Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-08-01

this amount should be obtained in the
most
ECONOMICAL AND REFLECTIVE MANNER
and with the least burden and annoyance to
those who are to be called upon II contrib
ute work In the form of taxes. But to
what extent can such 4 result be CONFUSED
by sure and simple methods? Let Us see.
The revenue derived during the fiscal
year 1889 from the existing taxes on dis
Gllled spirits and wines was S74. 81, 200 in
ternal, 81, ,l2S, ,062 customs; total SSl .4S5. :
26S.
From malt or fermented liquors S2S. .72S, =
SIS internal, S66S, ,;>S7 customs; total S24.-
SS7, Up.
From tobacco SSI. SGT. $50 internal;
sll, 1874, 4S6 customs; total, S+S,66l,S4
From sugar and m plaSSeS SIS, ,995, 1877.
Here, then, from the above-enumerated
four articles or classes Of articles, S204, ,S7S,-
92S, or a fraction over one-half of the
S4OO, 200, 900 required to defray the annual
expenses of the federal government, can
be certainly and easily collected. In re-
Spect to three of these articles or classes
of articles liquors and tobacoo-from which
Sl4S, ,SSS, 1856, or 81 per cent. of the required
revenue of four hundred millions, is now
raised, it is entirelye
OPTIONAL WITH THE CITIZEN
whether he will assess himself and act as
tax-collector for the government or not
And In respect to the fourth article or
class, namely, sugar, although the rate of
taxation Is high-70 per cent. in 1899 it
would be difficult to name any commodity
IN general use which could be taxed with
view to revenue with so little
OF burden to consumers aad so
little of detriment to industry. 1t is so
largely produced, dealt in and consumed,
ard enters to so small an extent as Crsde
material into other industries, that it
comes to the consumer less burdened with
other than government taxes, merchants
profits and expenses of distribution than
almost any commodity that can be men,
toned, OF all articles retailed, sugar is
the one whose cost is least augmented hv
retailing, and, in fact, is said to be often
sold 10y grocerS without any profits rs Il
means of attracting other trade. And
yet, by Il not inconSiderable portion of the
American people, it is believed to be good
public policy to throw away all, or nearly
all, the advantages aCCruing from retain
ing the above enumerated sources of rev
enue by totally aboliShing the internal
revenue system, and not only repeating
the present customs revenue of So. 900, 600
on sugar, but making The occasion of such
repeal reason for augmenting the exist
ing taxes to the extent of at least seven
millions of dollars in the way of bounties
on Its domestic production. Has there
ever been in the whole history of taxation
anything more palpab'y absurd, or such a
demonstration, on the part of all respon-
slble persons, of inability to exercise COM
mon sense?
Is it not self-evident also. if four hun
dred millions must every wear be collected
from the people to meet the expenditures
OF the federal government. and if the con
sumption of
LIQUORS, TOBACCO AND SUGAR
is to be no longer regarded and utilized as
a proper source for supplying some two
hundred millions of this requirement.
that the immense sum thus diverted and
abandoned will have to be collected Just
the same; and that, too, by spreading an
equal aggregate of taxes over multitude
of other commodities, involving increased
expense and annoyance in collecting.
increased burdens upon domestic indus
tries, and increased opportunities for
using taxation for the promotion of priv
ate rather than public interests.
THE INCREASE IN RECENT YEARS
in federal expenditures, and consequently
in taxation, is also worthy the attention of
the American people Between 1870 and
1880 the increase in the net ordinary ex-
penditures of the federal government, ex-
elusive of interest and payment on the
national debt.(which payment represents
the legitimate continuing burden of the
war;, was less than per cent or from
Sl64, ,421 900 to Sl69000, 900, while an in
crease during the same period in p0pula-
ton was 3OOS per cent. But between 1880
and 1889, inclusive. the increase in the
same class of national expenditures, not
wlthstandlng reduction in the annual
burden of interest of S57 .000, 900, was
over AZ per cent. while the increase in
population during these same years could
not have been In excess of 30 per cent.
A burden of annual taxation of S400, ,000,-
600 on population of sixty-six millions is
a little over S6 per capita. or $50 on every
family of five persons but the ultimate
burden of a system of indirect taxation on
imported commodities ON the final CON
sumer of such commodities is certainly
considerably greater Recent investiga-
tons in this matter instituted in the Eng
ish colony of New Zealand, where the
revenue of the state, derived mainly from
customs taxes on imports collected from
a sparse population, affords unusual
facilities for investigation, indicate
that the burden of such taxation is in
creased TO the final consumers of the
taxed articles to the extent of at least SO
per cent. In the United States the incre-
ment is probably much greater. The av-
erage burden of federal taxation for the
next fiscal year will therefore certainly be
at least $40 on every family, and promises
in the immediate future to be greater
rather than less. To the man with an in
come of $50 per day, or some $4,000 per
annum, this is not much but to the farm
er who is raising and selling corn for Is
cents bushel, and to the operatives in the
great leading mechanical industries of the
country, whose annual incomes average
less than S400, it means deprivation.