Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-03-18

AMONG the newspapers IN SOulH
Carolina that often exhibit intelligence
and information in regard to public
questions is The Yorkville Enquirer
and one despairs lest some impenetra-
BILE gloom has settled upon 1t, when IL
affirms that Under the present organ
ization of the Federal government. that
government can not levy a direct tax
of any kind on the citizens of the
state" That is precisely what, under
the Federal constitution, the govern
ment can do: that is what the consti-
tuition declares in so many words. But,
under the constitution, as it Is now
written, such a tax would necessarily
be apportioned according to the popu-
lation of the several states, so that
South Carolina citizens would be COM
PEELED to pay into the national treas
ury about one-half as much as Mas
sachusettS. were an income tax law to
be enacted, though Massachusetts, has
about nineteen times the wealth OF
South Carolina. The adoption Of the
pending amendment would take from
congress the existing power to oppress
one state at the expense Of another.
The statement of The Enquirer that
the Federal government must derive
its revenues altogether from indirect
taxes" would be absurd were 1t not
pathetic.-Columbia State.
Knowing as we do, the habit of the
Columbia State to strike with bludg-
con, whenever it thinks it sees an op-
portunity to strike at all, had that pa
per been in mind when we used the eX-
preston referred to, we would perhaps,
have been a little more explicit with
reference to the point we were seeking
to make. In section of the constitu-
ton Of the United States, we find this
provision: mo capitation or other di-
rect tax shall be laid, unless in pro-
portion to the census enumeration
hereafter directed to be taken With
this provision before US. and the very
explanation the State seeks to make in
mind, we used the expression, under
the present organization of the FEEDER
al government" etc. We really do not
think we have anything to take back.
Any child should be able to see the i'm
practicability Of levying direct taxes in
proportion to population. OF course,
South Carolina would not stand for
paying half as much taxes as another
state nineteen times as wealthy, and
congress in its right mind, would not
think of requiring such thing. 1t may
and does gouge South Carolina out of
proportion to Massachusetts in the
matter of indirect taxes: but how. and
wny this is. is not difficult to explain
1t is a fact, however, that great
many able and learned men in America
think that this one thing was the real
cause Of a terrible war that took place in
this country once. AS to the obsurdity
of the idea that the Federal govern
ment must" derive it's revenues from
indirect taxes, we think the fact that
it does so is a pretty good sign of
must" However, it never has been
our intention to quarrel about this
matter with the State, or anybody else.
We merely sought to show how the in
come tax, If authorized by Federal con-
stitution. will eventually settle down on
the poor as we'll as the rich. We had
Ill lnllu lHS ldCl lIidl SihSV VIC S'o''
government is already plucking its
geese for all they seem able to stand.
when the Federal government begins,
under the proposed new authority to do
the same thing, it will not be a great
while until the two "sovereignties" be-
gin to quarrel, lest the one take so
much that there will be nothing left
for the other, and as has always been
the case in the past, the weaker will
have to yield to the stronger. In the
meantime, if congress ever attempts to
exercise its existing power to Cypress
one state at the expense of another"
by levyins direct taxes in proportion
to population, we hope the State will
please tell us about it.