The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-18
Funny AS A G,AT.

lne Boston nefalu yeSleru dy proven,
TO its own satisfaction at least, that the
wicked Republicans were responsible for
the imposition of the income tax. "More
responsible than the Democrats who
were the immediate agents" through
whose instrumentality the law was
placed upon the statute book.
The Herald arrived at this conclusion
through reasoning process Of its own,
for which IL is understood no patent will
be applied for as probably no one else
will care to utilize it.
The expenses of government. accord
ing to The Herald, have increased since
the days OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, from
$1,000, 900 per year to $500, 1000, 900 per
year.
The Republicans cut off many millions
Of revenue when they took the tax off
tea and coffee, but their crowning act
of infamy was when they placed free
sugar on the breakfast table of the poor.
To this abrupt cutting off of millions
of revenue The Herald attributes the
necessity for the imposition of the in
come tax.
1t forgets, apparently, that under the
protective tariff revenue sufficient to
meet the requirements of government
were easily raised without resorting TO
questionable means, and that only
after the Democrats came into
power and made up revenue plan of
their own was there any shortage. Nor
is this bit of forgetfulness on the part of
The Herald the only remarkable feature
of IFS argument. 1t failed to state that,
finding itself many millions of dollars in
the hole in consequence Of its revision
of the tariff, it placed a tax on
sugar equal if not greater than that
abolished by the Republican party
while refusing to pay the bounty which
had done SO much to encourage and
stimulate the best sugar industry of the
country.
And with the tax on sugar again on
the statute books the Democracy even
then had to have recourse to the infa-
nous and possibly unconstitutional in
come tax.
The Herald, seemingly, forgets that it
has kicked over its own argument, which
was that the income tax was made nee
essary by the loss of the income from
the sugar tax. The re-imposition of the
sugar tax eliminated that tax from the
problem. But the income tax is not a
necessity. The Republicans ran the
government for score of years without
one and if given the power tomorrow
will devise scheme of revenue which
will neither tax coffee, tea, sugar nor in
comes, and yet not burden the people,
The income tax has no possible connec-
tion with the cost of maintaining the
government, and no one knows this bet
ter than The Herald.
pledged to revise the tariff on lines of
their own devising. They proclaimed
| protection to be fraud, unconstitu-
tional and robbery of the people. They
had full power to devise a scheme for
the raising Of revenue in which pro-
lection should not enter. They might
have taxed tea and coffee, legitimate
objects of taxation under their theory.
What did they do? They threw their
principles to the wind, made up hodge
podge tariff more protective in spots
always Democratic spots by tn g way,
than the Mckinley bill, and, income tax
and all, they failed to provide enough
revenue to maintain the government.
Aud their apologists have to resort to
all sorts of explanations in order to throw
dust in the eyes Of the public.
The Herald's explanation of the in
come tax required long search, but the
result repays the effort. 1t is as funny
aa n poat