St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-11
AN INCOME TAN,

The income tax question was ably
debated in a recent issue of the GLOBE
by the Hon. THOMAS WILSON, of
Winona, the late Democratic candidate
for the governorship. He pronounced
himself as strongly in favor of the
enactment of such measure, and offered
his reasons with his customary vigor.
He thinks that by this device the evils
OF the present system, under which the
whole burden of taxation is thrown on
real property, might be obviated. The
GLOBE has not itself expressed any
opinion on one side or the other Of the
question, not because 1t has no opinion,
but because its presentation would be
easier and clearer in the form of criti-
cism of views which might elsewhere
be advanced. 1t has contributed in
Judge WILSON'S letter the most valuable
and exhaustive discussion of the prob
lem yet offered. and has hoped that the
field would be opened by the replies
and comments which it might excite.
The only answer it has seen to the
general public inquiry on the subject
has been the oft-repeated one that an
income tax is Objectionable on two
grounds. The first is that it is inQuisi-
toriaI, and the second is that it is i'm
practicable. Its opponents say that it
is not fair to make men disclose their
resources in this shape, and that, in
any event, they cannot be made to-
Without at this time advocating such a
tax, the GLOBE does not see how either
of these objections does not apply
equally to the personal property tax,
and why, if carried through to a con-
clusiOn, they would not relieve every
thing but realty from the tax-gatherer's
sphere. 1t surely is no more inquisl-
tOrial or impertinent to make man tell
what his property produces than it is to
make him tell what property he has.
And it is no more difficult. nor for that
matter as difficult, to learn the earning
power of his property than to find out
what the property is itself. A mans
manner of living bears much closer
ratio TO his income than it does to his
capital; and if notoriety is of value in
such matters, it will be far easier to as
certain the amount of one than of the
other,
In general. all the arguments against
personal property or income taxation
stand together and may be reduced to
this. Men will not pay taxes on any
thing unless they have to, and will uni
formly lie and perjure themselves to be
free from their burden. If this is so, it
becomes simply aqueStiOn of conflict be-
tween the power of the law and the dis
honesty of the citizen. Ii it is admitted
that the states machinery is not ade-
quate to the task, we had better abolish
the tax on everything except real estate
at once. The present state of affairs is
deplorable. Some people pay some
thing on some Of their personally, and
others nothing on any of it. Those who
pay, pay more because of the others de-
fault. In fact, things have gone so far
that it is now commonly said that no
one but fools pay any personal property
tax in Minnesota: and, according to the
opponents of an income tax, this would
be true also if it were enacted. So easy
is it to dodge under the present statutes.
This point of view suggests that our
fathers fought to establish the principle
that there should be no taxation with
out representation. If the converse is
true, and there should be no representa-
ton without taxation, nobody except
the landed proprletors and the pools
has any moral right to the suffrage IN
Minnesota, because they alone pay taxes.
If they select from their own kind for
Representatives we ought in justice
to have very remarkable legislature,
made up of depressed and gloomy real
estate owners and the idiots who admit
that they have some personal property,
No one can fairly criticise our legis-
latures if they take pessimistic or fool
ish view of things, for in so doing they
are only emuiating what an ideal legis-
lature selected on principles of abstract
Justice would do,