Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-09-24
POOR PAY HEAVIEST.
Protective Tariff Always Favors
the Well to Do.
REAL NECESSITIES TAXED.
Duties Are Much Heavier Upon Ar
ticIes That People of Small or Mod
crate Means Are Compelled to Buy
Than Upon Those In Which the
Wealthy Alone Are Interested.

LnOSe Ol Stuatl or MODERATE wealth.
than it does upon the we'll to do and
wealthy. 1t is often considered right
that a tax should be graduated SO as
to bear proportionately more heavily
upon those having greater wealth. In
imposing an income tax small incomes
are usually exempted, and the rate Of
taxation is often made to increase
with the size Of the income.
1t is also generally recognized that q
even if the tax be levied at a uniform
percentage, imposes an unjust burden
upon those having small or moderate
incomes, for the poor man will spend
a much larger share of his income for
the article taxed than will the million
aire. Workingmen undoubtedly spend
a much larger fraction of their income
for articles like sugar or salt and
therefore pay, in proportion to their
wealth or incomes, q much larger share
of the tariff duties on these articles
than is paid by men Of large wealth.
Indeed, there is little doubt that many
workingman with a large family
pays, absolutely as we'll as in proper
ton to income, more Of the tax on GER
tain necessaries of life than is paid by
the millionaire because he and his fam
lily consume more.
The tax on articles of ordinary con-
sumption would thus be condemned as
unjust If the poor paid at the same
rate per cent as the rich. But the
tariff taxes are outrageously unfair
for the further reason that almost
without exception they impose a heav-
Ter rate of tax upon articles consumed
by the poor than upon those used by
the wealthy. This could not be so II
all rates were ad yalOrem, certain
percentage of the value Of the article
taxed, and the same rates were applied
to the cheaper articles bought by the
poor and to the costlier articles
bought by the rich. But the Dingley
tariff contains multitude Of specific
duties, so much per pound or per yard,
and the effect of these duties is to tax
the article of poor or moderate quail
ty just as much as the finest and most
expensive articles.
For example, the man who buys an
unlined glove of sheep leather, 'glace"
finish, is taxed by the Dingley tariff at
the rate of SIS per dozen, and the man
who buys lined fancy stitched or
embroidered glove of the same ma
terial pays duty at the rate Of $40
per dozen. But during the year end
ing June 80, 1907, those who purchased
the former and cheaper grade were
taxed 662S per cent of the value Of
the glove, while those who purchased
the latter and more expensive glove
were taxed only 14.19 per cent. The
latter glove was worth $31 per dozen,
the former $4.53.
In ladies' or children's gloves the
discrimination was great. Gloves Of
the material already mentioned over
seventeen inches in length, worth only
$4.20 per dozen, were taxed 1915 per
dozen, equal to 74.98 per cent Of their
value while gloves of a finer quality,
worth $199S per dozen, were taxed
$4.15 per dozen, equal to only 20.79
per cent Of their value. Thus 1t was
that the poor man buying gloves Of
this sort paid on his own gloves tax
nearly five times as heavy and on the
gloves of his wife and children a tax
nearly four times as heavy as the tax
paid by his wealthy neighbor.
The man who used iron or steel
trousers buckles, worth s cents per
hundred, was taxed at the rate of
77.4S per cent Of their value, while the
man who could afford better quality,
worth SIPS per hundred, was taxed at
the rate of only 26.6S per cent. The
man who bought spectacles or eye
glasses worth 24.4 cents a dozen paid
a tax Of 96.S1 per cent of their value,
but the man buying quality worth
S3.07 per dozen paid only so per cent.
The purchaser Of a certain class OF
watch movements worth only So.3
cents apiece was taxed 66.02 per cent.
The purchaser Of a quality Of watch
movements worth $30.16 apiece was
taxed 1896 per cent Agate buttons
worth one-tenth of a cent per line en-
dured tax of 70.75 per cent Metal
buttons worth cents per line bore
tax of 30.O3 per cent
Fur hats and bonnets Of all descrip-
lions averaging in value $3.50 per
dozen were taxed 96.66 per cent; those
of q quality worth $3.50 per dozen
were taxed 47.46 per cent. Partly
manufactured wool and hair worth
So 1-3 cents per pound was taxed 149
per cent: that worth Sf.14 per pound
was taxed 93.7O per cent. Wool blan-
kets worth 2S.6 cents per pound paid
duty Of 165.42 per cent, blankets worth
S1.05 per pound 4 duty OF 71.3O per
cent. Pushes and other similar fab
rics worth $50 cents per pound sus-
tanned n tax of Hits per cent, those
worth S109 per pound q tax Of 1888
per cent.
1t will be seen that when rich and
poor were laying in a stock or cloth
ing Uncle Sam was guilty Of dis
elimination of much the same charac-
ter as the discrimination he has so
roundIy and justly condemned in the
railroads between small and large
shippers The Dingley duty is like the
secret rebate in more ways than one.
II strikes down its victims so tnsidt
ously and secretly that they do not
know what has wounded them. They
blame themselves, Providence, luck
anything but the right cause. The
voter of moderate means who has been
voting for tariff taxes would DO so nc