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indirect taxes), all this balance I say, with the exception of a few unimportant items of a special character, is altogether raised from sources of revenue which are of the nature of indirect taxes, that is to say they are raised by indirect taxation.
Indirect taxation is therefore, gentlemen, the institution by which the Bourgeoisie creates the privilege of freedom from taxation for great capitalists, and lays the cost of maintaining the existence of the State on the poorer classes of the community.
At the same time I beg you to observe, gentlemen, the remarkable contradiction, and strange justice involved in this proceeding of laying the whole burden of the expenses of the State on the indirect taxes, and so on the poor people, but making the direct taxes the criterion and condition of the right to the suffrage, that is to say of the right to political power; while these direct taxes contribute only the absurdly small proportion of 12 millions to the whole revenue of 108 millions!
Moreover, I told you, gentlemen, while speaking of the nobles of the Middle Ages, that they held in social contempt all the activity and industry of the burgher class.
Precisely the same thing occurs to day. It is true that every kind of labour is now held in high honour, and if a rag picker or a nightman became a millionaire, he might be certain of being received with high honour into society.
But with what social contempt are they greeted, no matter in what way or how hard they work, who have
