The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-09-01

one issue before the people of this
state; to-wit: Whether or not the
government of this state shall be DOM
mated wholly by special corporate in
terests or whether the people of this
state shall be consulted regarding the
measures that may affect them for
good or i'll. Involved in this issue is
the question of taxation.
Taxation is the foundation Of gov
eminent. Without taxation govern
ment could not exist. Whether taxa
ton is levied to carry on government
or whether government is instituted to
carry on taxation may be very often
questions for debate. The vital issue
now is. that we have the government,
and it behooves us to see that SO far
as our state government is concerned,
it shall not be one merely maintained
for the purpose OF taxation, but tha1
taxation shall be levied only for the
purpose of maintaining government
upon an economical plan.
Every conspicuous revolution that
ever occurred was provoked by in
equality Of taxation. Other issues may
have appeared on the surface, but the
vital issues were those of taxation.
Every citizen is a taxpayer. There is
no class that can properly be denoml-
mated taxpayers" signifying there
by that only those who step up to the
public treasury and pay taxes, receiv-
ing a receipt therefor, are the only
taxpayers. The fact is, that these are
very often not taxpayers at all. The
great body of taxpayers are those VINO
do not formally step up with their
payment; they do not receive a re-
ceipt from the public treasurer. Yet
they are taxpayers. Their tax receipts
are represented by their grocery bills,
their clothing accounts and their rent.
It is true that they do not appear
upon the record, but they are the ones
who pay all taxes.
In short, there is only one class OF
people who pay no taxes at ALL These
are the people who perform no useful
service to the world Idlers, rich or
poor, pay no taxes. Yet 1t often oc-
ours that the millionaire idler's name
appears on the records as tax
payer" And what is still more sig
nificant is the fact that the citizen
who pays his taxes when he buys food,
clothing and other necessaries, and
pays rent, not only pays the taxes, but
he pays more than his share and more
than the government receives. In 9TH
er words, government having dele
gated the power of collecting taxes to
those who manufacture and sell goods,
the payer of the tax not only has to
pay the levy, but an additional amount
as compensation to the collector for
the trouble he is put to in the process.
For example: A manufacturer makes
a suit of clothes worth $40. A tax is
levied upon this suit in the sum of
81. The manufacturer sells to the
wholesaler for $11, plus interest on
the 81. The wholesaler, too, must pay
a tax of say SO cents, and he in turn
sells the suit to a retailer for $1150
plus profit of say 81 to him and in
terest on the S150 taxes. The retailer
is also taxed. say SO cents Along
comes the consumer. and as the re-
taller, too, must make profit. he adds
say 81 plus the so cents tax he has
paid, since the purchase of the goods
by him and interest on 81 taxes. We
here see that the final cost of the suit
is SIS. two dollars of which repre-
sents taxes that have accumulated and
interest thereon. For in addition to
these taxes. each successive dealer has
added more than simply his profit. He
counts upon an interest to him on the
additional money he has paid out in
taxes, to the preceding handler of the
goods. They say that rolling stone
gathers no moss, but We here see that
this rolling stone In the form of a suit
of clothes, gathers more moss in the
form OF taxes the further ii travels on
the way from the maker to the user.
The user, therefore. finally pays it
all. This Is cited only to illustrate to
the humblest citizen the Importance OF
the subject. and to prove to him that
whether he walks up to the treasurer's
window and pays his taxes directly or
not, he pays them just the same, and
that therefore the subject OF taxation
Is a vital one 10 him.
From the nature az the case. this
subject can not strictly be partisan
.Na