La Junta tribune., 1901-02-20
seIsoDs o. rAxAr,os.
Rev. vsvghsa Ssys Siests rsx 10 the
Only usthoA 0lght In psiNeiele.

V@Sy ootn0o Ws4Wt ~ Ybe0GeUs0.
Rev. b. F. Vaughn gave = most
interesting talk to the Woman's
Club last Friday afternoon on the
subject OF taxation. The senior
class Of the high school. who have
been studying economics, were
present. He said that in the last
decade of the 10Th century much
interest had been taken in the
study Of economic questions.
These involved the subject of mans
relations to his fellow men. In the
realm OF relationship. the state
plays very important part, and
the most important subject with
which governments have had to
deal has been the subject Of rev.
enue- However disguised the fact
may be. the rock on which every
ship of state has foundered has
been this subject at bottom. The
mul tifarious forms of tyrrany that
h ave cursed the world have ever
been more or less thinly disguised
questions Of revenue.
Let us try our system ofrevenue
at the bar OF common sense and
see if it has aught to do with these
unjust conditions. Our taxes are
of two kinds, indirect and direct
An indirect tax has always been
the most popular, most expensive
and most unjust tax ever devised
by man. Our SYSTEM OF tariffs,
licenses and excises are burden
some, cruel and unjust. They rob
the masses for the benefit OF the
few, and because of them the
poorer classes pay all out Of pro-
portion tor the support OF the
government, in addition to the
millions OF dollars unjustly taken
from them in the form of increased
prices that never find their way
into the Golfers. Of our government.
However, it may honor the man
who says as though he believes
it. "the foreigner pays the tax,
no sensible man who thinks
straight, credits the statement for
a moment. Until our whole sys-
tenn OF indirect taxes Is wiped out.
root and branch, no approach can
be made to economic righteous
lness.
But - TO our direct taxes, in
the present system the same fact
prevails as in the indirect,
the poorer classes pay all out Of
proportion to the benefits enjoyed.
There are several forms Of direct
tax, all Of which need TO be tried
at the bars of justice and ex-
pedience. The principal forms
are the income tax, the inherit
ance tax, the tax on personal
property, chattels and credits, and
the tax on land values. An ex-
animation Of these will show which
are wrong in principal, and ex-
perience shows which are failures
az to application.
An income tax is unjust in prin-
ciple, as ii is a punishment for
industry and thrift. Underproper
economic conditions, a man who
earns any sum per year IS entitled
to that sum as against the world
aud it is rank injustice to punish
him for the full exercise OF his
talents. Our experience with the
incometax is not q, statutory one,
nor such as to warrant calling it q
near approach to success.
An inheritance tax is wrong in
principle, being tax on the de-
fenseless, the widows and the
fatherless. 1t is also a denial OF
the fundamental right Of man to
do as he spleases with that which
is really his. Where this tax is in
operation devices are used to
evade it and its burdens fall upon
those least able to evade OF pay it..
A tax on credits is wrong in
principle and dismal failure in
operation. As an illustration Of