Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-12-26

tiremont. MIR. Rockefeller has unlooscd
his purse strings in munificcnt charities.
For all this w are and should bc pro-
foundry thankful, but for my part
would let these gentlemen begin their
public bcncfactions by paying a proper
amount of taxes. ! am advocating tho
adoption of an income tax. not because
the rich man will pay more In proportion
than the poor man but because in that
WAY alone can he be compelled 20 nav a
fair proportion.
TO INTEREST or RICH MAN.
And 1t is. looking to the future, for the
interest of the rich man himself that he
should contribute his just share to the
social burden.
Said Madame Iompadour. when the
minister of Louis XIV objected that the
burdonsomc taxation ncccssitatod by her
e~xtravaganccs would provoke "A reyolu-
ton. "Aftcr us the dolugc.' And the
deluge came, a deluge OF hate. and d,
blood ana OF misery, which swept out of
existence the French monarchy and all
things for which that monarchy had
stood.
| am not p%rophesying a repetition of
the French Revolution. There will be no
bloodshed, no riot, no incendiarism There
is no occasion for all this. The people of
the United States already have in their
hands other means of securing what he
rcasantry of France fought for.
VIII YOU gentlemen of property kindly
consider what the political constitution
of this country is? We have to-day an
estimated voting list of oe,wccn j, ana
is millions. OF the total number Of vot-
crs probably onc-half have no property
whatever. four-nfths have an income of
less than Sl.ool per year. and yet these
men. lv their ballots absolutely rule the
dcstlnics Of this land ana can take, by
their ballots. your property and my
property If they will.
These ar. times of strange ana fan
tastlc ideas. The air is filled with all
sorts of suggestions of so-called reform.
At the last election the Socialist party
cast ouo-twcnticth of all the votes.
ONE e~\FEGI-ARD For PROPERTY.
ri. ..., ,,., .,, 49,, u.r..
ain , H. ,tt. -,
a,rs out, 90 lon,, =, 49, t,r,, o, ON,
,n,~,. ,.a,in1d :, ty., f,tn a,,
ho,as, .rho nrl,. sor,.,,r1 ,hinh $3.50,
,n,nnc ,ro,.r., ,.ii, hovo or..r h,v. f.,
,i,aa. nn,. t., ,ho ho,o 80 faiu +r,,,
NOM -, ,ho bo,ds of HE c.Iou, citiyers
In nr1.r,n1o,ary, s,,h ,ro,tmor. h.mus,
rr,, ,,.tc n,, 70 th.m treatment which
t.. f,ir rno man .of .,h.,onrn cannot ax.
noct th,t hi, suhs,,nc. uiu IN. nr,tnc,.,
un1ce. IA. is within, 70 devote. T., tho nuh-
lie .,,d , ,o.itin,,. mar, rho wealth
or nj. country, n,,st h.,r its .h,ro of ,b.
r,hIi. b,,rdnn and ON. wov or hearing
,,,r.. of ia. y-ovcrrn,.,, in ,ron,rtion 70
TN. income from which that contribution
' niue, o,,,o
WIN Vermont nav moro than bar
share am told that #, vas urped
upon the last LEGISLATURE that If an
income tax were lail it would be usel
i"r the benefit of states other than
Vermont 1t was said that southern
states ana western states, having tho
balance of power. would appropriate
the money SO raised for improvements
which would benefit them ana not ~
ana that We should therefore be conf
PEELED under this tax to bear "A part
OF il burden from Whirh we DERIVED
no advantage.
This argument is an ahsurditN. Tho
expenditures Will be voted IN any
event Whether an incom" tax is o.
Is not levied mas not the slightest
bearing upon the making of these
outiaNs; 1t only determines VINO snail
pay. whether the poor man shall bea"
the entire load or whether the rlch
man shall carry his share.
y certain amount of money viii b"
expended by the nation ana the real
.- 49, l. .-...