Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1905-03-31
LOOK AT ENGLAND.

Editorial BY Tom Watson, in his Magazine for April
Golfers Weekly thinks that the United
States should pay higher salaries. Ambassa-
dors do not get enongh. Neither do cabinet
officers. The President also is underpaid.
How lamentable!
"Look at England" says Golfers, in effect.
England pays 500, 900 to the Lord Lieu
tenant of Ireland, $4,000 to the Speaker OF
the House OF Commons, and so forth and so
Well. let us accept the invitation, and look
at England
Who pays the taxes in England? We know
who pays them here. With US, the poor man
pays the tax.
When he covers his nakedness, when he
satisfies hrs hunger, when he builds his house'
when he buys tools to work WITH he pays an
outrageously oppressive tariff tax.
Rockefeller paws no more federal tax than Is
oo;d NV manv ore-horse negro farmer in the
south.
Morgan pays less federal tax than many
Western corn grower who fed his srove on ear
corn in 1901 because is was cheaper than COAL
blessed are our nillionalres Those OF them
who are neglected by congress are tehoelly
cared for by the federal judiciary.
Blessed are the rich!-they run the govern
ment and the common man pays the bill.
Look at Engand
All right. we now look. This is what we
see:
She compels her railway corporations to pay
an income tax upon the assessed valuation OF
$Ioo, 900, 900.
She compels the coal barons and the marble
ouarrv owners to pay income tax upon an as
sessed valuation of 95,ooo,ooo
She compels the landlords, bankers and mer-
chant princes to pay income tax upon an as
sessed valuation of 5000, 900 900.
Tn this manner she forces her wealthy classes
to pay on property and income nearly two nun
dred million dollars annually toward the sup
port of the government!
Her tariff duties are levied exclusively upon
articles which are NOT necessarles OF lie.
Not dollar of tariff need the poor man pay
to live in perfect comfort.
This tariff upon the non necessarles amounts
to $17o, 200, ,ooo
From intoxicating liquors the revenue is
$15o,ooo,ooo
Thus it will be seen, by look at England,
thar the poor man can feed himself, clothe him
sef huild a house to live in, and supply it with
necessary furniture, without having 10 pay one
dollar of national tax.
Ju this land of the free he must pay the
thrift tax, or go naked, eat grass, and live IN
Ill. -, the oround.
But let us 'look at England again.
We see her operating her postotlce, carry
ro narceIs as we'll as letters. She does not al
low express companies to ainass fortunes by
robbing the people in carrying of light freight
Tins she makes $7o,ooo,ooo instead OF let
ting the corporations make five times that
amount
She owns and operates the telegraph lines,
and makes $1S, 900, 900 per year instead OF let
ting the corporations make it.
What. therefor, is the net result OF the
"I,ook at Eugand"!
We discover that the government supports
itself upon tie possessions of the people r'ther
,ban npon their necessities
Give us the same system of taxat on--c 'n-
nel those who possess the wealth to pay the ex-
rsnses of povernment-and I, Tor one, will say,
s.Make the salaries what you Will so long as
.,,,,8 xvho make them, have to pay them.