Show THE DIRECT TAX BUELL BILL A faw days fco an ft a dispatch h pub published lishe 1 in the news announced that the house of representatives at washington had bad passed the direct tax bill a ceasur 1 which has been pending before con gres stor a long ions time and the of considerable discussion then and throughout the country it is not as some people think a bill imposing a tax but the reverse it proposes to refund money colle collected Aed under a tax this would on of the proposition strike the average reader as a very liberal arm and last not arrangement for dis disposing chaing of the surplus nur plus or a part 0 ol 01 I 1 it gut but that is a question concerning which there are as usual two sides the direct tax upon the property of individuals was made at ar ac earla earl stage of the war it being then a settled conclusion that all the existing resources ot of the nation were not sufficient to meet the enormous required to keep up fight the greenback had not abel been brought into existence we believe and money from some beurce 11 lu large volumes or letting the confederacy go was the issue before the people at such a time and I 1 imbued with the union spirit as the 1 reec majority were the tax was paid without much holding back most who were silently opposed to it wert ert discreetly so and paid without ent protest as the others did by thib extraordinary means an immense fund was collected but no one that we have heard of avei attempted to justify the proceeding except on the plea that war sets aside all rules conflicts conflicting with it and becomes supreme in ia itself itself of course none of thib tax wash was paid rid by the states in rebellion tor for obvious obvious reasons the territories were air alo exempted tor for a different reason T the proposition r then is to refund to the states which paid it the tee amounts respectively ively received from them as estimated this makes it not only a part partisan but a sectional issue the or and ana an all against it of 01 course coarse the latter do not expect nor require that the southern states should get anything out of the distribution it because none of them paid 61 any ol 01 the he amount which it is pro po posed ed to distribute Is tribute out but they do claim that h t war measures were settled by the 9 war and the northern states received the lull bennt benefit of what they paid boril furthermore that a complete so BOS to restore resnaire to the individuals or their heirs the amount of their respective spec tive payments would be impossible ble that toe the money now in the treasury was largely paid by the southern states for the purpose of carrying on the me government as it is 15 and that the proposed proceeding is in unlawful u unjust and unprecedented I 1 he be whole amount collected by the direct taxation measure prop proposed oed to be returned Is 16 divided as tUl lOWb amount state Aw payable avaNe delaware maryland 3 michigan minnesota missouri new yort york ohio pennsylvania 1916 illinois indiana I 1 90 rr iowa i kentucky west virginia 9 with a treasury containing a sur plus of twelve times that amount or would seem to be a small matter after all but the opposition donnot does not arise because of the amount so much as on account of the example those who oppose again twing up their argument of a surplus being a temptation an incentive to departure from well settled principles ol of rood government ern ment causing us to drift into new inventions tor for disbursement and spec alcove it if nob corrupt t schemes to make the national account balance with that of ahe tig people eople they point to the direct tax tar bill to the blair educational bill both as they admit having abe semblance of fairness abiud bebing them but both as they claim being bein abrupt departures part par tures from the terms of the one in compact pact the natural tendency of which is the weaken lug and in ink of the whole fabric taxation is always a vexation however patriotic and public spirited the citizen he is not disposed to part with his substance auba tance for or no immediate corporeal consideration he realizes of course that governments sovern menta must be upheld or r all that he has would be valueless by reason of being insecure tor for this res reason in he generally pays nays without compla complaint lt but lie he complains and with good reason when the govern overn ment overtaxed overtaxes over overt taxes Sies him and in questionable and aad unauthorized pro with what it does not require tor for its ow own use itta huoh wits things that provoke between tag b I 1 democrats and republicans as lp bisans whenever any such mes measure ws the direct tax bill Is up for consideration |