Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-03-18

wy sessions the past
few months, favoring a national income
tax. Few men the whole county over
have the temerity to- say that such
tax would be an injustice, and we firm
ly believe that nine out of every ten
voters of the whole United States
would uphold it at the polls were it sub
mitted to a vote devoid of political COM
plications 1t will be an issue of the next
presidential campaign, and we do not
believe the wealth of the land will be
able to defeat second time the party
advocating it. The following editorial
In a recent issue of the New York
World, concerning, or based upon the
resolution that passed the Kansas legls-
iature, would indicate that even in the
enemy's camp the business of an income
tax even in time of peace is ac-
knowledged. The World says:
The movement in the Kansas legis-
lature for the adoption of a resolution
asking congress to ''submlt PROPOSE
tion to change the constitution so as to
permit the taxation of inordinate
wealth" will be met by the usual sneers
and jeers in the centers OF wealth. 1t
would be well, however, for the wealthy
classes to remember that at the last
election 6, 500, 900 citizens voted for a
platform which demanded an income
tax, and even went to the foolish and
dangerous limit of proposing to pack
the supreme court of the United States
In order to secure reversal of its de-
cision against this tax.
Before abusing large masses Of citi-
zens for favoring an income tax would
it not be well to try, in imagination. to
..put yourself III their placer
Suppose Mr.. Millionaire. that you
Awere one of the hundreds of thousands
of farmers in Kansas and elsewhere
who are barely able ''to make both ends
meet year after year, though toiling
hard and living with rigid economy that
only poverty can justify. Suppose
that your ambition has been narrowed
to keeping your family on top of the
earth and paying your taxes and the
Interest on your mortgage. Suppose
you had done little better, as many OF
the farmers have done, and had by
good management or good luck saved a
few hundred or few thousand dollars,
or suppose you were a mechanic or
a mill operative or day laborer, even
worse off in many ways than the aver
age farmer.
And suppose that the whole burden
of taxation tor the support OF the ted
eral nment-aggregating the enor-
nous amount of billion dollars every
two years-were placed as now, upon
the consumption of the country, the
everyday necessaries of the people.
Under this system taxation is unequal
and therefore unjust. 1t takes no ac-
count of ability to pay or benefits re-
celved. The farmers or the mechanics
or the small saiaried mans family OF
sfve pays almost as much per capita
for the support of the federal govern
ment as does the millionaire's family
af FIVE.
Is this right7 Is it equal? Is it
democratic7
If you Mr.. Multimillionare, were one
of these plain. hard-working people,
would you think that ''inordinate
wealth''-incomes that warrant $50, ,ooo
balls and 100000 or $500, 900 a year
for living expenses-oughtt to pay some.
thing towards the support of the fedora
government that protects and conserve:
such wealth? Wouldn't your WheI
you rail at these men as anarchists
or socialists" try to put yourself il
their place.
Iowa amt SO Godforsaken, after all
Most of the towns in that state wen