Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-01-04
SHIP SUBSIDY AGAIN
Republicans Will Attempt to
Raid the Treasury.
MILLIONS TO BE sQUANDERED

The Poor Man Pays as Much Tax as
the Rich Man Under the Present
Republican System - People Should
Urge Senators and Congrcssmen to
Protect Their interests.
If the trusts and combines are to
continue to profit by the protection
given them through the tariff, which
is an indirect subsidy, why should not
the steamship trust be subsidized also?
That IS the argument virtually put
forth by the stand patters, who are
trying to rush a ship subsidy scheme
through congress, and there is no gain
saying that the proposition is logical
from the standpoint of the protection
list. But if this system of subsidy is
to be fairly distributed there are hun
dreds of other industries that should
receive a subsidy-in fact, every one
ought to receive his just share and pro-
portion il there is to be q square deal'
all around.
There is no getting away from the
unfortunate fact that every dollar APP
%propriated by congress for any purpose
whatsoever must first be collected as
taxes from the American people. And
don't forget that every one, whether
pool or rich, pays his share-not his OF
her just share, according to the amount
Of his or her income or property, but
a very unequal share if measured by
what the taxpayer owns. For in
stance, the tariff tax on sugar, steel,
| salt, lumber and the hundreds of arti-
| cles that a poor man must buy, as we'll
as a rich man, all pay alike under the
unrighteous assessment for taxing
made by a Republican congress in the
present tariff law. Indeed the tariff
tax Oh some articles is higher on the
poorer qualities Of goods than upon
the best and most expensive kinds.
Nor is the tariff tax the only unequal
one that bears more heavily upon the
poor than upon the rich. The internal
revenue taxes are mainly paid by the
great mass of the people and not by
the few that are m%illionaires. The tax
on beer, on whisky, on tobacco, is just
as heavy on the man with $50 ii month
income as Oh the man with $4,000 or
more a month coming In.
1t must also be remembered that the
steamship trust, or, indeed, any other
trust or corporation, pays no tax to the
federal government. Yet the protection
to the property Of these combines is
more certainly extended than to the or
binary common citizen. If there is a
strike or a riot, the United States
troops are ordered to the scene to
guard the property Of the railroad Or
other corporation and not to guard the
home of the citizen. Every n pays
his share Of the cost of the army, but
the steamship trust pays not a cent.
The United States navy patrols our
man, woman and child is taxed to sup
port it, but the steamship trust pays
nothing, nor do the other trusts, al
though it protects their products when
carried from port to port or when ex-
ported to foreign lands.
Leading Republican politicians, many
with unsavory records as voting al
ways against the interests Of the peo-
pie and in favor Of corporations, are
now actively talking and working for
a subsidy to the steamship trust.
Watch and spot them.
Remember if a subsidy bill is passed
by congress 1t will take millions a year
from the treasury and each family will
pay it's share and the trusts will pay
nothing and the millionaire no more
than you do.
The only way to protect yourselves
from this plundering is to write to
your senators and the congressman
from your district and demand they
vote against such a bill.