Evening journal., 1911-10-23
PEOPLES COLUMN
SOCIALIST PROTEST.
Against the Decision TO Collect the
CapitatiOn Tax in the City.

CaDitatiOn Tax In the City.
Editor of THE EVENING JOURNAL.
We saw an article on taxation in your
issue of THE JOURNAL of the Goth
inst, and would be pleased to have
you publish following letter:
To the people of Wilmington.
VIII $4,000 propertyless and home
less slaves allow themselves to be
taxed for the privilege of being
propertyless and homeless?
Dear Peoplel This gentlemanly
body known as City Council is going
to impose a tax on you for daring to
be propertyless. They say: You
own no property; then they must be
going to tax you for the grand priv
ilege of breathing the Heavenly at
mosphere of Wilmington.
If the $1,000 Males" Of Wilmington
are men they will have something to
say about the procedure of City
Council
1t seems very much out of place for
the gentlemen who compose councils,
legislatures and congress always to
have the poorest of the poor In view
when they want to get their fingers on
extra funds.
Who are they going to tax at this
time? Behold! $4,000 Males" or
course, meaning men; who own moth
ing, and only sell their vitality for &
humble existence. Men? Yes! Horny
handed sons Of toll, most of them,
whose average wage Is from $1.5O to
$2.25 per day, and out of this pay an
Excessive Tax" on every foot of land
they live on, for every crumb Of bread
they consume and on every garment
they dare put on their backs.
Can one of the members of this
on-subservient (?) City Council deny
the fact that these $4,000 males pay
tax today indirectly. through high
rent? They will say: Yes. but the
money goes into the pockets Of private
landlords CWhy don't they tax themD
This Is because they know how 70
manage a city government SO intelli-
gently (?O
AS a contrast to this we have in
Wilmington a system of taxation
which is wholly subservient to 2
class and criminally unjust. Here
are corporations and street railway
companies who pay little or nothing in
the way of tax, business men and
capitalists who own stocks and bonds
and pay nothing on this property.
Again! Should one of these $4,000
males have been economical enough
to possess a little home, he Is taxed
full value for it. where on the other
hand large and extensive property
holders are taxed from 1-3 to IL full
value.
These means for raising funds
which would far exceed the $4,000
they counld squeeze out of 15,OOC
workers the City Council cannot see
they are willingly blind. They lool
out over all these ways and means
Justly and close at hand, and say
Ah!! over there, over all this Is the
mass of $4,000 overworked, overtaxed
overabused. exploited. underfed, badly
clothed, uneducated, illbred. ignorant
superstitious Males" who voted us
into Office. "Them we will tax" they
will stand for it as they stand for
all else We have taught them and
forced upon them.
Brave City Council Righteous
judges; wise governors of the people
always looking for the peoples we'll
farel Noble prinicpled gentlemen
with lofty ideals, who give one mar
right Of way through the state and
a hotel site in the most expensive
section of the city for which the peo-
pie pay, and $4,000 other men an
extra and excessive tax of one dollar
and forty-three cents to partly make
up what they have given one man.
Shame on youl Arouse. awake. "
slaves you have all to gain and only
your shackles to lose.
A. W. Francois and W. W. Henry
Press Committee.
Wilmington Socialist Party.