The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-04-11
GRADUATED TAXATION.
The Labor Organizations Have Adopted
the System.

the System.
Mr.. EDITOR "A graduated income
tax" has been endorsed by industrial
organizations all over the United States
and by the reform political organiza-
tions as well. Graduated taxation of
all wealth has not been so generally
endorsed because it has not been so
fully discussed. Several Of the orders
among them one of the largest-have
adopted it as a reform tenet and no
class of reformers anywhere denounce
it, because it is the cOncensus of reform
opinion in relation to taxation, that &C
cumuIated wealth should bear a heav-
ier burden of government support than
the property that is distributed among
the producers and toiiers. We venture
to say that no honest industrial citizen,
who was born in the United States,
who truly and patriotically loves our
glorious country with her grand demo
cratic institutions of liberty, has any
desire not to be taxed his just proper,
tionate amount, according to his in
come and wealth, for the support of
MS government There is an honest
feeling Of free independent manhood
in the breast of all such men that
prompts them to help support the
government with her free Institutions
which guarantee to them and their
children civilization and religious lib
erty.
In Europe under all monarchial gov
ernments, taxes are paid for The sup
port Of kings, mobiles and other arisCo
era ic classes who constitute the gov
ernment; but in our Republic taxes
are paid by the sovereign people who
constitute this government, for the
support Of their public servants who
are performing the duties devolving
upon them while they are in office,
executing their public trusts" It
seems to me that we often forget that
we are a sovereign people; in fact it Is
no wonder the industrial producers
and toilers are prone to forget this
when a condition Of things exist, as
they do now, in which industrial labor
is made to bear by far the greater part
of the burden CT government support,
public improvements and pensions,
while at the same time they are shorn
of just proportion Of profits on the
products of their labor, because of the
existence of an enormous amount Of
interest (u8ury) bearing paper in the
shape Of stocks, bonds, mortgages and
notes
An investigation Of the taxation
principle has lead me to endorse the
graduated income tax feature of our
reformers' movement, and not only so,
but even more fully to support the
graded taxation Of all property. am
most earnestly in favor of the latter as
we'll as the former, from the fact that
taxing the incomes only will leave
great amounts of wealth Uhatis unused
and is an unearning increment without
bearing any share Of government sup
port; while the property that is in use
ard earning something will have to
bear it all; thus he burden would con-
tinue to rest, as itdOes now, most upon
industry and working people. Upon
the other hand if we tax value in prop
erty wherever found, we answer the
demand Of the toilers who say, justly,
wealth is the product of our industry
and we demand that as long as it is in
existence and under the protection of
our government it shall be taxed equal
ly with the annual products of our
lands" This is a just demand, for
although it may earn nothing by being
used, yet It's owners demand govern
ment protection for it.
This accumulated property having
passed from the hands of the toilers
and producers, having been accumu-
lated by aggregation in the possession
of rich people, they also demand that
it shall bear a greater part Of the gov
ernment burden, because so much of
it consists Of increased value by reason
Of surrounding industry and prosper
ity. Hence the idea of a graduated or
graded tax system which taxes accu-
mulated wealth equally with other
accumulated wealth and not the prop
erty and incomes that are distributed
in small amounts among the industrial
people, equally with the riches Of the
wealthy; they being taxed at rate per
cent. equally with each other. This
graduation does not destroy the primal
principle of equality of taxation" SO
earnestly contended for by our fathers.
1t more fully assures it by enacting
that all persons with certain amounts
Of property and with certain incomes
shall be taxed equally with all others
| of similar incnme and who 1nnssess the