The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-04-28
THE NECESSI TY FOR A
CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM
OF NATIONAL TAXATION.

The government has up TO this time
raised sufficient money to paw the ex-
penses Of the government by internal
revenue and from the tariff except in
cases OF stress when 1t has resorted to an !
exceptional form of excise taxation such
as the stamp duties &c.
But the growth Of the country BY ma
tonal accretion and foreign immigration, .
has been 50 great and so unusal that
there has been an enormous increase in
the expenses Of the government. Be
sides which the government under the
Republican party and its administration
and policy for the last nifty years. has cast
10 the winds all ideas Of any such
thing as economy in the conduct of the
government All sorts Of new Offices
have been created, and old and original
offices have been divided and subdivided
until the Office holders are legion.
In addition TO this the salaries of all
OF the Office holders have been increased
time and time again. and in amounts that
are not only unreasonable but in amounts
that are in fact absurd
But even If the government was eco
nomically administered there is. of ne
cessity, found to be a heavy increase in
expenses. which We are doomed to meet
by taxation.
Up to this time. never in the policy
of the Republican party all forms Of
taxation have been rejected, but the
internal revenues and the tariff This
was necessity for the purpose of Justify
ing the protective system. and It was one
OF the reasons for the increase Of Offices
and Office holders. and the increase of
salaries.
Because all Of these things gave a
pretext for increasing the tariff. If the
government received all Of the money.
or even one-hfth Of the money that the
people pay bv reason of the high tariff
there would be every year a large
surplus in the treasury from the tariff
alone. but the government does not
get one-ffth Of what the people have to
pay.
More than four-ffths Of what the people
are forced to pay goes into the pockets
OF the protected interests-the manu-
facturers. the trusts and corporations
and less than one-ffth finds its way into
the treasury. and nearly every wear there
IS a deficit in the treasury, and at this
time the existing deficit in the income
Of the government is increasing at the
rate Of about two hundred dollars per
day, and that under the Payne-Aldnch
Tariff Bill which Mr. Taft said was the
best tariff bill that the country has ever
had.
The real truth of the matter is. that
this government can no longer be sup
ported by tariff taxation. even if the PEG
pie were willing to submit any longer TO
the injustice and oppression Of the tariff
, system. because the government cannot
' get enough of the taxes.
But the fact is the government cannot
: be supported by that part of the people
who have little, and are constantly get
!, ting less, and it must collect its taxes
! from those who have untold wealth and
I who are steadily increasing their wealth
The government has not only been living
! on the poor, but has been compelling
the poor to pay enormous bounties to
the rich under the high protective tariff
: system
There are other forms Of taxation to
which the government can resort to
!, raise the money to pay the expenses, but
there are two forms of taxation so easily
/ reached and so manifestly just and so
Il reasonable to all honest minds, that there
P ought to be no difficulty in resorting to
them.
The forms of taxation to which we refer
: are the income tax and the inheritance
tax.
These are both taxes levied on money.
! and not on labor These are forms of
4 taxation on wealth and not on poverty.
r The man or business, or corporation,
g or railroad that has an income. can much
7 more easily pay a tax to support the
y government, than the poor can afford
to pay high prices on all the food and
? clothing and the other necessaries Of life
!, which they now pay for by way Of
!. high tariff The inheritance tax is also
i lust tax, and one that is easily paid, be-
cause money inherited comes easy and
Y has not been earned by those who inherit