Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1912-03-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, D. c., March %, 1912.
By G. II. TANENNER.

By Q. II. TANENNER
Should fiscal system which per-
mits those who own 80 per cent of
the wealth Of the United States to
shoulder but 10 per cent OF the bur-
den OF taxation, be remedied?
The Democratic House believes
that it should, and hence the pas
sage OF the excise-income tax bill
which levies tax OF / per cent on
incomes 10 excess OF $1,000 year.
This does not mean that all per-
sons having moro than $4,000 must
pay tax on the excess Of that sum.
1t means that those who have an an
nual Income" or profit" OF more
than $4,000 must pay the / per ce ut
tax on all Income or profit exceed
ing $1,000. 1t will be necessary In
most cases for person to have q
capitalized sum OF about 800, 600 be-
fore be is called upon to pay per
cent tax on that portion Ia excess
et 81. 900.
The standpatters, however, say
this plan is class legislation, They
were never heard to complain OF the
present system OF raising revenue
10 run the governments 81 being
class legislation. although it is even
more class Legislation than that pro
posed under the excise--income tax
bill. Under the present system the
burden falls entirely upon the mas
ses, wealth alone being the one sbiug
untaxod for federal revenue
The masses OF the people produce
the wealth, and by legislative adj
vantage few ge1 possession OF 1t,
and now these few object to the
transfer OF the tax from but one ar.
tice Of general consumption sugar
Ito wealth. They would prefer
that the government continue 10
tax sugar instead Of wealth, because
they eat no more sugar than the sec.
tion hand or the mill worker and
therefore under the present sys-
tenn are compelled to paw no greater
tax to the government than does the
poorest man.
The United States Is practically
the only one Of the great nations TO-
day that raises practically all its
revenue by taxing the people accord
ing to their poverty, allows and
wealth TO go untaxed
The government now raises s3l4,-
600, 900 annually by placing an inn
port duty or tariff on the things the
people eat, wear or use. Banks,
railroads and steamship lines pay
nothing because they do not come In
through the customs houses. Mr..
Rockefeller pays no more taxes than
the average citizen because he uses
no more Of the things the people
must have 10 order to live thon does
the average man.
II q system which requires mil
liouaire to pay no more tax TO the
federal government than the section
hand or the mill worker is fair 90 ID
just, there is no need Of reform; but
Is such system is unjust the ex-
cise-income tax bill Is a move in
the right direction to remedy 1t.
RUINED AGAIN.
The sugar industry In the United
States. according tothe wall going up
from protectionists, will be ruined"
by the bill removing the tax from
sugar, reducing the price to tbe
consumer approximately 2 cents q
pound. This, then, will be the
fourth time the industry win have
been ruined" according to pro.
tectlonists--al ways accoding to pro-
tectionists,
! The stand patters said the industry
would be ruined when Porto Rice
sugar was admitted free. But Ii
wash =, Then they said ii would
surely perish when Philippine
sugar was admitted free, and again
when Cuban sugar was admitted al
9 reduced import tax
But during this time Of ruin. "
cane sugar production 10 this coun-
try increased materially, and beet
sugar production more than doubled /
WHERE UNDERWOOD STANDS
Chairman Underwood of the Ways
and Means committee was Interrupt
bed in his speech againss the sugar
= by Louisiana membsr, who In,