Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-09-14
TAXING THE PEOPLE NOR
Increased Expense of S50.OOO,OOO O1
Railroads Means Higher Cost
of Living.

From the Philadelphia Evening Leo
BY no alchemy of politics or 81
manship can it be brought about
a particular class Of people shall re
additional wages Of S5c,Dco,ooo wi
other people paying the bill. Tn
is simply passed on the rest of
public, just as any other tax is
comes ON them in the form of h |
prices for bread, or for coal OF
sugar. or other necessities.
The government has added milliofI
the internal taxes. 1t is constr
Legislation now which will add mil
more. 1t is raising money wherewit
buy islands in the sea at an eXtravf|
price. To construct armor-plate fact
to buy merchant ships and to enga
other enterprises which heretofore
not been considered as necessary or
legitimate functions for government
perform.
so UNLIMITED WEALTH
The man in the street does not \
Of these things. To him the governI
has unlimited funds is, in fact, al
of inexhaustible gold mine and he
not realize that his labor Is one 4
nuggets in that mine. But as the
increase, this man in the street su1
~ finds that he is paying a little
for everything he buys. He wor
why it is Somebody tells him it =
TO the war and he let's ii 20 at
But always, and reientlessly, the
rate is operating on the cost of Ii
The little fellow applauds the ir'
tax and thinks he Is not paying IT, ~
is It is passed along. in one wa
another, \ few may carry the loac
time, but finally 1t is on the back o
general public.
The situation in the railroad '
resolves itself simply into a propos
to tax the people of the United s
an additional S5000o,Ooo. Nobody
credulous as to believe that the
can pay out such an enormous fund
their present resources. If they
pay it they must get II, and the
way in which they can get it is b
| creasinc their rates. That creates :
uation which is exceedingly satisfa
to the beneficiaries. Il is a fine THU
| have somebody else collect $50
and hand it over to YOU. But it is
| ~ hard on the great mass of Amer
/ who have no unions, who dc not or
not strike, who have no organized
with which to terrori2e politicians,
who are always the lambs to be she
SIMPLY \ HOLD-UP.
/ The Evening Ledger holds a brie
/ the great masses, 1t objects to :
| them held up and their pockets pi
| We should be mighty glad to Sc,
/ traiumen get twice the salaries the
/ getting, but not at the expense of
laboring people who are already
less than the trainmeu for as mr.
not more work, our sympathies are
/ the household that finds it has to c
! m2e on food because the cost of
. is leapng up with no CompeusatinE
, in income. The prevention Of n
| traffic is something to he avoided.
| sure, but the really important ISIS
stake is whether or not the peor
this country are to he taxed $50 o.
year forever hereafter for the ido
service which they are now cettin
may he too big q price for aVoidin
threatened strike.
Possibly the President has taker
phase of the situation into cons
ton, although it is notorious that
administration shows 10 more respe
a million dollars than the ordinary
does for nickel. If wages are al
equal to what the traffic will he'
spite of recent increases in rates,
wages should remain what they are
President is not asking the railWa
yield so much as he is insisting tina
whole American nation pay an onoI
yearly tribute for the privilege OF
having railroads in running order.