Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-07-25
How TO Support Government.
To the Editor of the Alexandria Gazette:

How TO Support Government.
To the Editor of the Alexandria Gazette:
TO properly understand and appreciate
any great topic or principle Of public inter
est, person should examine it with unhi-
assed mind; he should, as far IS possible, lay
aside long pre-conceived notions, Und can
didIy look ct all the facts aud arguments
with free thought, as if he had not held pre-
viously established opinions on the subject
he should rise out of the old groove fairly 10
see what new light and reasons exist that he
had not before discovered which nay prove
that there are really better plans and
methods than those which be has always &C.
cepted "a q matter OF course to ce the only
way. Such is the reasonable course every
man should pursue in deciding the relative
merits and wisdom of the absorbing ques
tion of tariffs, free-trade or direct taxation,
as the true mode of meeting the proper ex-
penses Of the government.
Editors generally know what are the an.
nual expenses Of carrying on their State
government, and what the rate OF tax-how
much on the hundred doliars-is assessed
on the property of the State and collected to
from one to two dollars on The hundred ,
which is not the tenth-part Of WHIST poor
men, or men of oniy few hundred or thou
sand dollars, now pay under the present
enormous tariff methods Of The general gov
ernment.
The people Of Virginia aEd New York,
and Michigan, in fact all the States, sustain
the expense of their State government by
direct taxation on the properly Of the whole
people. The proper authorities determine
each year what sum is required 10 delrey
all the expenses Of all the public
affairs of the State; the amount of taxable
property is aacsrtained, and then the proper
officials proceed to assess sufficient rate
per cent. tax on the hundred dollars to pay
all the necessary public expenses; and 1t is
shown that with sll or most OF the States
this rate is about one dollar on this hundred.
This method Of collection allows OF little
or no accumulation, 10 the States, CT sur
pluses or corruption funds but secures,
very generally, economical and honest ed
ministration of affairs. We have giaripg,
alarming evidence that such is not the re-
suit under the tariff methods OF collecting
public money, but vastly otherwiGe-as at
the present day.
Now, let the general government adopt
the same system of direct tax on all taxa
bic property, as is practced by States, and
all other municipalities, TO raise money for
the public expense and soon the country
will be- free from most OF the tariff privi-
leges and disturbances, from troublesome,
corrupting surpluses in the treasury, from
profigate, extravagant expenditures for re-
warding favorites and enrichlng the few at
the expense of the many. The people-tax-
payers-knowing exactly what they have
to pay, what it costs, will be constantly more
watchful and cautious as TO how and where
the money goes; they will be more strict
and exacting for economical. honest admin.
istration of affairs by the officials, their SER
wants they will be more careful to elect
honest, reliable officials to all the Offices.
But under tariff operations the people
generally, the masses, know very little Of
what government costs them; they have no
idea to what extent they are taxed TO pay
expenses of public affairs, they have very
little knowledge of how much they pay to
build up the immense sum CT many mil
lions of surplus in the U. S. Treasury.
In 1887 the total tariff collection wss re-
ported to be over two hundred and eighteen
[S21S, ,000) million dollars but even
that immense sum represents only about
one.tenth Of the amount which the people
pay on account of tariffs for the goods they
buy the above sum is what is actually paid
ON goods imported but the people who
buy goods have to pay this increased price
also on all the home manufactured goods
that they buy because the tariff exists and
the imported goods is only about one-tenth
of the entire consumption. The tariff taxes
on nearly every article of merchandise
which the people buy, range from 10, 20 30
to 75 per cent, being an average of about
Al per cent. on all bought and consumed.
That is plainly stated. On every dollars
worth of goods the people pay Sl.41 on ac-
count of the tariff. Without the tariff i'm
position they would buy certain goods for
one dollar, but which they now pay for
same one dollar and fogty seven cents. sim
ply to build up rich manufacturers.
An ordinary family that buys five hun
died dollars (actual valuel worth of goods
in year, actually pays seven hundred and
thirty-fVe dollars for that FIVE hundred dol
lars worth. This is q monstrous weight of
tax that none would submit to fora moment
ifthey saw or knew it, or if it were imposed
directly: but it comes insidiously so deceit.
fully upon their daily living, day by day,
that the victim does not clearly realize 1t;
and people of moderate means do not see or
consider how large. how unjustly large,
proportion of the expense of government
they continually pay through the tariff. But
if the taxes to support the federal govern
ment were imposed and collected as they
are in State and county government, equi.
tably and p:oportionately upon the
rich and the poor, none would have
any Just cause to complain, and nope
but the very rich would complain.
For these and many other reasons the tar
iff system-a relic OF monarchcal govern
ments and inconsistent with republics
should be abandoned as soon as possible,
and instead thereof should be adopted the
nlain. equal. democratic system OF direct