The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-10-24

SOic uOJcCC tuc OcucAIt VI oA Vic
people. Just prior to elections a
great deal of talk is made about the
taxes of the rich and poor. 1t can
fairly be said that the national gov
eminent does not tax the earnings
of the poor family. Earnings Of
$500 are entirely exempt and on
$4,000 they would pay but $3.50.
The claim can scarcely be made that
the poor are obliged to pay direct
taxes to the national government.
Al talk then about taking direct
taxes off the rich and leaving them
on the poor is simply misleading.
But every student is vel aware that
the public in general, which is most
ly made up of people Of moderate
means, do and must indirectly pay
the expenses of the government.
Money From People
"The great corporations, the banks,
the railroads.&c. the great incomes
do and must collect their money
from the people. AL our food, cloth
ing, shelter and fuel pays tax to
the government and. the people who
earn the wages of the nation do and
must pay the taxes which they buy
their necessaries. This simple fact
determines what must be a sound
policy of taxation. 1t should be at
a rate which will produce the lar
gest amount of taxation from large
incomes, and by doing the utmost
stimulate enterprise and business af-
ford the wage earners ample en-
ployment with good pay, in order
that they may better bear the bur-
den Of indirect taxation. All ex-
perience shows that larger amount
of money can be collected from large
incomes at moderate rate than at
a high rate. When the rate IS too
high, large incomes disappear, leav-
ing all the burden of taxes on the
wage earners and people of small
means; getting all we can out of
the rich by making rates moderate
and stimulating business to provide
, work and increase the earnings OIL
the poor seems to me to be the com.
mon sense method of taxation. The
estimated income and expenses Of
the government for the coming fis.
cal year indicate that we can have
a further reduction in taxes. But
we can only secure this result by
continuing our policy of drastic
economy.
"A very material part Of our. rev.
enue comes from the tariff which
is now running at the rate of about
$55O,OO0,OO0 per year. This is, not
withstanding the fact that We have
the lowest tariff which the Repub
lican party has enacted since 1890
and that it is even lower than thu
Democratic tariff of 1894. Nearl!
81 per cent of our imports on tn.
free list, while the average duty OF
all imports is less than Is per cent
Under it, in spite of prophecies t.
the contrary, our foreign trade ha
greatly increased. 1t has been con
stantly asserted that what the farm
er buys is protected and what h
sells is not protected. Almost ev
erything that is used in the bushes
Of farming as a matter Of fact is o.
the free list, while almost every
thing that the farmer raises is pro
tected, from the nuts and citru
fruits of the Pacific coast throug
the sugar, grain and animal prod
1ucts of the central west, to the dair
and tobacco products Of the cas-
Without such protection many o
these farm products would be des
itroyed by foreign competition. Whe
we turn to our industrial life, "
find that the wages both in rate an
in buying power Of the Aperica
workman are more than twice tina
Of the best paid foreign labor. Com
I.pared to 1913, the advance in tn
wages of union labor is 80 percen
, while in the ordinary living costs
is only about 50 percent. America
= industry cannot exist, American W:
ges cannot be paid, the America
standard of living cannot be mair
tanned without protective tariff
Peace and Economy
n "Under this policy OF peace. ecor
omy, reduction of rtasses and protc'
! Etion, the business Of the cOuntr
J has very generally revived an
Z brought us into an era Of more tina
average prosperity. Agricuitur
however, not only suffered first, an
many respects most, but has bee
the last to recover. In spite Of ii
fact that prices for the great staple
. of wheat, corn and animal product
r are now at much more encohrai
: ing level, nevertheless the farm'
, has not l,een able to restore in or
season the losses he has encounte
ed in the four preceding season