People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-05-12

The Peoples party has with fore
thought and wisdom included grad
uated tax on incomes as the best
means of defraying the expenses Of
the government. While no other
organized party has done this form
ally, yet the speeches in Congress
and the discussion in the newspapers
clearly indicate that there is a strong
drift of public sentiment in this di-
rection. The lines of progress, re-
form and civil and religious liberty
have always been wrought out and
secured on the questions as to taxa
ton and revenue. Edmund Burke
saw and expressed this great truth
in the English Parliament during the
debate on American affairs at the
commencement of the struggle that
resulted in the independence OF the
United States and the establishment
of this government. The revolution
of 1776 was caused by unjust and
unequal taxation. SO also was the
revolution that eliminated in the
death OF Charles the III of England.
Illegal and unjust taxation brought
John Hampton to the front and arbi-
trary taxation to a sharp and sudden
end. The second revolution in Eng
land that drove James IL from the
throne and into exile, had It's root in
the same cause. To unjust, grinding
exactions and extravagant expendi-
lures may be distinctly traced the
impulse that pronounced the revolu-
ton and reign of terror in France.
All history establishes the great
truth Of Bmke's axiom that the lines
of progress, and of civil rights are
along the lines of taxation. What
soeVer things were written aforetime
were written for our admonition. "
The present situation Of the finances
of this country, the injustice and inc
quality of all tariffs, internal revenue
laws and taxes on private enterprise
in the shape of license and privileges
10 pus1e a vocation, are SO Cypress
i've that from all sides there comes a
demand for a tax on incomes as a
means of raising a public revenue.
A conservative and influential
newspaper of Democratic faith says
in an article on an income tax that,
at is against public policy to tax any
income that is a normal result of in
dividIal industry, whether IN trade,
in production, or in professions.
Such taxes tend to restrict trade and
to cramp activity but where the
income is clearly abnormal, where it
is derived from usury or other para
sitism, and where it is clear from the
amount of the income that the per-
son who enjoys it is dro'ci7g t.JroD1
the labor Of Others to whom he is
making no adequate return, then the
income tax Is not a restriction of
activity but rather check on
unjust accumulation.
This definition of a Just income
tax made editorially in the st. Louis
Republic of April %, is almost per-
feet, although the whole article shows
that the writer does not fully appre-
bend the force and effect of his own
definition. GA graded tax on all
abnormal incomes will imbrace
incomes under as we'll as cover ten
thousand dollars year" 1t is not
only necessary to relieve the strain
as this editor says, but it is also neces-
sary that an income tax should be
just, uniform and equal, and that no
product of the laboring masses should
be touched or diminished thereby
because the laborer Is entitled of
right to the whole product of his
labor undiminished by any tax.
An income tax as ordinarily under
stood leaves out of view the source
from which the income is derived.
If it is the product Of individual
labor in the utilization of the natural
force and resources of the earth, or
sea, or air, without any interference
with the equal rights of other men or
any special and exclusive privilege of
using the common property of all,
then an income tax would be clearly
unjust. Again, wealth is the product
of labor capital is wealth in action
through applied labor producing
more wealth. The graduated income
tax as contemplated by its proposers
would take this wealth from It's pres
ent owners and creators and put it
into the public treasury without any
discrimination as to the source from
which the income has been derived.
Leaving much unsaid for the
thoughtful consideration of the reader,
the assertion is made that there is
within easy reach an income tax that
will meet every public need; that
will not touch the products of any
mans labor, and that will arrest at Its
source the robbery of the laboring
masses by monopolistic corporations.
The principle on which this tax is
founded is this: Individuals and all
public corporations having special