Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1852-04-29

1
and harvest! Yes, this must be conce.
ded to you. Have you refused to con,
tribute, in the shape Of taxes, to support
the government, defray the expenses,
and improve the Stale. There is not a
man who has not felt, and does not now
feel the weight of taxes, grinding him
down, paralyzing his energies, and lead
ing him to dependency, discouragemen,
and almost despair. Every man al
mos! has paid more than he could afford
to pay and heretofore in most cases
cheerfully too. as a public duty, and in
the hope that they would get the value
OF them by and by in some shape. Tax
es ;udiciously and equally LEVIED, and
appropriated to necessary and useful
purposes have not and ought not to be
objected to. The people will not CON-
plain Of reasonable taxes, TO meet the
curren, and economical expenses Of the
government; TO avoid State and county
debts; to construct necessary works of
improvement, roads and bridges; to build
Cour: Houses and public buildings, be.
cause these are useful, permanent, and
necessary; they develope the resources,
and promote the prosperity of the State;
and show for themselves TO what pur-
pose the peoples money has been ap-
piled. But let every candid man answer
The plain question, what have we got
10 show for the vast amount of taxes
which have been levied and collected in
this State! What have we to show for
them but debt. State, county, and indi.
vidual! Where is the money gone To-!
Let the PARTY answer. -
Party like everything else, ought to
be judged by its fruits; the proof of the
pudding is in the eating of it. There
may be associations of men under the
name of Party, for high and noble pur-
poses, the leaders of which may be hon
est, sincere, disinteresled and patriotic;
there have been such in the worlds his
tory, and there are such now; but i, has
invariably happened, and always will
happen, when such parties obtain power,
and the control Of human affairs. that
they have left their mark for good up
on their age; their pathway all along
has been light, verdure, improvement
and progress; and monuments more du.
rable than brass or marble. aud lasting
as time-preserve their recollection fresh
in the memory of mankind.
Of this beneiicent character has moi
been the Party in power in this State.
1t is in vain and cruel mockery, to pre-
tend any thing of the kind. II has not
been under the direction of either honest,
disinterested, or patriotic leaders and
presses; but under blind guldes-igni
fafui, leading into boggs, quagmires and
dismal swamps; it has been party of
progress-not upward, excelsior prog
ress, but backward and downward in
the direction of the dark ages; in its path
way you can Gull no flowers; find not
monument of skill, invention or utility,
to endear il 10 the present or commend
il TO the future; and still its leaders and
presses stand calmly surveying the ruins
which their own hands have wrought
the desolation which their own meas
ures and policy have created, and with
out a sign Of regret, sympathy or re-
morse, and unmoyed by the plain Ian
guage Of public sorrow, suffering and
condemnation, which comes to them in
thunder tones from the honest hearts Of
an injured and deceived. people; they
still have the brazen efrontery to claim
further confidence; they still ply the par
ty lash 10 the backs of Independents
and boilers. and hold up to the terror of
all. their old political guiloline! These
things. gentlemen politicians, have los,
their power; they are remnants of an
age OF barbasism. and you only make
yourselves ridiculous by resorting to
them.