Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-05
Republican Policy of Taxation

source of tho Republican politicians.
/ Though this was the point that bore most
severely upon agrcuiturethey increased the
tariff from time 10 time Gutii-at The end OK
the war it stood al an average rate Of over
fOrty-tve per cent. AS al know, there = q
POINT in the levyiug OF tariff iU,jeS wheE i
becomes SO high that il = prOhibitOry. M
ports fall OF. the revenue lessons. and
/ though he consumer pays the full taN n
the way Of higher prices to the
domestic muufacturcr who can raise the
profit on his goods up 10 the verge tI the
Z tariff rate yc' the government obtains moth
I ing III duties, and must resort Ia other
methods of raising revenue Before the
var WAS over the Republican tariff leaders
saw that the 'arf had been strained 10 this
point, aud rs sufficient money WAS not
forthcoming from il they were forced 10
look in other directions.
Their next resourSe was internal revenue.
Under this method taxes was levied on
tOll-brid%CS. lotteries AMI thcaterS, on the
sales OF auctioneers and merchants, on the
receipts OF telegraph, insurance, express
and transportation companies, on gold ami
silver bullion. gold ami silver plate, on stocks
and bonds. on the dividends Of canal and
railroad companies; on pianos. gold and
silver watches. billiard tables and pleasure
boats, ON the deposits. circulation and
dividends Of banks, on d great number Of
professions and occupations, on lcSdcles
which it would be tedious TO enumeratc.
Thus al tine same time these Two great
engines OF taXdtiOn-the tariff and the III
tcrua} TeVenue-wCre forcing money from
the people. The tremendous pressure ad-
vauced the receipts Of the custom houses
from $50, 5S2, l26 in ls6l up TO slI9.0+6, 65l IN
lS66. And the receipts from internal reve
nue.. which did not exist i'll 1851, amounted
in IS66 to the sum Of $500 226.Sl3, thus
swelling the aggregate from both sources
10 nearly $500 O0o, 900 per annum.
About this time Democratic influence
seemed to be reduced 10 he fceblencSS Of
final dissolution The tax laws which have
been described Were al Republican meas
urcs That party held complete control OF
the government during the war. and for Il
long time after. When the strain of annual
war expenses passed off 1t was soon found
that reduction could be made IN the taxes
The next question was TO determine
how this reduction should be made.
The internal revenue bore. indirectly, of
course. upon everybody, but its direct bur-
den was lighteSt upon the farmer The
tariff on the other hand bore most heavily
upon the agricultural class. 1t is impossible
to make an accurate calculation upon IL
question oil that sort. but statistics estimate
that 81 per cent or more of the burdens OF
the tariff fall upon the farmers Of the coun-
try. The Republican party made the tax
reductions, but true 10 It's history and Its
Instincts, made them not in favor of a0rl-
culture, but in favor of the manufactures.
In 1S66 tho taxes upon manufacturers were
reduced and in lS6S totally repealed, and
thus they were relieved of an annual tax
which had run rs high as Sl21, 30 609, and
which they were amply able to contribute
towards the expense of the Federal govern
meut.
Nor was this all Il was not long until
the opportunity came for another reduction
II was made in behalf OF the railroad,
steamboat. express and insurance COM
panieS, and these corporations We're relieved
of annual taxes which amounted to millions
Of dollars. Again, i'll 1871, the taxes on the
incomes of corporations and individuals
We're repealed outright. The renenue from
mis- source had swelled Us high at one time
as So. go 30 per annum and IL came from
those who could best afford to pay. Soon
after the taxes on passports. legacles, etc,
We're repealed, and relief given to persons
interested in those subjects Of assessments
Thus. from lstG 10 1871, there was taken of
in behalf of special classes, taxes which,
counting them at the highest. amounted in
the aggregate to nearly $50, .OO0 per an
num- During all this time barely feathers
weight of the burdens of the tariff had been
lifted from the backs of the farmers OF the
land. In fact the receipts of custom houses
had risen from 19,00O,0 900 i'll 1865 to 500
00J, 600 in 1871
These reductions. aud the determinations
which they show. must be charged to the
Republican party. They were made that IL
high tariff might be permanently fastened
upon the American people, and il would
be hard to find anywhere in the lids of his
tory record OF financial exploits showing
more barCfaccd favoritiSm to those who
least needed favor and more uncOnsciouna-
bic injustice to those who most needed JUS
tice. Up TO that time while the general
policy of the Republican party had led TO
Z ba ST,Onprf nj tariff vet there
had been So many extraordinary pecuniary
demands from the government that this
policy had been partially obscured from
public notice. II is easy TO turn
Sherman and others which would
sound ike treason if delivered in a Repub-
lican convention TO-DAY. However, when
the dimun'tiOn Of the war debt began 10
make taX-reductiou almost inevitable, \
rapid consolidation OF Republican senti-
ment began in favor of protection, pure and
simple, regardless of the needs of the gov
eminent. and this sentiment has ever sincs
held power, boldly and detiantly deSpOilmg
the great masses of the people for the benefit
of the manufacturing classes. To protect
the idoIized high tariff from assault, Mr..
Blaine once proposed TO surrender the in
terual revenue tax 10 the states, and it hsS
now become a deliberate study with Re
publican leaders 10 increase appropriations
rather than cut them down and save money.
Republican Financial Policy.
Having ripened policy on the tariff, Re-
publican politicians next turned their
attention 70 the financial question During
the war time the national bank act had
been passed, and state bank circulation
had been driven to destruction by delib-
eratcly excessive tax upon it, which con-
gress imposed and which a partisan su-
preme court sustained in the celebrated
case OF Neazie Bank VS.. Collector of In
ternal Revenue. The attitude of the DEM
ocratic cparty toward this legislation Is
shown by the fact that the national bank
act received the vote of only one Democrat
in the senate and perhaps two or three in
the house When this system was inaugu-
rated it was confidently boosted that tina
national bank circulation would furnish
a currency steadily increasing as the
business necessities of the coun-
try grew, but this prediction has been COM
pletely falsitied by the experience of the
last twenty years, during which national
bank circulation has decreased from S333,-
OC0 900 TO about one-half that amount,
though the trade and commerce of the Union
has more than doubled in the meantime
After Grants second election the tariff
was working in the vigor and Partially of
avowed protectionism-the state banks had
been taken out Of the field of business by
the exorbitant tax Of the Federal govern
ment. and the monetary and economic prog