Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-12-10

wealth of but n hundred and fifty
: dollars per family. page 69). 1t is
= probable that Mr.. Dixon mistook
: wealth for income. Now this mis-
l quotation and ~perversion of facts is
{ objectionable. The real difference Is
: lthis: The annual income OF the poor
{ er people 1.-THE class of which he is
talking) is usually from two to six
times as great as their accumulated
wealth.
Regardless of other opinions l am
willing to submit to the common
sense of the common people whether
almost one family in three has an
average income of only n hundred
and fifty dollars.
On page 156 DR.. Spain shows that
the discrimination against 1.-THE great
body of the people" in property tax
does not exceed one-fourth of n per
cent. of the 'actual value of the
property, Therefore the amount of
tax burden unduly placed upon the
average family of the five and a half
million poorest families In the
try is not more than thirty-eight
cents a year! Upon the authority of
Mr.. Dixon's own witness this is the
measure of that "hideous inheritance
from the past" To correct this
he Is attempting, by wild and unsup-
, ported assertions, to inflame one part
of society against another. His self
sacrifice for the poor is pathetic. He
ought to be substantially remembered
at the next distribution of the Car
negie Hero Fund. Shade of the Earl
of Sh~aftesbury, be humble, for be
hold a greater than" Shaftesbury is
here!
| cannot but wonder whether Mr..
Dixon eve really read Mr.. Spahr's
powerful" book, which he with such
fatherly solicitude commends 10 me!
Lest he may have omitted this rather
important part of the program, ] will
quote a few Illuminating passages,
and tell him where to find them.
After giving a table showing certain
phases of the distribution of wealth
in the United States, he says: "A
comparison of the above table with
that on page %, (Which exhibits
Great Britain), brings out the fact
that, despite the difference in popu-
latfon, the number of wealthy famil-
les in the United States is but little
larger than the number in Great
Britain, and their aggregate wealth
less. 1t also makes apparent that
the number of the well-to-do class is
three times as large as In Great Brit
ain. But the most striking contrast
between the two counties lies in the
greater number of independent small
property owners" page go. After
dealing with the subject of Indirect
taxation by the federal government,
he says: Turning from the national
government to the state and local
governments, We enter the field
where the burdens of taXltion are
more fairly distributed than in any
other country in the world, Switzer-
land not eXcepted." (Page 1863.
The opinion SO commonly expressed
in some of our eastern cities that per-
sonal property more and more largely
escapes taxation with each succeed
ing year, Is not w~arranted." Page
147. "The percentagetof the prop
erty tax that is shifted upon the
shoulders of the property less is rel
atively small" Page 1856. 'The ex-
ceptionally heavy taxation of real
estate does not lessen the supply of
land nor increase its rental" p. 1856.
"Were it not for the poll-taxes and
the license taxes still employed by
local governments, 1t would be, diff
cult to defend the proposition that
the small property owners pay a,
much heavier percentage than the
larger p. 156. "Our system of
local taxation is the most just in the
world" p. 157.
These quotations from DR.. Spahr
sweep away the whole foundation CT
Mr.. Dixon's contention on the subject
of taxation, and leave him not an
inch of ground on which to stand.
The Hon. Carroll D. Wright, long at
the head of the United States Bureau
of Labor, in his book on practical
Socialism, says: 1.-The assertion
that the rich are growing richer and
the poor poorer is false in its premis-
es and misleading in its influence
The representatives of the Board of
Associated Charity of the city of Neyl
York assure me that the condition OIL
tho poor i'll tbat city is steadily I'M
proving.
AS a matter of fact the old goose |
seems to be doing pretty well. In
deed there is nothing left of the lee
ture but the squawk of the suuawker.
and he seemed to be comfortable and
4 hoFN "OAiOy ChouSn " SHl Oul VI
town.
| have not apologized for a prin-
ciple of taxation which imposes an
undue burden upon the back of the
poor a ! stand at all times for
truth, justice, and the brotherhood
of men. And | warn the poor against
p~rofessed friends whose chief stock
in trade is vituperation and false
statement.
Mr.. Dixon seems to take for grant
ed that any clergyman who does not
agree with him is the enemy of the
poor. Who made him the master of
my conscience? AS a man | carry
my sovereignty under my own hat
AS a Christian minister / take orders
and example from Him who commits
stoned me. He fed the hungry and
preached the gospel to the poor. AM
bilious and self-seeking plotters
preached discomfort and organized
Instruction, while He gave tomen the
principles which would slowly but
surely redress all grievances and heal
society. Internationally, | may be
pardoned for the remark that while
irving to prepare the first page of