The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-04-17
THE Income Tx is LOGICAL
Outcome of Republican Extrava-
gance and Misrule.
OPINIONS OF BOSTON HERALD
3 Dnscrupu!ous increase of Expendi-
lures and Imprudent Methods of
Taxation. Duties for Protec.
ton Not Revenue. Cause
of the lnevitab q.

of the lnevitab o.
Many of those who are repining ,e.
pause an income tax has been imposed
by the national government are prone
TO object to it because of tho lack of auy
necessity for such an impost They at.
tribute it to tho Democratic party, aud
they blame that party for gratuitous
ievying of taxation which might have
been spared those who are to pay it, 1t
is true that the Democratic party is re-
sponsible for the law, but it is not at
all so plain either that it 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 expenditures of the gov
eminent and diminished sources of rev.
enue. Consciously or unconsciously.
those who have controlled public affairs
for the last 20 years have been so con-
Quoting them as to make an income tax
q logical if not IN inevitable outcome
of their action. To charge the RESPONSE
bility for the lcvying of tho income tax
upon those who have been tho immedi-
ate agents in bringing it into law is to
take but superficial view of the stu
alton We must go further back to &C
count for its appearance. 1t must DO
traced in the policy of the government
for q long period.
There are those now living who can
remember when tho expenditures Of the
American government amounted to but
5000. 900 per annum. This was the
annual outlay during John Quincy Adj.
ANS administration, and ono of the
charges made against his administration
was that it was extravaganza. In less
than 20 years this sum had trebled in
amount. It steadily roso thereafter till
the days Of tho war of the rebellion.
The expenditures of that period and tho
war debt that resulted gave it enormous
additional proportions Tho country had
increased greatly ut tho same time in
area, and more in wealth We had i'm.
posed heavy taxation, which enabled
us to pay off much of our debt and
brought surplus into tho treasury. A
surplus did what surplus always does
it induced habits of o1travagance.
There was n 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
tho national expenditures constantly
higher, until they reached the enormous
amount of $500, 900, 600 year. Wehad
begun with $4,000, 900. We ended
with $500, 900, 0OO
Our national Legislators, il they had
atopped to reflect, would have realized
that no nation i'll tho world had ever
spent anything like the sum of $780,
600, 600 per year without resorting TO
an income tax to meet tho outlay. But
1t may BIO said, and with some truth,
that our nation is not like most other
nations of the world in the extent of its
resources for taxation. Admitting this,
and the fact still remained that it was
necessary prudently to employ the re-
sources for taxation aside from incomes
IL income taxation was to be avoided.
This is exactly what we failed to do
we had tremendous mint TO draw up-
on In our customs duties, and if we had
'nsed this in business spirit for pur-
poses OF revenue it might have been
that we could have postponed if not
nave avoided tho lovying Of an income
tax. But we entered upon the policy of
6 IVA A"So "a uueicS primarily WITH
q view to what was called protection
rather than for revenue. Long ego this
was begun by repeal of the duties Oh
tea and coffee, which cut off many mil
hons from our national income. Tho
friends OF protection, on tho one hand,
Thought that the repeal would give more
room for protective duties OIL other ar
tlcles, and others who were not in agree.
ment with them feared the charge that
they were taxing the poor mans break
last table. So these duties were abol.
ished. This was followed later by tho
taking of duties from sugar. In this
way 500, coo, 900, if not more, was re-
moved from our revenue. 1t is not diff
cult 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 ordinarily prudent methods for the
raising of revenue, and we account
fully for the income tax. 1t was ineyi.
table If that policy was to be pursued.
lt must como sooner or later. The Re-
publlcans when they went to the extent
OF running up tho expenditures of the
government to $500, 600, 900 a year, and
at the same time took $50, 600, 900 from
the revenue by the repeal of the sugar
duties, besides paying out $40, 900, 900
or bounty to sugar producers, hastened
fhe OF It's appearance They were
res hi - IL.