Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-10-04
QUESTION FOR VOTERS
Republican System of Taxation
an Unjust One.
TAXES THE POOR MORE THAN RICH

h Enormous Trust Tax Paid by the
American people-RepubIican Con-
gressmen Unable, If willing. to Re-
form Present Methods-How to Sc
cure Tariff Reform.
The appropriations made by the con-
gress at it's last session reached the
enormous total Of 1878, 5S9, 1876. That
equals about $11 for every man, wom-
an and child in the country, or for the
average family Of five persons a tax
of $50 is paid. These federal taxes are
not paid according to the ability or the
amount OF property owned by the peo-
pie, but are imposed on poor and rich
alike. Under many Of the tariff sched-
ules the tariff tax is higher on the
poorer grade of imports than on the
most costly. For instance, on shoddy,
from which much cheap clothing is
made, the tariff tax is 25O per cent,
while on wool Of the best quality the
average duty is 1864 per cent. Blan-
kets valued at not more than 40 cents
a pound are taxed 104.4S per cent,
while the finest quality, valued at more
than 80 cents a pound, are taxed 72.1O
per cent, and many other examples
might be quoted.
The internal ven taxes on cigars
are ever more in%equitable, for the COM
mon stogie pays the same tax as the
finest cigar manufactured in the Unit
ed States.
Then there is the extra trust profit
that is paid which mounts the tax up
to much more than the government col
lects, for as the tariff tax prevents i'm
ports and, therefore, competition on
the common quality Of goods, the
trusts al raise the price they charge
to what imported goods would cost
after paying the tariff tax, freight and
charges.
1t is estimated by the most compe-
tent statisticians that the trust tax is
four times greater than the tariff tax,
because there is comparatively little
imported of the cheaper grade of
goods, but that does not save the poor
purchaser, for the trusts take care to
add to their profits what the tariff tax
would be, and as the amount Of domes-
tic products vastly exceeds those i'm
ported, the trusts thus collect much
more than the government does.
If the trust tax collector stood at the
store door and collected the enormous
tax the trusts extort from the GUS
toners there would be a riot and that
trust collector would require a regi.
ment of soldiers, besides the police, to
protect him from the exasperated citi.
e n But the cunning Of the tariff
} protected trusts has avoided such un.
pleasantness and by charging higher
prices and so including their share of
protection the customers have to settle
with the storekeeper, who is no more
responsible than the customer for this
%plundering.
This Republican system of taxation
is what each voter is called upon tc
either condemn or indorse when he
votes for his representative to the con
gress which makes the laws and wher
he votes for members of the state legis
lature who will elect United States
senators. The Republican leaders who
control congress are committed to pro
tectionism and any independent Repub
lican member Of congress is powerless
to make his vote count, for the Repub
S lican leaders, through the caucus, cal
!. prevent, as they did this year, con
sideration of any tariff revision bills
Your candidate for congress, If you are
a Republican, may promise to vote tt
t revise the inequalities of the tariff law
he may promise to vote to abolish TIL
protection to the trusts, but he is pow
erless to redeem his promise unless HI
votes with the Democrats to elect
) tariff reform speaker, who will appoin
committees who will report favorabl,
tariff reform measures. The majorit,
Of the Republican members who ar
elected to congress control the caucu
. Of the party and the Independent mem
Der in that caucus is like a fifth vince
to q wagon, virtually useless and help
less.
Think this over and you must arriv,
= at the same conclusion.
Diverting the Popular Mind.
The president has been trying yer,
hard to divert attention from Bryan b,