The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-11-24

lie not only thinks t moro just than
. tariff tax but he believes II would
meet the approval Of the tens %
thousands Of mechanics, clerks and
laborers in his district We quote the
following from an interview with Mr..
Warner In the St. Louis Republic, Of
October go:
II certainly prefer an income tax, Il
II Is necessary to raise sufficient rev.
enue, rather than the retention of such
high tariff duties as to involve an n
ordinate proportion Of protection.
would not hesitate minute how to
vote IL the question were presented be-
tween protective tariff which would
furnish the necessary revenue. and
bill which made the duties one-third
lower and enacted an income tax TO
supply the deficiency. Personally, I
think ii would not DO long before a
substantial revenue tariff would
bring as much money into the treasury
as would higher rates. because not only
would imports increase as result Of
lower tariff rates, but we should have
an era Of prosperity that exports would
greatly increase, and would naturally
Their increase Of imports"
But do you think it necessary To
put the entire machinery of collecting
an income tax into operation TO raise
twenty or thirty millions?" was asked.
THE machinery need be no more
elaborate than for the collection of any
other tax. and fear the amount of the
deficit to be provided for the first year
may reach $50, 900, 900 or more. do
not think. however, that an income
tax would be really necessary, because
the increase in customs receipt under
revenue tax might soon give us a sur
plus and we could issue. in the mean
time. treasury certificates redeemable
at the pleasure of the government
within no more than ten years There
may be a disposition in the house. how
ever. to insist upon legislation which
will meet the whole revenue pro blem
at once.
Members may say that my expects
ton of the increased customs receipts
is only prediction and that adequate
revenue ought to be certainly provided
for now We shall have, then,a contest
between different plans for meeting
the emergency. There will he tho
same opposition to an income tax that
there is TO any new form of taxation.
and of the contest between the income
tax, the plan for the issue of bonds and
Their plans should not he surprised
II the final outcome were the author
ity to meet any temporary deficit by
the issue of ort term bonds in an
ticipation of income. leaving the ques-
ton of whether an income tax Is needed
to be settled by experiment. and this
seems TO me to be the best plan at pres
ent-
but do you not think that the need
ed rev nue. can be raised by increasing
the internal revenue tax ON beer or
whisky"
II presume that it could be raised by
doubling the beer tax" said Mr.. War
ncr. but do not favor such propo-
sition as supplementing a tariff al
ready so high as To levy from those in
poor circumstances the greater part Of
the necessary income of the govern
ment. IL il is true that an income tax
would levy its heaviest burdens on the
rich while il let the poor escape taxation
this would hardly be more than fair
offset for the enormous disproportion-
ate burden which is imposed upon con-
sumption instead of wealth by tariff
taxation. The increase of the tax on
beer would simply carry further the
same wrong theory Of leg islation- II.
however, il were "A question Of taking
il off clothes and putting il on beer
would be for taking it of clothes. but
! am not in favor of putting il on both
in order to saddle the whole tax on
consu nption."
"But do you believe tn q the increase
in the tax on beer would affect the re-
tail price?'' asked your correspondent
THE consumer would have TO pay il
in the end. You can iot laya tax on q
theory that it will be paid by nobody
and that il will not affect the cost of the
articles on which il is laid. The con-
sumer would have to pay the increase.
whether it were in smaller glasses or
poorer beer. or reduction Of the induce
ment TO competition among producers
repeat il wealth already paid most Of
the fedora taxes and in some emcrgen-
cy the question arose IS o how to i'm
crease the revenues by taxes on con-
sumption, I might think a Pumping
levy on beer to be good thing. But
the trouble is that the most OF federal
taxes are now levied on consumption;
snch will be the case, even when tho
tariff is reduced TO revenue basis; and,
therefore. il we need additional taxes,
l believe in levying them on men's
wealth rather than mems wants"