Washington sentinel., 1899-02-25
Rich and Poor Taxpayers.

Rich ana ROOr Taxpayers,
While il may be contended, says
the OkiO STATE PFc0yd, that the
laying of an internal revenue tax
upon bank checks and various
other documents was move in the
direction Oi placing the burden oI
Federal taxation upon the wealthy
upon those most able to bear II
yet there are many points
wherein our system OF war taxa
ton, so recently put into operation,
could be made more equitable and
the weight of it more fully placed
upon the broad shoulders of those
most able to carry.
The matter is obviously too broad
for discussion in the limited space
here afforded, so one point only
shall be referred to-the matter of
taxing liquors. AS soon as the
framing OF war tax measure was
contemplated it was decided to
place an increased tax of one dol
lar per barrel on beer and the de-
cision was hnal. In the mad scram-
BILE for dollars the legislators
seemed to have forgotten that beer
was still paying a Civil War tax Of
81 per barrel and that the burden
had been borne for thirty years
after the war was over without a
murmur. However, when the
emergency arose and the neces-
sity for raising revenue was clear
to every one the brewers made no
serious protest and the tax has
been paid without complaint. This
is clearly a tax upon the poor, for
although the brewer pays the tax
to the government agents direct 1t
indirectly comes from the middle
and poor classes Of our citizens to
whom a bottle,a glass or a "grow-
Ter" OF beer was the nearest ap'
proach to a luxury that they knew.
The dollar increase in the tax made
it impossible for the beer-drinker
to longer get the same portion that
ne had formerly received for a
given price, smaller glasses being
used and the quantity given to the
growler trade being reduced while
the price on bottled beer was raised
in an amount proportionate to the
increased expense represented by
the added dollar tax.
The foolish imputation OF greed
or injustice to the brewer in this
action is too ridiculous for consid-
Grafton, Tor does not every mer-
chant and manufacturer in the land
raise the price OF his wares, not
only when a tax is actually put
upon them but as soon as tax is
threatenedo or decided upon1 Fur
ther than this, they raise the price
of merchandise produced in this
country simply because customs
tax has been placed upon some
similar product OF foreign manu-
facture.
"The consumer pays the tax"
1t cannot be denied, therefore,
that the beer tax rests most heav.
lily upon the poorer classes OF our
citizens. But the brewer has his
share oftroublewith increased duty
upon malt and hops, where he, in
turn, becomes the consumer and
the taxpayer; and in this respect
he is a taxpayer indeed, tor there
has been no effort to include this
expense in the raise o. price-even
the dollar increase, in conformity
with the tax increase, has not
been accompanied by uniform col
lection, and many brewers whose
business was in none too flourish.
ing condition have been forced to
the wall by this expense-thev had
stood the Civil War tax Of S pei
barrel for thirty years but the
doubling OF this was too much for
them, and thus some more pooi
people suffered.
Presuming, however, that this
burden is to remain for the pres
ent, and in view of the fact thai
there is almost sure to be def
cheney in revenue before present
appropriations and needs OF the
Government are met and satisfied
it would be we'll to look to the Ticf
as the most able to assume any
further burden that may be founc