The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-04-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
BY c. H. Tavenner.

washington. Should a fiscal
system which permits those who
own 80 per cent of the wealth OF
the United States to shoulder
but 10 per cent of the burden of
taxation, be remedied?
The Democratic House believes
that it should, and hence the
passage of the excise-income tax
bill which levies tax of l per
cent on incomes in excess of
$5, 900 year.
This does not mean that all
persons having more than So, 900
must pay tax on the excess of
that sum. 1t means that those
who have an annual income" or
profit" of more than $4,000
must pay the per cent tax on
all income or profit excee ling
SIS, 1000. 1t will be necessary in
most cases for a person to have
a capitalized sum of about $780,
600 before he is called upon to
pay l per cent tax on that por-
ton in excess of $4,000.
The standpatters, however,
say this plan is class legislation.
They were never heard to com
plain of the present system of
raising revenue to run the gov
eminent as being class legisla-
tation, although it is even more
class legislation than that pro-
posed under the excise-income
tax bill. Under the present sys-
tenn the burden falls entirely up
on the masses, wealth alone be-
ing the one thing untaxed for
federal revenue.
The masses of the people pro-
duce the wealth, and by legisla-
tive advantage a few get posses
sion of It, and now these few OBJ
Ject to the transfer of the tax
from the one article of general
consumption-sugar-to wealth
They would prefer that the gov
eminent continue to tax sugar
instead of wealth, because they
eat no more sugar than the sec
ton hand or the mill worker and
therefore under the present sys-
tenn are compelled to pay no
greater tax to the government
than does the poorest man.
The United States is practical
ly the only Ole of the great ma
tons today that raise practically
all its revenue by taxing the peo-
pie according to their needs and
practically according to their
poverty, and allows wealth to go
untaxed.
The government now raises
1914, 700, 600 annually by placing
an import duty or tariff on the
things the people eat, wear or
use. Banks, railroads and
steamship lines pay nothing be-
cause they do not come in
through the custom houses.
Mr.. Rockefeller pays no more
taxes than the average citizen
because he uses no more of the
things the people must have in
order to live than does the aver
age man.
If a system which requires a
millionaire to pay no more tax to
the federal government than the
section hand or the mill worker
is fair and just, there is no reed
of reform; but if such a system
is unjust the excise-incOme tax
bill is a move in the right direc-
ton to remedy it.
RUINED AGAIN.
The sugar industry in the
United States, according to the
wall going up from protection
lists, will be ruined" by the bill
removing the tax from sugar, re-
ducing the price to the consumer
approximately two cents a pound.
This, then, will be the fourth
time the industry will have been
ruined" according to protec-
ZIONIST always according to pro-
tectionists.
The standpatters said the in
dustry would be ruined when
Porto Rico sugar was adm tied
free. But it wasn't. Then they
said it would surely perish When
Philippine sugar was admitted
...