The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1897-03-31

seem to think that taxation can be
made a blessing, and that the sup.
port of the government, instead of
being a burden upon taxpayers,
can be made to enrich them. If
this opinion is well founded, then
all the struggles for freedom which
have revolved around the question
of taxation have proceeded upon a
false theory, and the American
colonists, when they determined
that they would not submit to tax
alton without representation, in.
dulged in a mistaken zeal for lib.
erty. The patriotic resolve Of our
forefathers not to use goods upon
which Great Britain had laid an
import duty was wrong if the ar
gnmebt for protection is right, be.
causc, according to that argument,
tho British importers were really
paying the tax over which the
American c0lonists went to war.
There cannot be found in the wide
range of economic literature an
authority, with the few aud rare
exceptions which only serve to en-
phasize the general concurrence,
who does not treat taxation, direct
or Indirect, IS a burden; and when
we remember that = protective ia.
riff not only collects more for the
government than is needed for it's
administration, but it also enables
favored classes to collect more
than the government itself, the in.
justice becomes SO clear and SO
enormous that it would be a reflec.
tion upon the intelligence of the
American people to suppose that 1t
can escape their swift and decisive
condemnation.
SIT follows, as a matter of course,
that bill based upon a vicious
principle must be injurious in its
effects, and perhaps no effect could
be more pernicious than the ex-
travagance which the bill eDc0ur.
ages. The tabulated statement
embraced in the report of the com.
mittee shows that the bill is ex-
pected to raise $1l3,0 600, 900 more
revenue than was collected in Gus.
toms during the last fiscal year !;
and yet, as is shown by the same
report, the difference between the
government receipts and disburse
ments during that year was only
S25, 200, 700. It is we'll known that
the importations Of last year were
smaller than usual, owing to the
general depression that existed in
all circles; but even supposing
that importations hereafter can be
kept at level with the importa-
tons of 1896, the bill will collect
from the people more than $780,.
100000 annually above the require.
ments of our present extravaganza
and wasteful appropriations. 1t
may be, however, that the MAORI.
ty should not be arraigned for
their open encouragement of ex.
travagance, because it cannot be
surprising that gentlemen who
think that taxes are not burden
should feel that money derived
from taxation ought to be lavishly
spent. Nothing could better illus.
trate the vice Of the protective sys-
TEN than the fact that there flows
from it as a direct consequence,
the habit of treating the expendi.
ture of public money as a benefit
rather than ab q burden to the
people. 1t would be cause enough
for complaint if the burden would
only result in extravaganza, but in
a free government extravaganza
breeds tendencies of the most per-
nicious character. 1t not only
teaches the people to look to the
government for the promotion of
ali kinds of enterprises, whether
for pleasure or for profit, but it
makes them impatient against
public servants who believe in
economy and who believe that
public moneys are a trust fund to
be jealousy guarded.
president Jackson hardly over
stated the danger Of a surplus
when he declared that it was more
dangerous than standing army !;
and yet, dangerous as surplus is,
it is not so dangerous as the ex.
ra % uo moo uhit.h 10 o1woy, ,oeo,t