The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-10-16
NOW ISN'T THIS SIMPLY AWFUL

This paper is democratic and be-
longs to that great democratic party
which has just given mortal o1tense
to the laboring man, and the atore-
said laboring man will therefore
never forgive it or us. We have this
on unimpeachable authority-nO less
than that of the Philadelphia Public
Ledger. 1t has Disseminated against
him-denied him the equal rights
and privileges of citizenship-in the
construction of the income tax law.
Listen to what the Ledger says:
The country desired an income tax
law and voted to make such tax
constitutional But the millions who
gave their ballots in favor of such a
law had no notion that the law was
to be enacted so as to create class
distinctions in our land The people
never dreamed that congress would
fence off rich class and a poorer
class and say to one, the country
leans upon you, and to another that
the country doesn't need your mite.
For political reasons only, has con-
gress refused to lower the exemption
limits to point where every honest
faborer could contribute his little
share toward his cOuntry's govern
ment
There you have it in all its naked
hideousness. The democratic party
has felonousIy abused its power TO
-'fen"e off a poorer class" upon whom
it refuses to let the country lean;
whose mite" the country refuses to
accept; who are not allowed to con-
tribute their little share" toward
their country's government! Isn't
tive leave it to you-ISN'T it out
rageous?
Of course, it makes the man of
small income feel like an outcast. He
will look on himself as a parasite
preying involuntarily on the rich and
by compulsion permitting the rich to
bear his share of the burden of sup
porting his country. How he will
rage and gnash his teeth!
There is one tiny CLEAN of conso-
lation that we can see. Perhaps
these outcasters can contribute their
mites in other ways, just as they
have been doing. They will still be
paying a tariff average of &c per
cent They will still be paying tax
on the tobacco they smoke and the
alcoholic beverages they drink. They
have little cash in the bank, few
stocks and bonds and precious jewels
on which they might be tempted to
dodge taxation. Their property is
all in plain sight and the assessor
will get it all. And much of the
taxes paid by the "rich class" will
be passed right on down to them in
the way of higher interests, higher
rents and higher prices. 1t is the
ultimate consumer that pays most of
the taxes in the end--and the ulti-
mate consumer is the member OF this
poorer class" because there are so
many of him. And the taxes he pays
represent real sacrifice-sometimes
actual privation. To the man who
has only $500 year taxes amount
ing to SIS or $50 means sweat and
toll and the giving up OF needed
things. But to the man with $4,000
or $4,000, or 100000 annual in
come taxation is more a matter OF
bookkeeping than of the actual sur
render of something really needed.
Another thought may tend to con-
sole. Nine-tenths of the wealth of
the country is created by the labor
of those who fail to get sufficient
share Of it, after creating it, to en-
title them to pay an income tax. The
great bulk of this wealth finds it's
way, by some means, into the hands
of the comparatively few thousands
who create very little of it. The sac
rifice these latter make in paying
taxes on their swollen share is drop
in the bucket compared to the sacri-
flee made by the many millions who
create it only to see it pass out of
their hands. Perhaps, after all, the
injustice" of this monstrOus income
lax may tend to equalize itself-St.
Joe Observer.