Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1895-04-04
WHAT MADE THE. INCOME TAX.

-.e Books
Many OF those who are repining be.
cause an income tax has been imposed
by the national government are prone
to object to it because of the lack Oh
any necessity for such an impost-
They attribute it to the democratic
party. and thes blame that party for q
gratuitous levying of taxation which
to pay it. It is true that the demo
cratic party is responsible for the law,
but it is not at all so plain either that
1t is unnecessary, or that this party is
responsible for the state of facts that
led up to it. That state of facts may
be concisely said to be increased ex-
penditures of the government and
diminished sources of revenue. Con-
sciously or unconscious1y, those who
have controlled public affairs for the
last twenty-five years have been so
conducting them as to make an income
tax logical, if not an BILE, out
come of their action. To charge the
responsibility for the levying of the in
come tax upon those who have been
the immediate agents in bringing it
view of the situation. We must go
further back to account for its appear
ance. It must be traced in the policy
of the government for a long period.
There are those now living who can
remember when the expenditures of
the American government amounted
to but S13, ZOO, 900 per annum. This was
the annual outlay during John Quincy
Adams administration, and one Of the
charges made against his administra-
ton was that it was extravagant- In
less than twenty years this sum had
treb1ed in amount It steadily rose
thereafter till the days of the war of
the rebellion. The expenditures of
that period and the war debt that re-
suited gave it enormous additional pro-
portions. The country had increased
greatly at the same time in area, and
more in wealth. We had imposed a
heavy taxation which enabled us to
pay off much of the debt, and brought
a surplus into the treasury. A surplus
did, what surplus always does, it in
duced habits of extravaganza. There
was period under it when it seemed
as if our legislators sought to devise
means for spending money. This habit
had its inevitable effect. 1t sent the
national expenditures constantly high
er, until they reached the enormous
amount of 100000, 900 year. We had
begun with S13,OOO,OO we ended with
$500, 100000.
Our national legislators, if they had
stopped to reflect, would have realized
that no nation in the world had ever
spent any thing like the sum of $780,
OOO, 900 per year without resorting to an
income tax to meet the outlay. But it
may be said, and with some truth, that
our nation is not like most other ma
tons of the world in the extent Of it's
resources for taxation. Admitting
this, and the fact still remained that it
was necessary to prudently employ the
resources for taxation aside from in
comes, if income taxation was to be
avoided. This is exactly what we
failed to do We had a tremendous
mint to draw upon in our customs du-
ties, and, if we had used this in bust
ness spirit for purposes OF revenue, 1t
might have been that we could have
postponed, if not have avoided, the
levy of an income tax. But we entered
upon the policy of fixing our rate of
duties primarily with a view to what
was called protection rather than for
revenue. Long ago this was begun by
a repeal of the duties on tea and cot
fee, which cut off many millions from
our national income. The friends of
protection, on the one hand, thought
that the repeal would give more room
for protective duties on other articles,
and others who were not in agreement
with them feared the charge that they
were taxing the poor mans breakfast
table. So these duties were abolished.
This was followed later by the taking
of duties from sugar. In this way
500, 900, 900, if not more, was removed
from our revenue. It is not difficult
to find the genesis of the income tax
right there.
Take the two together-the unthink-
ing and INSCRIPTIONS increase of gov
eminent expenditures and the failure
to adopt ordinary prudent methods tor
the raising of revenue-and we ac-
count fully for the income tax. It was
inevitable if that policy was to be pur-
sued. It must come sooner or later.
L
the extent of running up the expendi-
lures Of the government to $500, 600, 900
a year and at the same time took $780,
OOO, 900 from the revenue by the repeal
of the sugar duties, besides paying out
$40, 900, 900 Of bounty to sugar pro-
ducers, fastened the time of its appear
ance. They were more responsible for
it than were the democrats, who were
the immediate agents to place it on the
statute book. The former created the
necessity for revenue to meet defcien-
cies, and this, coming just at the time
when the populist feeling of the coun-
try was aroused against the possession
of great wealth in comparatively few
hands. was provocative to the passage
of the measure, which only blindness
has resulted.
We have not discussed above the right
or the wrong of this measure. We have
only brought to mind the causes that
have placed it on the statute book.
They are much too plain to be mis-
taken Or isregarded.-Boston Herald.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
There are not going to be any
goods sold at profit in the
English markets if the Mckinley
brethren can help it. No, sir!-Boston
Herald.
Mr.. Mckinley's sugar bounty has
cost the people of the United States
another five million dollars. And it
has also cost Mr.. Mckinley about five