The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-01-30
TAXING THE NEEDY.
Some More Light Thrown on the Iniquf-
ties of the Allison Bill.

Some More Light Thrown on the Iniqui- |
ties of the Allison Bill.
The more the Allison bill, now un-
der consideration in the Senate, is ex-
amined, the palmer becomes its pur-
pose to reduce the taxes of the rich and
to increase the taxes of the poor.
Recently we showed by what device
the tax on fine pen-knives was reduced
from so per cent. to SO per cent, while
the tax on the cheap Congress knife
would be increased from 80 per cent
to SO.
In guns the same rule has been ap-
piled. Section III reads as follows:
"All double barreled, sporting breech-load-
ing shotguns, ten dollars each and rs per cent.
ad valorem.
Double-barreled shotguns costing s.
abroad are to pay an import tax OF
sl1. 25, or on twenty guns costing 500
a tax of 1925.
But take a fine shotgun, such as the
rich buy, costing 500; the tax will be
only $50. Thus, twenty poor men
buying shotguns valued at just what
one rich mans gun is valued at, are
taxed in the aggregate 1925, while the
rich man is let off with a tax of $35.
Why?
Because at Syracuse, N. Y, are
three firms making cheap shotguns,
and they want to have a prohibitory
tax put on that grade. AS the Senate
as now constituted exists only to re-
cord the edicts of the manufacturer,
Allison draws the bill that is to draw
the blood.
The same principle runs all through
this Infamous bill. The common
things of life, the articles needed by
the poor-building materials, house
hold articles, fencing, farming imple-
ments-are taxed doubly, and the AL
lison bill is drawn for the purpose of
reducing the revenues by increasing
the rate of taxation.
Senator Vance illustrated the meth
DDS adopted when, in discussing the
proposition to take macaroni from the
existing free list and taxing it at the
rate of two cents a pound, he said
he had one day last summer peeped
| into the room of the Finance Com
mittee, where he found 'chipper
Dutchman'' telling the subcommittee
what he knew about macaroni, and
who said he had been making macaro-
nj in Cincinnati under the impression
that there was duty imposed upon
it, and had been doing very well,
but he couldn't believe his eyes"
when he read recently that it was on
the free list. He wanted 20 duty on
it of three cents per pound. Mr.
Vance read some amusing extracts
from the testimony Of this witness.
One of the strong points made by
Mr.. Vance was the pleading of the
witness that the duty would be very
small thing for the public, but that
cit would be a big thing for us. +"
He commended this point in political
economy to the Senator from Con-
necticut (Mr. Hawley), as it sustained
that Senator's argument the day before
about salt.
It seems to the Republican members
of Congress little thing to tax the
people one cent a head on salt, and
two cents head on cotton ties, and a
cent head on macaroni, and one dol.
lar head on pig iron, and fifty cents
a head on steel rails, but in the aggre-
gate the burden is something enor-
nous, and, though the Republicans dc
not see the danger ahead they are do.
ing just the things which may precipi.
tate in the next four years an indus
trial revolution which will destroy the
whole system of legalized robbery, ROOT
and branch.
Every proposition made by the Dem
ocrats to lower these taxes of the poor
is rejected by the unanimous vote o.
the Republicans. Every attempt te
remove the absurdities and inequali
ties of the tariff is opposed by the
united Republicans. But when Mr.
Allison, now the spokesman of the
trusts and monopolists, proposes al
amendment still further to grind the
faces of the poor, he is supported by
the unanimous Republican VOTE
Louisville Courier-Journal.