The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-14
THE Delft To An INCOME TAX.

TBE DELFT 10 An INCOME TAX
Yves! Virgins, Virginia, Tennessee and
Aiabajns would OF course like free wool
ems. g5ass. silk and other goods, bat they
will MT like free iron ores and coal. The
pig ir:sn producing states would ike to
place en the free lis, many articles that
they co not produce. but they would not
support . bill that would take hal; the
duty fkom their pig iron. South Carolina
would ike free wool and revenue tariff.
but when it comes TO rice the Paim.tto
state demands the Mckinley tariff.
so il is ali along the line; in every sec
ton IF country your theoretical free
traders are prosectionIsts when IL comes
to the: industries OF their own localities,
and ftr this reason the passage of rev.
enue i;srifi bill Will be most difficult. Un-
der ths. pledges of the Chicago platform
the democratic administration is COM
nittetS TO a general reduction of the tariff.
This general reduction involves loss OF
revenSe estimated from thirty to seventy
millioas. This defici. involved in the re-
ductiqn OF the tariff will make necessary
additional taxes Of some sort.
The, honest friends Of true revenue tariff
advocate the restoration Of the duties on
sugar; tea and coffee A duty on these
necessaries Of life. which are not pro-
dueed. in our own country. involves no
protection and is levied purely for reve-
nue.. tat ii would be most unpopular tax,
a. it lays a direct tax on the poor mans
break .ast table, so the Democracy is afraid
to IMPOSE il, so the Democrats Of the South
and Vest urge the enactment Of an in
come Tax. A tax on sugar. tea and coffee
would fall on every householder. while
tax or: what are termed abnormal incomes
would fall on the few rather than the
many
An income tax is a vicious, inquisitorial
tai, essiiy evaded by the possessor of an
abnorinal income. and. for this reason, to
be effective. it would have to be imposed
upon persons Of moderate. visible incomes.
In 1876 the tax on incomes over 5000 and
unders$5. 900, At 5 per cent, produced $780,
Oa6. 7ey while a tax of 10 per cent. on in
comes; of 5000 and over produced but
$aa.5osias.
OF course to repudiate the pledges OF
the Chicago platform, whose fulfiIlment
demands that Unconstitutional" pro-
tectios should be eliminated from the
tariff. sand revenue only" duties levied
on sugar, coffee, tea and similar COMPETE
tive articles, would be dishonest and
cowar;ily. for when the Chicago conven.
ton framed its platform it refused to in.
dorse ! demand for An income tar. The
moons tar il strongly supported today by
those Democrats Of the South and West
who aye afraid to enact tariff for revenue
only with the prospect of closed indus
tries. unemployed labor and heavy inn
ports sof foreign goods. combined with
higher prices for sugar, tea and coffee.
The; Chicago platform calls for the
cnactrpent Of a tart II law utterly free from
every trace Of protection, tariff which
will yield revenue sufficient with what
10 yiel;ied by the whisky taxes to pay all
the expenses Of the government. This is
the kidd of tariff which the Democratic
party pledged the country in its platform
to carly out. 1t is afraid today to carry it
ont; it is afraid to tax tea, sugar and
coffee, and so it scizes on the expedient of
an income tax.
A harizontal duty Of 80 per cent. ad val
orem apon all imports, without exception.
would furnish the needful revenue and
keep the pledges of the Democracy, but it
4 nvxA
the poor mans breakfast table, which the
Republican tariff policy made free. so the
cowar:ily Democracy are afraid to impose
this revenue tariff and are disposed TO inn
pose an income tax on abnormal incomes.
An in;ome tax is plan for internal taxa
ton rot for a tariff for revenue only; and
TO nor substitute one plan for the other is
10 ,hsow away the national Democratic
platform as to taxation and substitute the
demapd Of the Populist national platform
for a graduated income tax.
The st. Louis Republic UDem.) admits
that en- income tax on all incomes over
s., Oh, year would absolutely wipe out of
existence any party tina, should put il in
force; while tax on incomes of over
s.. os; would result in the defeat of the
party responsible for il and in the early
rcpeaa OF the measure but II thinks that a
tax osa incomes OF $1,000 and over. 10 be
continued ~ long as NIGH, be necessary 10
nay pensions. would be tolerated as an
emergency tax.
Thu New York Tribune points out that a
5 per: cent, tax on all incomes over SO. 1000
each migh, he expected 10 yield not more
than, So. 01ooo yearly. This would not
max. up tor the deficiency of over
| $s1.oso.oro which ~ould result from the
tariff reductions proposed by The Demo
cratiy Tariff Reform Club .oi New Work
/ 5 FER cent. tax on all incomes over <5.Ot
/ wousi reach such a multitude ~ iu,iiyid
/ ualsshat. as the ~. Louis RepHbiic. Dem
admits, it would prove disastrous to the
paris imposing it. as lnquisisor,aI taxes
/ are :: Nsys exasperat.ng 10 those Who are
I com seilei 10 pay them.
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Thirty DAYS notice of an extra session
/ muss bc e,vcn by the PRECEDENT. When