Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-12-02

ment, men are found who still UNI
blushingly argue that this burden
must all be laid upon consumption
and nothing upon wealth, that is,
that the man of most ordinary means
must pay practically as much to the
general government as the man with
his uncounted millions. 1t is strange
indeed that men can bring themsel-
selves to believe in so unfair and
unjust a position
They soothe their consciences to
some extent by saying that it is a
just tax, a fair tax and that the prop
erty should indeed bear it's proper
ton of the expenses of the general
government but an income tax causes
men to commit perjury! OF course
the man who says this would resent
the idea that he would commit per-
jury but his evangelical spirit leads
him to look with particular care to
the salvation of his neighbours soul.
There is not a state in the Union to-
day but has laws just as exacting
with reference to accounting with
personal property, just as onerous as
an income tax law would be and Just
as liable to encourage perjury. Yet
! the tax gatherer does not stop gath
ering taxes.
They say it is inquisitorial. Do
! you know of any kind of taxes which
are not inquisitorial? For instance,
under the internal revenue system
now in existence, the whiskey of the
citizen is taken possession of by the
government, placed in a warehouse,
locked up and key given a United
States official In the collection of
our customs duties, packages and the
baggage of the citizen are taken,
opened and inspected, and, male or
female though the citizen may be,
are sometimes taken into a room and
searched Nothing could be more in
quisitorial than this.
All these arguments are put forth
in the hope of leading us away from
the great and fundamental principle
of equity in taxation and that is that
every man should respond to the bur
dens of the government in accord
ance with his ability. 1t is nothing
less than a crime to put all the bur
dens of this government on con-
sumption.
/ think those who advocate the in
come tax merely as a revenue pro-
ducing proposition rob the PROPOSE
ton OF its moral foundation. We
should contend for an income tax not
simply for the purpose of raising
revenue but for the purpose of franz
ing revenue system which will dis
tribute the burdens of government
between consum ption and accumu-
lated wealth, which will enable us to
call upon property and wealth not
in an unfair and burdensome way but
in a just and equitable way to meet
their proportionate expenses of the
government, for certainly it will be
conceded by all that the great eX-
pense of the government is in the pro-
lection of property and wealth
tax placed upon consumption is
based upon what men want and must
| have. A tax placed upon wealth falls
upon those who have enough and to
spare and therefore have more which
! it is necessary for the government to
protect. 'All the enjoyments which
man can receive for his property
| come from his connection with So
ciety. Cut off from all social rela-
lions a mans wealth would be use
less to him. In fact, there could be
no such thing as wealth without So
ciety. Wealth is what may be ex-
changed and requires for its existence
community of persons with reci-
procal wants"
! The general government, as we
have said, has it's armies and it's
nayies and it's great burden of ex-
pense for the purpose mong other
things of protecting property, pro-
tecting gathered and accumulated
wealth, of enabling men to make for
| tunes and to preserve their fortunes
and there is no possible argument
| founded in law or in morals why
these protected interests should not
bear their proportionate burden of
| government.
M. w Hunt, superintendent of the
milling department of the Portland