Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-09-17
Groan Groan!! Groan!!!


Sheriff been around your way yet with his stern
demand upon your pocket for twice Us much
money as you paid him last year, and compelled
YOU to fork over the few remaining dollars in
your purse, which, perhaps, You had been accu-
mulating for weeks in order to supply the neces-
stiles of your families! ESQ, how do You feel
under the operation If not, he will call on You
before many days and make you feel the full
force and meaning OF Wse's declaration before
the election, that he would make you "groan,
groan, groan :" re saw the Sheriff on his
winding way" few days ago, and know by
sad experience what You are destined to under
go. Like some foul fend he is going about,
seeking whom he may devour leaving desola-
ton and ruin, tribulation and anguish, desperate
men, weeping women and starving babes behind
him. Look out for him, and although it will be
impossible to avoid his grasp or refuse his mex
orable demands, summon all your courage, call
into exercise all the powers of your manhood,
and prepare to 'groan" as gracefully as possible.
1t will be like the drawing of your eye ,teeth-
but the money must come!
Have you ever seriously inquired why you are
thus taxed and tortured, and who are justly re-
spousible for this deplorable state of affairs. II
not, perhaps this years visit of the Sheriff will
bring you to your senses and cause you to re-
fleet upon this matter, so gravely affecting your
dearest interests. Remember that the State of
Virginia has been under Democratic rule from
time immemorial that under Democratic man
agement she has been plunged into debt, until
the fear of reputation compelled her rulers TO
tax the people this year twice the amount that
they were taxed last year, and remembering
these facts consider whether you will longer trust
the management of Your affairs to such hands.
They may tell you that Wings and Americans
contributed by their votes to bring about this
state of affairs, and are therefore equally respon
sible Fellow Citizens, it is not true. Wings
and Americans have voted with Democrats in
Your Legislature for appropriations to works of
internal Improvement frequently, but if they had
voted against them, the result might have been
the same Democrats had the power and they
alone are responsible for the exercise of that
power and the consequences of its exercise. But
there is this great difference between the course
of the Democrats and the course of the Wings
and Americans. While voting for these works
the Wings and Americans have uniformly voted
for the reception of the money coming from the
General Government TO the State of Virginia,
arising from the sales of the public lands--an a
mount that would have paid for the construction
OF all the improvements for which they voted.
The Democrats, on the contrary, have steadfast-
" refused to take that money, and not only re-
fused to take it, but would not permit Others to
take it, preferring to make you "groan" under
the load of oppressive taxation. And yet these
same Democratic rulers of yours do not hesitate
to appropriate to themselves, large sums of mo-
ney from the public treasury in the way of extra
pay for services which they never performed.
We tell You that the Democratic party, and the
Democratic party alone, are justly responsible
for the embarrassed condition of your finances,
and the heavy demands upon your private purses.
viii you slumber forever in the lap of this Deli
lah of Democracy until You are completely shorn
of your strength and robbed of all the money in
your pockets Will you never awake to q sense
OF your injuries and oppression, and put the seal
fyourreprobation upon the unjust stewards who
are wasting your inheritance, crippling you with
taxes refusing to relieve you by refusing to take
the money that belongs to you, and yet pocket
ing it themselves; "who esteem no fraud too
monstrous for popular credulity" and laugh in
their sleeves while you groan in your pockets
will you never awake and expel these unprofta-
bic stewards from your seryce2 They are PAM
pered and well fed; their eyes stick out with
fatness, and their pockets stick ont with great
rolls of bank bills and gold and silver coin; they
have lived in the green pastures, and reyelled a.
mid the spoils of office until they have grown
sleek and rotund and rich. They can afford to
pay taxes, without murmur, but what do they
care how heavily you are burdened-how deep
" you may "groan2"
Fellow Citizens Think about these things
Think about them these hard times, when the
tax-gatherer calls upon you to pay up your share
OF the debts your Democratic rulers have con-
tracted and refused to pay out OF money that
was rendered to them by the General Govern
lnent for that or any other purpose to which
they might apply it. Think about them when
YOU lie down at night, wearied with hard labor
for living, and when you rise up in the morn
ingto resume your toll Think of themuutil the
18th day of next November and then, if You see
tit to confde the management of your affairs to
the same party, why all we have to say is, You
deserve to 'groan, groan, groan"