Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-05-12
Worse Than War.
Richmond Times. !

Some time ago we made mention of the
fact that those who had clamored for the
war and who were responsible for the war
were demanding that the expense Of the
war be borne by the rich.
The Weekly Register, published at
Welch, w. Va, reproduces our remarks
with this comment:
"Why not make the rich bear the heav-
lest financial burden of war? The poor,
or working class, must furnish the lives,
and is it not enough that the wives and
children of the poor be deprived of their
only support without having burden
placed on any of the necessaries of life?
Wall.street Spectators will DO enough Of
this without the Government taking a
hand. So long as only such commodities
as beer, tobacco and the like are taxed, it
will not effect the almost pennies women
and children, but our people should never
submit to tax on necessaries TO save the
rich mans pocket-book.
AMI right here is another phase Of the
situation, Which we refer to without the
slightest degree of prejudice to the North
ern people, and which would seem worthy
Of much consideration. 1t is this The
Southern States will be the heaviest suf
ferers from disastrous war, both IN life
and property, as it is expected that more
men will be sent to Cuba from the South
than the North, and besides the fighting
is to be done along or near the Southern
coast where the cities and towns are prob
ably less protected than those ofthe North.
To place tax Cd incomes will fall heav-
lest on the North, as there. are far less
neople in the South who have incomes
sufficient to be reached by an income tax
law. Therefore, we can see no injustice in
making the rich bear the tax burden, as
it only tends to even up matters in the
all.round cost of war, unless We are to
value money higher than life.
You can count on'your fingers all those
who will be reached by an income tax
who will volunteer to fight, while there
will be thousands of heads of dependent
families sacrificed on the field of battle in
defence Of our country's honor, and yet
the Government is asked to protect the
rich mans purse from taxation. Then
really is there honor in wal ?"
Why" must the poor or working class
furnish The lives ?" Does the law make
distinctions Is there any compulsion
whatever upon the poor man that is not
upon the itch man? But such is the rea-
soning Of the Communists. They are
forever trying to make it appear that the
law discriminates against the poor man III
favor Of the rich man, and novice read
ing this article from the West Virgins
newspaper would be sure TO get the I'M
preston that the Government in time o.
war drafted poor men into the army while
exempting the rich.
In point of fact, no draft has been made
The Government has simply asked fol
volunteers, and no man has been compel
ed TO enlist. Those who have enlisted
have done so on their own free will anc
accord, and we venture the assertion tha
what is known as the rich class has con
tributed its full quota to the army Of vol
unteers.
We repeat that this spirit of Commun
ism, this determined effort from certain
source to array class against class, to pre-
iudice the poor man against the rich man
to confscate the rich mans property, t(
make the people disconnected, and to rally
and organize the disconnected element, t(
use the war as an excuse for breaking
down the financial system of the country
these things, wesay, are far more danger
GUS to the welfare of the United States
than any war that we may have with
foreign Power.
-. 80. 1u-o yO1l-c. ism Z