Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1895-02-08
PLUTOCRArIC TAX DODGER g
The MillIonaires Effort to Annul the
Income Tax.

The Millionaires' Effort to Annul the
Income Tax.
The suit brought by Mr.. Moore tc
annul the income tax is hailed with
delight by the small plutocratic class
and their newspaper organs. As the
constitutionality of the principle OF
the income tax has been affirmed by a
unanimous decision of the Supreme
court as recently as 1880, the hope OF
the millionaire tax dodgers now rests
upon some small technicality or ad'
min istrative feature of the new law.
II the governments case is properly
defended there is little doubt that the
law will stand.
The attempt to overthrow 1t Is but
another sign of the cold blooded sell
fishness of the Wall street crowd and
its hangers on. Moore is a stock
broker He admits that his tax under
the law would be over $1,000, indicat
ing an income of about $500 II
can obviously involve no hardship tc
a man with yearly income Of a
quarter of a million of dollars to pay
IS, 900 toward the support OF the ma
tional government.
The tax is not burdensome. Is it,
then unjust? Does not Mr.. Moore re
quire and receive more protection fol
his property and his income than his
poor neighbors do? The owners OF
and dealers in railroad stocks were
very quick to call upon the federal
government to protect their property
and keep their roads open at the time
of the great railroad strike last sum
mer in Chicago. Their property was
protected by federal bayonets. A
major-general of the army was de
tailed by the President to suppress the
disorder that interfered with interstate
commerce. The strikers were enjoined
and virtually subdued by processes is
sued by federal judge.
What return do Mr.. Moore and his
corporate partners and his stock gamb'
ling customers make for this protec
ton? The railroads have put in a
claim for payment for the Transports
ton of troops used to guard then
property. The revenue Of the govern
ment for the payment Of those and
its other expenses is now derived
solely from customs duties and internal
revenue taxes. Both arc based on con
sumption, the most unequal Of all
taxes. Mr.. Moore and his class pay
little II any more than the average
well-to-do farmers or worlSingmen.
The SLIGO, OOO,OO of internal revenue is
collected chiefly from whisky, beer
and home grown tobacco--the luxur'
les or indulgences of the poor. The
bulk of the revenue from the tariff is
collected from the universal necessar
les of the people. Mr.. Moore's carpen
ter or coachman, if he has family as
numerous as that Of his employer, pays
as much in taxes on sugar for example,
as the man does who enjoys an income
of S25O,O00.
The income tax is an attempt to dis
tribute n small portion of the cost oil
government in proportion to (D ability
to pay and (e) benefits received. In
seeking to defeat this most just tax
the plutocratic press is simply intensi-
flying the popular Indignation at Its
ri ,frA 20 nnntrn1 fhp
government in all branches in its own
selfish intercsts.-Ncw York World.
DON'T forget that the new currency
scheme under discussion gives the
bankers more power TO contract than
to expand the currency-and that 1t is
more profitable to the bankers TO con-
tract.