Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-08-29

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revenue Only-far Il gathers revenne
nom every article imported on which 9
duty 10 imposed.
tariff that would not prove 20 he I'M
practicable. No man, OF set Of men,
can ascertain the necessary informa-
ton 10 construct such q tariff-for ig-
norant themselves Of the relative cost
of many articles, such knowledge will
he concealed by others through dis
honesty and selfishness. Again, II such
q tariff could be constructed to-day, II
would be changed tomorrow through
fluctuations In the cost of plant, labor
and material. Inasmuch as a different
duty Is affixed TO nearly every article,
those Interested appear in the lobby at
every session Of Congress to induce
members, through the use of money
and by other arguments, to impose
duties on certain articles so high as to
exclude importation, that competition
may be prevented and their own profits
enhanced.
And SO the original purpose Of a tar
iff law-and but for which purpose it
never would be enacted-through ig.
norance, selishness and corruption, be-
comes In part tariff law, and in part a
law of prohibition. II the same duty
could be imposed on every article i'm
ported that ought to pay duty, there
would be no need of special knowledge
and the lobby would disappear. For
then the only question to be determined
would be not what duty certain ar.
ticle should pay, but whether 1t should
pay duty at all. In other words, the
question would be what articles shall
pay duty, and what articles shall be on
the free list. That is a question that
plain people can understand, and in
their ability to determine such a ques-
ton they are the peers of the highest
in the land, and are not to be bam-
boozled by those whom they have au-
thorized to act.
Every tariff law, I have said, will
bring In some revenue, but insist it
should not be the purpose of its enact
ment. This nation can get along with
out revenue from customs. There
are other ways of collecting a revenue
easier, better and at less cost. No sys-
tenn of taxation can be devised that is
so cruel and unjust. The burden falls
heaviest on him who is the least able
to pay. have neighbor in the city
of Toledo who ranks as millionaire,
and he has no wife and no children
He has horse, and the man who takes
care of the horse has nothing, but a
wife and five helpless children, and
earns dollar day. They all use
sugar-millionaire, hostler, wife and
children. 1t may be presumed that the
| hnokIaR nd hte 70
times as much as the millionaire, and il
that be so, the hostler pays the govern
ment seven times as much for his sugar
as the millionaire. Yea, seven times as
much as the millionaire for many
things that men and women and chill
dren must eat and drink. and, wear
When / think of such system of taxa.
ton, and recall that this is a govern.
ment Of the people, my blood boils, and
!. / cannot weigh words-the man who
will defend such system of taxation is
an idiot or thief!
believe that the burdens of taxation
should fall upon the rich and the poor
the just and the unjust, in proportion
to the means of payment. The consti
i tuition Of Ohio, made nearly forty years
ago by the good old fathers of the
Democratic faith, nearly all of whom
have passed away, contains q correc
principle of taxation, and that Is, to tai
every person upon what he is wOrti
and no other way. They even declares
the levying Of taxes by the poll to bt
grieyous and oppressive, and therefor
forbade It. That constitution has beer
so changed by the Supreme court as tt
tax every man engaged in the liquo
: traffic, and an application Of the SAM
principle will tax every lawyer, doctor
merchant, drayman, and every othe
man who earns his bread, down to tn
hod-earrier and the boot-bIack. Let tn
!, constitution, as thus amended, stand.
u The last legislature submits an addi
tional amendment to do away with an,
general principle of taxation, so tina
men and property may be taxed in ac
cordance with the whim of each sue
. ceeding legislature. Even under tn
, present constitution the laws are g
fashioned that the rich escape their jus
share of taxation, and what can o poo
, devil expect from legislature that vii
have full sway? God Almighty mar
ried wealth and influence, and 1t doe
not lie within the power of man to pro
nounce their divorce. The man @
wealth arrests the attention of the legis
lator, and he is readily heard and heed
, ed; but the plain, simple man Of tn,
people, though Solomon, must plea
, for q hearing.
There never was more equitable ta.
j than the income tax. But the howl tina
went up from the wealth of the land Sc
, cured its repeal. and additional burden
. were assumed by the people with scarce
ly murmur. Governments are in
, stituted among men more for the bene
! fit Of the rich than the poor, for with
out law the poor are better prot ecte,
than the rich, and therefore it is tina
the burdens of government ought to b.
borne more by tile rich than the poor
The reverse Is the rule. l belive tn
, general rule of taxation prescribed b.
the constitution furnishes the best sys
tenn of State taxation that has ever beeI
/ devised, and / implore you to hold fas
! 4 to that whichis good. ESe# \.
n If the Federal government has nee,
; of any more revenue than Just tafii
, will yield, I plead, insthe interest Of th
many against the interests ofthefew
that the income tax be restored. Un
der such law man pays not on wha
; he has, but on what he may earn. ant
, the money is ever at hand with whicl
to pay, and is paid by him who is hes
able tn pay. He that does not earl
more than 81 600 a year should be ex
empt from the operation of such law
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