Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-04-26

al dividend has been earned, will feel, when
that dividend has been cut and clipped by
national income tax, that they have been
subjected to heartless and indefensible in
justice. Even the farmers, who in their
towns have dubbed together to establish
town creameries, will find their dividends
are to be taxed.
Our Country is Dotted All over
with institutions essential to the general
welfare, where the capital is not mainly
made up by the rich, but largely contrib
uted by those in moderate or humble cir
cumstances, 10 aid local prosperity, and who
are anxious to have some little savings
treasured up to meet old age and all the vi
cisstudes of human life. But this demo-
cratic income tax boldly grasps each one Of
these helpless parties and snatches its grim
and paltry tribute. II poor widow, whose
husband has left her an income of SOU in
the stock of some bank, should be absurdly
told by an income crank that this is tax
upon the corporation and no tax upon her,
will she believe it? No; but she might
warn him to beware of the fate of that an
cient liar, Ananias.
The stockholders of the great Pennsyl-
vania railroad number 27,665, and yet 49,
6S4 of this number receive in D per cent an
nual dividends less than $1,000 each from
| the company; but all will be subject to the
income tax. The number of stockholders
in the Lehigh Valley company is 9O21. Only
% of these receive in their customary per
cent dividends so much as $4,000, and among
those with limited holdings there are $500
women, or more than half Of the whole
| company. These are examples that might
, be multiplied by the facts in most other cor
nf ha
grossly unequal income tax.
The bold assumption, therefore, that the
income tail to the tariff bill would impose a
tax merely upon large accommodations of
wealth, or upon no one having less than
$4,000, is rickety pretense, or rather ro-
bust fraud. Instead of only touching per-
sons with the income Of $4,000 or over il
would beyond all question smte greater
multitude having less than even $1,000. The
House way and means report deliberately de
clared
1.-The committee see no,hardship in requir.
ing those who have incomes of more thar
$4,000 per year to pay . per cent of all il
excess of that amount to carry on the gov
eminent under which it has been accumu
lated and by which it is protected.
The committee thus clearly and adroitly
conveyed the idea that they were about t.
tax only the incomes of more than $1,000
year, - and to cover all others with theil
paternal exemption from an income tax
When the ostrich hides his head in the sand
his other end swings higher up, and the fac
can not be hidden that this committee say
no hardship in requiring far more numer
Gus class swho have incomes of less thai
$4,000 to pay on every dollar of it, if
Its Source Was from Corporation.
) When those having an income in excess o
$4,000 year, including senators, represent
alive and others receiving salaries from tn
government came to be paternally consid
cred and protected by the lonely architect
= of the income appendix to the democrati
tariff bill, they carefully provided for tn
deduction and exception from returns of in
t comes in excess Of $4,000, or ''the amount o
income received from institutions or corpor
A ations whose officers, as required by law
D withhold per centum of the dividends, in
t terest, gain, profits and income made b
4 such institutions" land except tina
r portion of the salary or pay received TO
T. services in the civil, military. naval o
h other service of the United States, includn
8 senators, representatives and delegates i
= Congress, from which the tax has been dc
8 Quoted. -
Those with large incomes are thus to b
/ scrupulously shielded from injustice, viii
# those of less wealth or less dignity, if the
g have been 80 stupid or so ignorant of denc
j cratic finance and malice as to invest the
n small fortunes in any hank or other corpora
st ton, will have to pay to the uttermost fartl
r ing without any deductions. No incomes
n anybody from such wicked sources, exec
K the $1,000 ones, are to have democratic cha
l, ity or forgiveness. The small fish are to
y caught in an income net from which the b
II fish can leap out. The widows mite as we
/ q the sole income of the orphan is to be d