The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1951-10-11
THE AMERICAN WAY
SOAKING THE POOR

penses Uncle Sam already has
been forced to attach consider
able of the incomes of us fellows
in the lower income groups. APP
parently, we "ain't see nothin'
yet" BY the time this appears
in print the elongated chap with
the chin Whiskers will be reach
ing still further into the pockets
of American workers.
In 1889, a married man with
an income of $4,000 a year was
exempt from Federal taxation
and was able to keep all his
earnings In the current fiscal
year, he is compelled to work %
days to pay his Federal income
tax. In the next fiscal year he
will sweat for longer period
for his greedy, squandering gov
ernment.
Of course, the wealthy chap
really gets taken to the cleaners.
A person in the 100000 class
works nearly one half of his
time for the Government, or
more than three times as long
as a person with a $4,000 income
who tolls ONLY "a days to meet
his income tax bill.
The progressive rate of taxa
ton now in effect is socialistic
in concept and communistic in
result. Bradford S. Smith, Econo-
mist for the United States Steel
Corporation, most aptly stated
the case against progressive
taxation when he pointed out;
"There is no justification in
the morals or in the principles
of individual liberty for pro-
gressive taxation. 1t is simply
looting through law of the more
productive by the more numer-
Gus but less productive It's ap-
peal is demagogic, and its result
is communism, which in turn is
but a transitory stage in the
evolution away from liberty into
dictatorship ="
This looting of the wealthy is
not only unjust but it impairs
incentive. Further, the revenue
to be obtained from this source
is comparatively small If all the
personal taxable income of
| S25, 1000 a year or over were con-
fiscated by the Government, the
amount would be sufficient to
pay the current running ex-
penSeS of the Federal Govern
ment for only about ten days.
One does not have to be the
seventh son of a seventh son to
divine that as our tax burdens
expand, we poorer folks will be
forced to spend an increasing
number of days working for the
government.
Our poor, unfortunate British
cousins have had a most un-
pleasant taste of progressive tax
alton. In Great Britain the tax
burden is being shifted to the
lower income groups. In 1888 the
lower income group contributed
only about 20 percent of total
personal income taxes; in l949
this had increased sharply to 40
percent.
England has practically des-
troyed her high income group
just as we are in the process Of
doing here in the United States
of America. For example, the
British group with incomes of
$4,000 or over contributed over
80 percent of total personal in
come taxes in 1898; in 1949 this
had dropped to l3 percent and is
still falling.
England's experience is a dire
warning to us as we are travel
ling down the same road to in
solvency. England is just short
way ahead of US. We must stop
destroying our high income
group not because we particu-
| larry lONC LlIOSC WIN SOlilPI loS IL,
but because they are vital to our
own welfare. Unless we call
halt to this procedure we shall
find, as has England, that the
day will come when Uncle Sam
will have no other recourse than
to soak us poorer folks to the
point where our standard of liv-
ing will be reduced to that of the
Hottentots. - George Peck.
Photo Observation-Disclosures