kind, which increase, paid by all our
people as consumers of home prOduc-
ton and entering every American home,
constitutes a form of taxation as certain
and as inevitable as though the amount
was annually paid into the hand of the
taX-gatherer. These results are inSep-
arabic from the plan we have adopted
for the collection of our revenue by
tariff duties. They are not mentioned
to diScredit the system, but by way of
preface to the statement that every
million of dollars collected at our
custom houses for duties upon i'm
ported articles and paid into the public
treasury represents many millions more
which, though never reaching the ma
tiOnal treasury, are paid by our citizens
as the increased cost of domestic pro-
ductionS resulting from our tariff laws.
In these circumstances, and in view of
this necessary effect of the operation of
our plan for raising revenue. the abso-
Lutte duty of limiting the rate of tariff
charges to the necessities of frugal
and economical administration of the
government seems to be perfectly
plain. The continuance, upon pre-
text of meeting public eXpendi-
lures, of such scale of tariff taxation
as draws from the substance of the peo-
pie a sum largely in excess of public
needs, is surely something which, under
a government based upon justice, and
which finds its strength and usefulness
in the faith and trust of the people,
ought not to be tolerated. While the
heaviest burdens incident to the neces-
sites of the government are uncom-
! plainingly borne, light burdens become
| grievOuS and intolerable when not JUS
tilted by such necessities.