The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-05-29
THAT OPPRESSED poor MAN.
Eli Perkins Throws the N.Rsys On clsveland's
Arguments to Make Anarchists Out Of Demo.
erats in Good end Regular Standing.

Anuumonte 10 MAKE hnafeutsts OutoI oatHVs
Gratis in Good end Regular Standing.
To-day 1 took George Hunt, my poor
plumber, whose revenue is about Sl,2OO
a year and Herr Most down TO our New
York City tax office to prove to them
that Cleveland and Altgeld are right
when they say in their speeches and
messages that "the poor man is ground
down with taxes, while the rich go free"
Walking up to the clerk in the
Chambers street tax Office, said:
"How much are the taxes this year
against Mr.. Hunt and Mr.. Most?"
"Where are their houses and lots stu
ated ?" asked the clerk.
"Houses and lots" l said. "Why a
man would have to be worth $4,000 to.
own the cheapest house and lot in New
York. My plumber and Mr.. Most are
not rich men. They don't own any real
estate in New York"
"Then they dou't pay any taxes"
said the clerk.
"What, no taxes at alp" said. mo
State tax, no road tax, no school tax,
and no city tax?"
"Not cent. 1t is the rich man who
pays all the taxes in New York,
Chicago, Boston, and st. Louis, and all
our big cities. You can tell Hunt and
Most to go home again"
"What proportion of the people in
New York pay taxes?" asked,
"Why, only one man in twenty-five"
said the clerk. 1.-THE twenty.four men
60 scot free. Your 81 day plumber
and Herr Most will never pay a tax
here till they get rich enough to own
real estate"
"Well, what do these twenty-four
men get for nothing?" asked.
"Get!" exclaimed the clerk, "they get
the earth. They get free schools and
free books. They get lovely asphalt pave
ments, clean streets, electric lights, and
police protection. They get the bene-
fits of BELLEVUE and the city hospitals,
and the benefits given by the Board of
Charities and Correction. They even
get free medicines from the city dis
pensaries,"
"And what do the the rich men who
pay all the taxes get?"
"Why, they don't get much. The
rich taxpayer doesn't send his children
to the free schools. He doesn't want
either charity or correction. The police
are not looking after him. They are
down on Avenue A, Essex and Mott
street, watching the poor drunkards in
the saloons. All the rich man really
gets is asphalt pavements, clean streets,
and electric lights. tell you, the taxes
collected in our big cities are spent Tor
the health, comfort, education, and pro-
lection of the poor, and the poor don't
pay cent for it,"
do the poor people get the earth in
Europe where you came from ?" l
asked Herr Most.
NO." said Herr Most. "The tariff is
on necessities in Europe and on las
uries here. England has 4cent tariff
on coffee, cent tariff on tea, an 80
cent tariff on tobacco, and S2Go tariff
on American whiskey. Meat and flour
are fairfield in Germany, and the poor
man pays it. Vegetables. meat, milk,
eggs, and butter pay big tariff at the
gates of Paris, Brussels, Cologne, Mu-
mich, and Berlin. The poor pay this
tariff, and it is used for lighting and
paving the streets"
The poor man is taxed in Europe, as
Herr Most says, but the poor man
don't pay a cent in this country till he
gets rich enough to own real estate and
wear laces, silks, velyets, kid gloves,
and walk on Wilton carpets. When
he gets rich enough to drink cham
payne and Johannisberg out of
French glasses, then he begins to pay
something to support the flag he walks
under. WhenI went out of the Chamber
street tax office my poor "a plumber
said "By guml" and Herr Most said
'Mein Colt in Himmel, who wood hef a
pleeved itg"
It is very sad, after we Cleveland
Democrats have been for years denounc-
ing the wicked McKinleyites for taxing
the poor mans breakfast table to
have Dingley prove TO us that nothing
but sugar is taxed on that table, and
that we Democrats put that sugar tariff
on. Il leaves Jerry Simpson, West
Virginia Wilson, and Tennessee McMil-