Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-03-24
The r. II. Weak on the Tariff
Question.

Question.
EDITOR PLoT:-
trust no one will think am seeking
a controversy with the Record Herald
but its guileless simplicity and strange
perversity in matters economic and his
toric, invite comment
In the issue Of March 18th, reference
is made to the birthday of Grover Cleve-
and need of praise is given him as a
man and citizen. Then follows this
remarkable statement Cleveland
would have made a great president but
for his belief in a low tariff, and his
advocacy of it plunged the country into
a panic that lasted for years" In the
last number of the PILOT, | showed how
utterly false and misleading is the state
ment that Cleveland was in any way
responsible for the panic of 1898 /
wish now to consider briefly the signifi-
canoe of this sacred tariff, the fetch OF
the republican party and the idol of the
Record Herald.
In the first place, it is a tax on i'm.
ported goods, levied ostensibly, and to
some extent, actually, for revenue to
meet the expenses of government. So
highly have its virtues been exalted
that with exception of internal revenue,
taxes upon liquors, tobacco, etc. 1T is
the main source of revenue. Taxes
upon property FOR the support of the
general government are practically I'M
known. The billion dollar steel trust
pays no silver of tax on it's vast proper
ty for the support of the government
that protects its holdings In 1905 this
great company earned, net above all ex-
penses, $3.50, 900, 600; in 1897 about $780,
100000. On these enormous earnings it
pays not sou for the maintenance of
the government. The Standard Oil
Co.'s vast property and enormous
dividends pay nothing to the govern
ment that protects the property and in
come. Similarly, farms, factories, rail-
roads, etc., are exempt. The general
government is supported by taxes on
consumption. A man pays for the sup
port of the national government in pro-
portion to what he consumes, not upon
what he earns or produces. If the mil
lionaire has small family or none, and
so consumes little, he contributes little
to the support of the government. If
the laboring or professional man, or
farmer has large family and thus con-
sumes much he pays much for the sup
port of the general government. One
OF the particular beauties of the blessed
tariff system is that the rate per cent. of
tariff taxes is much higher on the
poorer quality of goods which the
laborer and farmer must, as rule, buy
than it is on the goods that the rich man
buys.
To the well informed on this subject
it may seem strange but it is neverthe-
less true that the ordinary citizen does
not know that property is not taxed for
the support of the government at Wash
ington. The farmer, for example, sup
POcCc tudt III sOLl6 way, WHICH ne pcA-
haps does not understand, his farm and
stock are taxed to support the general
government. He does not know or
realize that he pays taxes for that pur-
pose when he buys groceries, dry goods
and clothing, boots and shoes, ma
chinery, lumber, harness and carriage,
ETC., etc. If he really appreciated this,
and knew how much he actually pays
annually in this way, there would be
something doing on the second of
November next that would brighten the
callous standpatters at Washington out
of their wits.
One of the accepted maxims of taxa
ton is that person should be taxed in
proportion to his ability to pay. The
tariff system discards this principle and
taxes man in proportion to his neces-
sites, regardless of his ability to pay. |
If he can't pay he may 60 without. If
he is not able to buy butter for his