The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1904-05-20
VINO PAYS THE PENSIONS.

that many people OF this country
make, and especially about gcner-
al election time, Is to imagine that
they have 10 pay directly out Of
their pockets for all the expenses
Of the national government, when
in fact q large share OF them don't
have to pay one cent. The gov
eminent collects every year indi-
rcctly about six hundred millions
Of dollars to pay Its running ex-
penses. This IL an an immense
sum and II 1t was collected direct
~ from the individuals and ench
individual paid his pro rata share,
II would indeed be burdensome.
But by the system of protection,
adopted by the republican party,
this immense sum Is raised by in
direct taxation. To show the char
acter OF the various items that make
up this immense sum, II IL esti-
mated that about ~ millions a year
IL collected from the big brewery
combines. About i2i millions is
collected from the whisky trust.
About 50 millions Is collected from
the tobacco trust. About 3 mil
lions Ii collected from the olcomar-
gcrinc manufacturers and dealers,
and 80 on.
In order to give protection to
American mechanics and farmers
and render them able to compete
with foreign cheap labor, the du-
ties payable in the custom houses
upon foreign products OF farm and
factory amount to about 25j mill
lions. This immense sum IL paid
out for various purposes.
Last year vas spent about ii2
millions on the army, ~ millions
on the navy, ii3 million on sundry
civil expenses, 10 million on In
dians aud about 800 millions inter-
eat on public debt.
Tho money paid out for the army
and navy goes largely to contract
ors. manufacturers, and trusts,
which furnish food, clothing, coal,
armor plate, iron and steel, guns,
powder, lead and leather goods.
Great corporations take In the
millions paid out for river and har-
Dor improvements, for public
buildings, for carrying the mails,
while the interest on the indebted
ness generally goes to the banks.
About 40 million Is paid out for
pensions. This sum goes directly
to the p%cnsioncr and Is paid the
retailer, In tn main for the neces-
snrics Of life. No matter how small
the community, 1t gets a share of
this every three months.
This money, In the main, goes
to parties who need IL, and does
not go to enrich Wall street or any
trust or any large corporation.
But the significant point in regard
10 the pension appropriation is that
under oursystcm of protection, no
man, unless he purchases luxurics.
helps To pay this Indebtedness.
It II the big brewery combine ,
the colossal whisky trust, the nam
moth tobacco trust, the olcomargc-
rinc manufacturers, and the per-
son who buys diamonds or brus =
sells carpet or imported goods OF
any kind, that pays these pensions,
How very unreasonable II is then
for some person who doesn't pay q
cent of internal revenue and theme,
does not contribute n penny to tn,
payment of pensions to be groan.
ing about the immense amount o.
money that Is paid out by the gov.
eminent to the pensioncr.
The whisky and beer manufact.
urer, the tobacco manufacturer, tn,
trusts and the foreign corporation.
who send goods into this country
to be sold have no right to Object
to this large payment of pensions
because had 1t not been for tn,
pensioners, they would not hav,
had the opportunity to becom,
rich and to have so great a peopl,
for customers. Just think OF this
good Missouri democratic friends
and see how much of this you
would have had to pay directly
out of your pockets every wear in