The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1891-01-07

siiu- lie was gathering up his taa
receipts when mother asked hin
what kind of taxes those receipts
had been given for.
estate and county taxes, he said
4Where are the receipts for the
General Governmet taxes2' she ask
ed.
aI never had to pay any Govern
ment taxes he said. But mo.
ment afterwards he dropped the
receipts and sat down in chair
and thought for a while. At last
he said:
~ can't ever remember having
paid any Government taxes.
must have forgotten it, but 1 can't,
for the life OF me, remember any
thing about it, 1 suppose 1 must,
mother. Did you ever see any
Government tax receipts about the
house2"
"What do they look liISe?''
u don't know, but ] must have
paid some Government taxes, and If
l did 1 would take receipt. But
| can't remember anything about
it."
A knock was heard at the door
and neighbor came in.
al am awful glad you came" said
the old man. 81 want to ask you
about the Government taxes, can t
remember about paying them, but
| must have done so, 1 know.
When do we pay them2"
"Every day and every hour from
the cradle to the grave, and they
levy them on us after we are dead,
and if we don't leave any money
behind us our friends pay them for
u.s."
GLOW is that?" the old man asked.
"The government puts tariff on
every article the farmer buys and
when he buys the article part of
the price he pays is the tax the Gov
ernment has levied upon it. AS
soon as the farmer is born the Gov
ernment begins to tax him. If the
baby has the collie and his mother
gives him dose of paregoric the
Government taxes it 40 per cent.
and it never lets up on the taxing
afterwards while there is cent in
hispocket. sMost farmers and work
ing men wear flannel shirts for a
large part of the year. AT 5o'clock
he gets out of bed and puts on a
flannel shirt that is taxed 100 per
cent. This costly garment, for
which he paid twice what it could
have been sold for at a fair profit,
having been buttoned up with but
tons taxed $50 per cent, he proceeds
to put on pair of trousers. They
arc made of coarse, heavy cloth and
the tax is made correspondingly
heavy, so they cost him 100 per
cent. more than they otherwise
would. He straps them over his
shoulders with suspenders taxed 65
per cent. and proceeds to put his
feet into pair of socks taxed 12O
per cent. He wears coarse, heavy
socks, and he must pay about four
times the t: X the rich man does for
elegant thin ones. He then thrusts
his feet into a pair of course cowhide
shoes, which have been taxed 25
per cent, after which he puts on a
coat taxed 50 per cent. Wakes up
his wife and goes out into the kitch-
en- and starts fire with coal taxed
20 per cent. on the ton, and the
smoke goes up brick chimney tax
ed 45 per cent.
Then he goes out and pitches hay
to the cattle with a fork taxed 40
per cent, and feeds them salt taxed
A per cent. out of barrel taxed 40
per cent.
After giving slop to his pigs, out
of barrel bound with iron hoops,
taxed 35 per cent, he goes into the
stable to feed his horses out of
troughs taxed 40 per cent.
Meanwhile his good wife has
arisen and cooked his bacon, which
he had cured with salt taxed "A per
cent, Ono rebate) on a stove taxed
45 per cent. The old farmer came
to the house and, taking a pail taxed
20 per cent. went to fetch pail of
water (not taxed YETI which he got
from a pump taxed 80 per cent.
He closed tho door, taxed 90 per
cent, which was hung on hinges
taxed 35 per cent. Then he wash
ed his hands in tin basin, taxed SO
per cent, with soap taxed 20 per
cent. and wiped them on a brown
lsno,, fauoI +ox-ad ~ 49,. -. III