The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-06-28

the measure Of the tax which the govern
ment gets; and for every other dollar which
| some private person Is allowed by law to
tax the working people, through the in
creased price Of goods, wares or merchan-
disc he has to sell, and which tax the
government does not receive, the same
rule holds good. Somebody has got to work
| it out
In old times, it was customary to allow
persons to pay their taxes by actual days
work. And this is still the practice in some
parts OF this country, and more especially
finds favor In the Canadian Province of
Ontario. Now what disturbance and eX-
element there would be if the federal
taxes were TO be collected in this way, and
if every eiector was sentenced by Congress
to thirty-five days hard labor, which
would be about the amount which the head
of every family in the United States would
have to perform to meet the present annual
Federal expenditures. Everybody would
then be talking economy: and the politician
who wanted votes, instead of promising
public buildings, or more salaried offices to
his constituents, would say; Gentlemen,
give me your votes and elect me, and will
have your compulsory labor cut down next
year from thirty-five days TO twenty, or
even fifteen" And yet the difference be-
tween that state of things and the present
is merely difference Of appearance.
WHAT THEY GET IN RETURN.
The question which next naturally pre-
sents itself is: What are the people who
will work this year 0,000, 900 days-in
heat and cold, on the farm, in the forge.
mine, factory, shop and counting room, in
the cab of the locomotive or on the deck of
the vessel, with pick and shovel, hammer
and shuttle, with nimble fingers, skilful
pen and educated brain-in order to give
their government the money it says it must
take from them this year, to receive in re-
turn for such working. A correct answer,
expressed in general terms, and which
every citizen who keeps general run of
the details Of government ought to be able
to frame for himself, would be as follows:
Work contributed in the form of taxes
to the government and wisely expended
by it for the insuring Of security to
life and property, the administration
of justice, general education, general
health and improved facilities for
the INSTRUMENTATION of intelli
ligence and the reduction OF the expenses
of transportation, brings with it the full |
est equivalent of recompense or profit to
the individual or community contributing. |
But work performed and contributed to |
the government in the form of taxes |
which in turn are expended for other pur- |
poses-as for the building Of enormous |
i.iron clad" vessels which are likely to be |
ODSOI6te DolOTc lucy dIo COuplcloO, ana 4
which, il the advice Of Washington, to |
avoid intermeddllng with foreign nations, |
is needed, will never be wanted; or for |
the payment of pensions to persons who, |
having other and adequate means of sup |
Fort, have no right to ask other |
citizens to work for them; or
for enabling people to make livings or |
fortunes by unnaturally advancing the |
price of commodities-is work that entails |
unnecessary labo. upon the worker, |
favors the unequal distribution Of wealth, |
and in its influence is antag onistic to the |
principles and existence Of Q free and |
Democratic form Of government.
THE POOR TAXED MORE DAYS. WORK THAN !
THE RICH.
Let no man whose daily earnings are |
essential to meet his daily needs deceive |
himself with the idea, that because no |
Federal tax collector makes personal de- |
maud on him for taxes. he does not perform |
the labor that is embodied in and produces
them. With very few exceptions, all the
revenue-money-that the Federal govern
ment receives is derived from taxes ON
or things that people con-
sumo in their living or use in their labor:
md is paid in the 1rst instance, by those |
who consume or use them. And il needs
no argument to prove that the burden
If such taxes must be disproportion-
ately heavier on the man who from neces-
,ity expends all or nearly all his l.
earnings on living rather than on him who Il
,niy expeuds one half, one-third, or q small
er proportion Of them for like purposes,
md lays up the surplus for increasing his |
income. Or TO put it differently, q poor
nan with family Of i've. and earning 81 so