The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-07-03

revenue presented fairly debatabl
question; no candid man will den
that. The Courier-Journal has neve
desired to be dogmatic upon thi
question. While favoring a moderat
tax upon incomes, we have never In
sisted on making il an article of faith
at least in the absence of any deliver
ence on the subject from nationa
convention Of the party.
1t can be urged against the income
tax that it is somewhat difficult Of
collection, that it will often be evaded
1t also presents temptations to rich
men to commit perjury in order to
avoid payment. 1t is likewise some
what inquisitorial. These are facts
that are undeniable, and the answer
to them is simply that like objections
apply to all systems of taxation. The
tariff. as we have been repeatedly told
by its warmest advocates, is constantly
evaded, not only by smuggling, but
by undervaluations and various other
devices. 1t is inquisitorial from be-
ginning to end, to the point of a rigid
examination of personal effects and
even of the clothing worn by persons
coming into the country. The internal
taxes are evaded by the "moonshiners"
and by frauds ofvarious sorts. They
are inquisitorial to the extent ofplacing
the property of tax payers under the
exclusive control of officials of the
Government until the tax is paid.
These objections to The income tax are
in kind like those to all other taxes;
the degree of objection is fair subject
of debate.
The opponents of the tax, however,
while they have urged these points
have not laid the principal stress on
them. They have spoken of the tax
as one upon industry, upon thrift, as
socialist, communist, and all that
sort of thing. We are asked to
believe that it is conceived in hatred
Of wealth of the accumulations of
savings by laborers. The charges
have been rung upon this idea with
Intiring persistence.
If there is to be no tax on industry,
IN incomes on savings, on thrift, who
ire to pay the taxes? Obviously, it
equires money to pay the expenses of
he Government; and this money
must ba paid by those who have it, for
t can not be collected from those who
rave it not. And where do the
masses of the people get the money to
'ay taxes, unless by industry, by
hrift, by savings from earnings which
night otherwise be expended for the
or luxuries of life2
Every tax is essentially tax on in
ONES. Taxes must be paid either out
# incomes or out of accumulated
wealth, Now only comparatively
mall part of the population have any
considerable accumulated wealth.
they must, therefore, pay their annual
axes Of every sort out of the income
# the current year. OF that part
4 the laborer's income invested in
lutiable imports an average of 30 per
ent., in round numbers, goes to the
Federal Government. OF the first
ost of articles on which internal reve-
ue is levied much more than half
oes to the Government, and much of
goes to States and municipals in the
Vay of license and otherwise. AS
esult of the customs duties levied for
rejection, immense sums are con-
ributed out of the incomes of laborers
, the rapacious interests, including
rust that go into partnership with
ne Government to extort money from
ne masses. The Republicans in the {
asst have been in the habit of denying
lis, but they have been themselves {
getting it vociferously in discussions
the sugar schedules. These COM
ines are eager to tax the incomes of
Tiers for their own benefit, but are
unwilling to pay small percentage
their own for the support of the
government. r
All these taxes on consumption are
aid out of incomes, and the bulk of
lem out of small incomes. They arel
Ixes on industry, on thrift, and they
Ike large part of the earnings of {
lie industrious. They tax the average {
lcome all that it is able to bear, +,
ithout causing privation, and not {
frequently they go beyond this
T. L A 4 4 4