The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-06-22

NASTY COmpOuuuS tuey WOulO rise up anu
lynch their deceivers. Thus it is with
indirect taxation, the people are de-
ceived by its FEASIBILITY, the system is
lauded as the best in civilization; it is
made pleasant to the ears OF the public
by we'll paid orators and newspapers; it
is therefore taken for granted Cike
lot Of other old frauds) that because it is
in the American constitution it is all
right, and so the people gulp it all down
without question, then put their hands
in their pockets till they have to turn
them inside out to find the last cent,
whereas, II the people understood how
they were fleeced by indirect taxation,
they would rise up and crush their op-
pressors. Right here l had better ex-
plain indirect taxation, which define as
paying an indeaniter sum of money in
the dark to a man ybu do not owe any
thing, but who has the power to collect
and add chargesuof his own for collec-
ton. You know your pocket is empty
when he is through with you, but you
don't know who has got your money. In
other words you pay your general gov
eminent taxes through third person,
who is not government official, but a
merchant or Manufacturer, who ad-
vances the tax to the government, adds
the tax to the cost of goods, and then
charges the consumer not only the orig
inal cost and taxes, but interest and
profit Ito suit himselD on the. whole
transaction. People hold up their hands
in horror at the way taxes are collected
by the despots of the world, but my dear
reader, you are taxed in the same way,
and as oppressively, only your tax col
lector is somewhat more polite, but you
are in the same predicament when he
is through with you. The despot says
to his henchmen, want SO much money
and you must get it, and then he farms
the job of collection out to some one or
more persons, who are armed with gov
ernmental power to collect the tax, be-
ing accompanied by public officers, pre-
pared with rods to bastinado the Door.
wretch who does not at once shell out
the unreasonable demands of both des-
pot and collector, and if when the COL
lector gets through with him the Door
wretch has enough of his hard earnings
left to keep body and soul together and
a breech clout to cover his nakedness,
he thinks himself fortunate, and this is
the way England that great Christian
nation" of Bibles, missionaries, opium
and Pecksniffism, collects taxes in
Egypt. Barbarous! cruel! brutal! you
say. Wait, my friend, till 1 show you
how slick you are unclaimed, then turn
your wrath in the right direction. Our
American emperor Cat present Mark
Mckinley through his satellites, or
cabinet, sends in to your mis-represent-
atlves in congress the estimate of the
amount OF money they want to squan-
der on themselves, the officials and other
favorites of a successful election. those
misrepresentation then estimate how
much they can collect from the people
through tariff always bearing in mind
how much they can benefit those who
supplied them with campaign funds).
and then make UP the rest, by making
the people pay an indirect tax on inter
nal productions, such as whisky. beer
tobacco, etc. Your tariff tax is collect
ed at our seaports and othes ports of
entry, being paid by the importer
and added to the original cost of goods
which are then sold to the wholesaler
at profit on the whole cost of goods.
and tax, they are then sold to the re-
taller at profit on goods and tax; they
are then retailed to the consumer at
profit on goods and tax, and if they lie
Cat state tax time) in the retailers store
another direct tax is, laid by the state
on the articles and added to the cost to
the consumer. So works the indirect
tax through tariff. In the matter of
internal revenue the manufacturer (of
beer, say, for illustration) pays the gen
eral government so much on each barrel
of beer manufactured by him, this tax
is added to the beer as sold to the re-
taller, as in the case of the tariff, and
the retailer, of course, charges his profit
on both tax and value of goods, just as
does the retailer of imported goods, and
the consumer pays the tax to the re-
taller. 1t has often been said by tariff
benefciaries that on imported goods, the